By Judith Gayle | Political Waves
They say the State of the Union address is less about the state of the union and more about what’s on the president’s mind. That works for me. Always good to know how the political leadership is thinking about things. When George Bush gave us his yearly offerings, he was usually wrapped in the proverbial flag, carrying the proverbial Bible and speaking very carefully to pronounce all the words correctly.
George was a pretty canny customer but no intellectual, and after the first speech, we didn’t expect him to be. Those on the left found him arrogant and irrational, while those in his fold admired his apparent sincerity. Dubya’s hyperbole always seemed to include God’s intention to liberate the whole world to a preordained future as good Christian capitalists. God was Dubya’s advisor, and he mostly used words His followers would understand. If we were not on the same page, George pretended we didn’t exist.
Barack Obama, on the other hand, knows how to turn a phrase and wouldn’t dream of leaving anyone out. This year the legislators decided, in the interest of civility, not to sit in partisan blocks but rather to mix it up with those across the aisle, making it a little tough for viewers to know how to react. Even the politicians seemed confused. John Boehner, seated behind the president — Number 3 in government, along with Number 2, Joe Biden — clapped regularly, probably breaking faith with some of the more dour leadership. John cried at least one time and clapped often; his applause was not encouraging to the left.
The State of the Union this year was reportedly very business-friendly. The reason is simple enough: Obama is on the stump. Whatever progressive things might happen during any Dem term traditionally happen in the first two years; the next two will be more about circling the wagons and getting the wranglers well positioned for the coming assault. Ignoring most other accomplishments, the country is calling for jobs, jobs, jobs, but for the most part, jobs have gone north, south, east and west, across the big pond and out of sight. None of us want to hear that they aren’t coming back. We don’t want to hear about retraining or growing a new workforce for a new century. We have to feed our families now, pay our rent now — find a job to keep body and soul together right this very minute. That’s not something Obama can provide us, but he has a better chance of encouraging job creation if he can move the nation to confidence. That was the gambit on Tuesday night, and we must now wait to see the result.
Obama’s speech is being called Hope 2.0. I take a bit of comfort in that. This is an establishment president, after all, who closely follows the rules of the game. As much as he wishes to soothe and encourage the nation, I don’t think he’s dishonest in the way that many before him have been. If he’s hopeful, there are solid underpinnings to count on and worthwhile possibilities to build on. In truth, Wall Street is flush again, banks are fat with cash but refuse to lend, so business isn’t risking new hires and the public isn’t spending. Obama tried to reassure us with a dose of hope.