For a speech that mentioned "freedom" 17 times, President Bush’s fifth State of the Union address also included some welcome, forward-looking talk about the need to break the U.S. addiction to Mideast oil, get competitive on math and science and the like.
The question is how compliant Congress wants to be — especially with midterm elections looming and Bush a second-termer with lagging poll numbers. Can Bush turn his standing ovations into enough productive action on behalf of the American people to keep the full Congress in Republican hands and the remainder of his presidency relevant?
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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35 Comments
You bet he can, Rhonda! There is no doubt that the Republicans will maintain control in the House and Senate. The democrats have no plan.
If I was a betting man, and I am, I would even bet that they gain seats in the Senate.
Hopefully he’ll get to fill another seat or two in the Supreme Court!
Hank
Funny how we had the same “forward-looking” talk about alternative energy some time back, and nothing changed.
Show me some sign of even genuine progress towards that goal. I have no doubt that Bush’s masters would love to corner the alternative energy market, but they’re in no rush.
Prove me wrong.
It’s really tiring listening to bush and his push-button sloganeering. The man hasn’t got anything right yet, with the exception of instilling fear in the hearts of americans.
Do you really think he’ll propose meaningful changes like demanding a certain gas mileage/efficiency level for new cars?
Or funding decentralized sources of energy?
Looking to bush for any rational plan of action would truly be humorous if it weren’t so pathetically absurd.
Please, don’t make me laugh.
To answer your question, Rhonda: How can we expect Bush to lead now? He hasn’t done anything except line the pockets of his rich buddies so far. Relevant? To whom?
I don’t think they will this year. In 2007 they will. Because Republicans will gain seats in both houses.
Solid speech? A bunch of meaningless generalities with zero specifics. “Cut oil imports by 75%” Great idea but how? No mention of using less. No immediate-term action plans. “Hydrogen”? Sure; and Harry Potter will wave his wand and magically split water into its constituents. Where does he plan to get the energy to run electrolysis? Not mentioned.
Bush has been president for 5 years. His record speaks much more loudly than his rhetoric.
I recall that a year ago he trumpeted his plans to “fix” Medicare and Social Security. How is that working out?
Rhonda, Rhonda,What happened to your faith that was so evident yesterday? Our great president will lead congress into supporting his manly and righteous agenda and anyone who thinks otherwise is a hang-wringing panty-waste!!!
Ben:”I recall that a year ago he trumpeted his plans to “fix” Medicare and Social Security. How is that working out?”
Well Ben, our great president fixed Medicare so that those free-loading old people can’t use that f**king worthless program and wasn’t that the goal? He did a great job!!! If those mean Democrats led by that evil Hillary Clinton, would have let him, he would have fixed Social Security equally as well.Viva la Bush!!!Thank you very much.
Oil and education were the only topics worth listening to. I would like to see how the research money for alternative energy is doled out. I would bet my next pay check the majority goes to oil consortiums, so they can keep their hands in American pockets when and if a viable alternate esource of energy is widely used in the states.
Yes, it was a truly solid speech, a perfect example of why laxatives were invented! He shouldn’t have outsourced it’s writing to that low bidder in Bangladesh.So he doesn’t want us second-guessing him? Of course not! It points out how disastrous all his first guesses have been!
Let’s not forget . . . all of the problems we are having now are Clinton’s FAULT!
The terrorists came in under his watch, NOT Bush’s.
We had nearly full employment under Clinton. There are many and little reported costs to full employment. Why, I would take my car to WalMart to get my tires changed in the late 1990’s and it was just a disaster. Any human with even minimal brain activity was working at a good paying job in the late 1990’s. So, who did that leave for positions at WalMart??? We don’t have that problem now, why there were PhD engineers changing my tires at WalMart just the other day.
Our great president’s goal of 100% unemployment is a worthy and reachable goal. When we get there, we’ll all have to start our own small businesses – it will be the “ownership society”. My small business is going great — it is called “foraging in dumpsters is us.”
Life is good and so much better than when I was living off of the government!
Viva La Bush!!! Thank you very much.
Steven E. – I doubt your story about PhD engineers changing your tires at wal mart. See, the key to partisan blathering is that you make up something believeable, like “Bush eats babies.”
The more you know….
“Republicans will gain seats in both houses.”Joe, whatever you’re on, shame on you for not sharing!!!
Steven,”Our great president’s goal of 100% unemployment is a worthy and reachable goal.”
Unfortunately, it’s not. The best it will ever reach, under any conditions, is about 97%. There is a certain percentage in the nation who will not work under any conditions. I suppose if you delete that number from the stats, 100% is reachable, and fudging numbers seem to be the norm in many areas.
O, wait . . . you were kidding, right? Never mind.
Todd,I have a friend who is an aircraft engineer, who was reduced to working at WalMart after being laid off for two years. She just recently got back in engineering, at a different company, but she lost all her savings and pensions, and has to start over from scratch. The WalMart story is typical of the industry and economy, and all too real!
That’s interesting, considering that every aircraft company in town is beating the bushes for engineers.
Shrub offered up the usual nonsensical rhetorical pound of flesh and most Americans lapped it up. The traitor did his best Captain of the Titanic routine and the gutless demorats did nothing but cheer him on, disgusting!
Viva La Raza Blanco!!
Rhonda–do you write for a living? Because if you do, you should know something about basic rhetoric.
That speech was the lamest POS Bush has ever uttered. Here, let me summarize for you–”freedom” “9-11″ “education” “teachers” “Sandra Day O’Connor” “9-11″ “fight terror” “stay the course” “jobs” “economy” “tax cuts” “9-11″ “freedom”
I’ve never heard a president insult his audience with a longer stream of banal generalities based on nothing but wishful thinking in my life.
Pathetic.
How long will the conservatives shill for this man?
Todd, and you know that because of Todd’s Encyclopedia of Aircraft Hiring?
Unlike Bush and his speeches, we require evidence around here.
And btw, Rhonda, the “standing ovations” only came from one half of the Congress.
ProudLib,
You forgot about his paying lip service to “border security”! I will look forward to the future trial of G.W. Bush.
rotflmosao
Todd does not believe my story about engineers rotating my tires. I must be full of it then. Oh, the miserable shame.
Todd, you’ll have to forgive, I only recently gave up my “cheese eating, surrender monkey” ways. It will be a while before I can aspire to your level of greatness. Please be patient with me.
Those engineers are changing tires because of greedy corporations that hired low wage working Chinese and Hindus as part of the treasonous H1B visa program!
Viva la Raza Blanco!!
“Todd, and you know that because of Todd’s Encyclopedia of Aircraft Hiring?”
No, I know that because my employer is paying up to 1500 dollars a head for engineer referrals. Bottom line, if an experienced aircraft engineer is out of work, it’s because they either aren’t looking, or they burnt a bridge.
“Bottom line, if an experienced aircraft engineer is out of work, it’s because they either aren’t looking, or they burnt a bridge.”
You mean, it’s their fault, right, boss? Those out of work engineers expect us to feel sorry for them? Ha! I say. Ship their jobs to India! That’ll teach ‘em.
I keep thinking it’s Clinton’s FAULT. Boy, being a conservative really does require a great deal of cognitive activity. My poor old neurons haven’t had a work out like this in the longest time.
Steven – Didn’t your buddy and pal Clinton sell out the working man by signing NAFTA and GATT? I mean, if you’re all about blaming a president for your current situation, you might try blaming the right one.
You democrats are twice as funny as any republican.
Yes, Todd. The answer is SO SIMPLE, once you’ve seen the light. If anything is difficult, it has to be CLINTON’S FAULT!!! Q.E.D.
Clinton was so busy getting hum jobs that he couldn’t even pay attention to the needs of this country. He was crooked and corrupt; he engaged in class warfare and nearly stripped the wealthy class of their vital bodily fluids. HE WAS EVIL PERSONIFIED and still is, except when he is in the company of GHW Bush.
How was that, Todd?
But Todd,
Am I having a Liberal relapse, or didn’t GHW Bush get Nafta started?
Tell me I am wrong, please.
Sorry your life is so miserable, Steve. I had no idea.
You STILL don’t have any idea, Toad. Nor do you have a clue . . .
Steve..
As usual, your facts are off, but your blame is always there.
Check your facts:
January 1, 2004 marks the tenth anniversary of the North American Free Trade Agreement’s implementation.
Now, unless GW was signing treaties in 1994, I don’t think NAFTA is his baby…Sounds a lot more like (gasp) Clinton…
Of course, you won’t take my word for it, since your mind is permanently closed to facts.Check it out:
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/nafta-alena/menu-en.asp
Solid speech? Yeah I think so. Bush has yet again solidified the divide in America. I cite these blogs as proof.
His little toadie supporters worship him as much as ever…..even more! Meanwhile those of us who never accepted this puppet of a man as chief executive are only re-energized in our zeal against him.
THing is? Those folks floating in the middle are drifitng OUR WAY. Oh bush may get the usual point or so bounce that these sppeches generate; but with a bounce comes a fall. ( Bush may feel he is beyond OUR laws but even he can’t escape gravity…..both physical and literal) And so will bush continue to sink.
This will make bush’s place in history. He will be remembered as saying “I am a uniter, not a divider” while presiding over the lasting and final division of America between those who have and use (and their servile toadies) and those who work and sweat and do. And frothat final division will come change that I think will not favor the adorers of bush.
Hey! Maybe that is poetic destiny! The puppet and perpetrator of the worst of capitalism ………becos the force that destroys it.