The Obama Show: State of the Union 2014 Edition

My commentary, after the jump.  If I could add one thing, I'd just say that I loved how Rush Limbaugh was calling this the "State of the Coup" today.  Fantastic, and quite fitting.  

Ugh.  Listening to this on NPR.  I’d destroy my television if I were watching.  Not going to lie, this is going to be a pretty detached commentary.  I’m at work, and I don’t really think I should waste my time on this.  But alas, I’ll suffer so you don’t have to.

May I just note that it’s 8:13…it was supposed to start at 8:00.  Wasting my time, that’s Obama’s America.

So bored already.

Really considering just shutting this off now.  Campaign speech.

The do your part part of the speech.  Communism 101.

End the war in Afghanistan shout out.  Yep.  Just bind your time, al Qaeda, we’ll be gone soon so you can take over. 

“Lowest unemployment rate in over five years”…yet still higher than all of Bush’s presidency?

“China is no longer the number one place to invest – America is.”  Really?  What business leaders have you been talking to?  Oh yeah, your campaign donors.  Yeah, they’re not people, they’re hippies.

Size of government part of the speech – also known as slam Republicans, part one. 

“As president, I’m committed to making Washington work better.”  False. You’re making it worse.  Have been since day one.

“…not creating new crisis.”  You govern by crisis.

So bored with this.

The too many are working too hard or not at all part.  Yay, class warfare!

When you say “practical” you mean “socialist”.

“…our First Lady sets a good example.”  For what?  Looking like she’s got a stick…well, you know.

Yawn.  Bored.  I thought this guy was done campaigning.  Oh yeah, he’s a Democrat.

This income inequality part is so annoying.  It’d be one thing to say that the economy is struggling, but when you’re creating a class of citizens who don’t want to work, but would rather just keep asking the government for handout, it’s kind of a moot point to even talk about it.

Oh cute, little shout out to Boehner.  Oh…just so he can overshadow him with a narcissistic self shout-out.

Building roads…first class infrastructure…I thought those were the jobs that the stimulus was for.  Oh, that was just a trillion dollar slush fund for your campaign donors.  Right.  Sorry.  Silly me.

Helping entrepreneurs and small business owners…you know, the people you routinely hamper with regulation after regulation after regulation on top of a ridiculous tax code that you say you want to reform but do nothing substantive behind your words.

American energy…all the above approach is working.  Really?!  Where’s that Keystone pipeline?

“I’ll cut red tape…”  Oh, the comedy part of the show.

“I’ll use my authority to….”  That doesn’t sound dictatorial or anything…

“Every four minutes another American home goes solar.”  Where did you get that stat?  MSNBC?  I know no one who’s going solar.  And how about all those solar companies that you propped up that went under and wasted billions of tax dollars in the process?

Why am I listening to this?

Oh, great.  Climate change.  Carbon pollution.  Yawn.

“The debate is settled.  Climate change is a fact.”  [Malarkey].

“…fix our broken immigration system.”  Yawn.

I can’t even elaborate on this.  It’s so boring. 

“Let’s get immigration reform done this year.”  He forgot to add before Republicans take back the Senate this fall.  It will get rammed through.  Republicans will cave.  Count on it.

Unemployment insurance.  Congress (read: Republican) scolding, round two.

And now he’s condescending using a sob story.

Yep.  I’ve pretty much zoned out.  He’s droning on about education. 

Shout out to Apple, Sprint, and Verizon…aka his NSA collaborators.

“Michelle and I want…” Again…this just sounds narcissistic and dictatorial.

Oh, great, now we’re on to income inequality for women – equal pay for equal work.  Bored.

“…workplace policies that belong in a ‘Mad Men’ episode.”  Funny guy.  Because those exist all over this country.

“We don’t resent those…who achieve incredible success.” [Malarkey].

Raising the minimum wage.  Bored.

“You don’t have to wait for congress to act…I intend to lead by example.”  More executive orders.  Fantastic.

“Give America a raise.”  So businesses will have to lay off more workers.  Has this man no concept of economics?  No.  He doesn’t.

Make it go away.  Healthcare.  This ought to be fun.

And now we’re on to “success” stories.

Lecture Republicans, round 3.  Basically don’t vote to repeal.  I got what I want.  Live with it.  Love it. 

“…it’ll give her peace of mind.”  Or was the “piece of mind” like in your official propaganda?

So bored with this.  Like, I’m zoned out almost completely.

“Everyone’s right to vote.”  I can only imagine where he’s going with this.

So annoyed with this campaign finance hypocrisy. 

Gun violence.  Yay.  We going to have a Trayvon shout-out?

You want to end shootings in movie theaters, shopping malls, and schools?  Then maybe they shouldn’t be gun-free zones (aka self-defense free zones).

Ironic that he’s propping up American diplomats and troops when his administration knowingly abandoned four of them in Benghazi. 

“As commander in chief, I have used force when necessary…I will not send our [troops into danger unnecessarily]”…yet you were more than willing to send them to Syria without a plan.

Oh…a little NSA part. 

Close Gittmo?  Really?  Again with the empty words.

“American diplomacy...and threat of force [is why Syria’s chemical weapons are gone]”  False.  Patently false.  Putin bailed you out.  They were clearly more afraid of him than you.

Kennedy and Reagan had more gumption in their pinkie than you do in your whole body.  And that’s saying something of Kennedy, one of the most over-glamourized presidents in history – but certainly not among the worst.

Yeah, zoned out again.  Kind of woke up when he gave a shout out to Team USA.  Biggest cheer of the night, yet among the most cliché. 

Please.  Not another sob story.  Regardless of who’s president, I loathe sob stories.

Look, I get it.  This guy is awesome, and I love his story.  But he’s a political ploy.  Huge ovation, but what’s the point?

Finally over.

1 hour and 5 minutes of my life I won’t get back.  At least I was working part of the time.

I’ll stick around for the Republican response, but I’m really bored with this NPR take on it.

Washington Congresswoman Cathy Rodgers is giving the Republican response. 

Not income inequality, but opportunity inequality.  Decent point.

Legal immigration. 

Yes. Hammer ObamaCare on premium increases, losing coverage, etc.  You know, all the things the president promised wouldn’t happen.

Lots of God mentioned in there.  I liked it. 

Nothing profound, but effective enough.  Props, Congresswoman.

I’m over politics for the evening.