Official 2010 SOTU discussion thread

[Dominus Atheos]

Obama just called for a jobs bill.

[SirNitram]

High Speed Rail! About goddamn time. Sadly, it'll probably be high-speed like the Acela, but that's more than before..

[Dominus Atheos]

Live streaming here.

[SirNitram]

'Safe, clean nuclear power plants!' Yes! MORE NUKE POWER!

[J]

He better deliver on the nuclear power plants.

[SirNitram]

He better deliver on the nuclear power plants.

Expect Congress to kill it. Republicans and 'centrists' for oil and gas, moderates will support, and the resident Leprechaun of the House will whine.

[J]

Enforce trading agreements. Yeah, sure, *cough*China.

[MKSheppard]

'Safe, clean nuclear power plants!' Yes! MORE NUKE POWER!

Talk is cheap. Will he fund it?

[SirNitram]

Increase Pell grants, end the subsidy for banks issuing college loans, fund community colleges.

Bank lobbyists pivot from banking fee and reform to protect their subsidy in 5, 4, 3..

[SirNitram]

'Safe, clean nuclear power plants!' Yes! MORE NUKE POWER!

Talk is cheap. Will he fund it?

Congress funds things, Sheppard, not the President.. Power of the Purse is not in the ruler, see England before your country even was made.

[CaptainChewbacca]

Highspeed rail, nuclear, and better infrastructure throuhg a jobs bill? Sounds like he's making a comeback. Only way this could get better is if he challenged us to get to Mars by 2020.

[SirNitram]

Highspeed rail, nuclear, and better infrastructure throuhg a jobs bill? Sounds like he's making a comeback. Only way this could get better is if he challenged us to get to Mars by 2020.

I don't want another Apollo 1. I vote we aim for 2030. A heavy lifter of enough size to carry a ship with habitation for over a year of travel inside is a major order, not to mention we can't pull a Moon trip on Mars. We have to have some level of settling in ASAP because the trip is so long.

[J]

Talks about big hole in budget, all done before he walked in the door. Guess what, he voted for TARP, bailouts, etc. as a senator and personally added to that debt. Says bailout was essential, Paul Volcker disagrees. He still doesn't get it.

[J]

Freeze won't happen until next year when economy is stronger. THE ECONOMY WON'T BE STRONGER.

[J]

More transparency, take power away from lobbyists, blah blah blah, excluded lobbyists from power. Well do something about it! And I'm still not getting any transparency on the financial front, meaning Treasury and the Fed.

[The Romulan Republic]

I don't want another Apollo 1. I vote we aim for 2030. A heavy lifter of enough size to carry a ship with habitation for over a year of travel inside is a major order, not to mention we can't pull a Moon trip on Mars. We have to have some level of settling in ASAP because the trip is so long.

I remember Robert Zubrin argued in one of his books against such a delay more or less because it was unlikely a long-term program would survive changes in political power. I don't know how much merit that position has, but maybe its worth consideration.

[The Romulan Republic]

More transparency, take power away from lobbyists, blah blah blah, excluded lobbyists from power. Well do something about it! And I'm still not getting any transparency on the financial front, meaning Treasury and the Fed.

Did I mishear, because it sounded to me like he was calling for a Constitutional Amendment to counter the Supreme Court's ruling on corporate campaign financing.

[Guardsman Bass]

. . . to promote regional peace and prosperity

I strongly suspect that one of the Republican responses tomorrow will be "but he never mentioned promoting democracy in the region!"

[The Romulan Republic]

Just called for a repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. And promised to work for equal pay for women. And fixing the immigration system (don't know if that's smart politically, as its as big a quagmire as Health Care).

[Crossroads Inc.]

I'll believe this nonsense when i see it. So far, despite Obama, the Dems in in Office have been too spineless to do ANYthing, every bill they have folded on and watered down to uselessness. I have no hopes at all currently of ANY of this coming to fruition under current Democrats in office. The Republicans will continue to oppose ever bill that comes up and the Dems are too spinless to simply go over thier heads.

Not impressed at ALL.

[The Romulan Republic]

I'll believe this nonsense when i see it. So far, despite Obama, the Dems in in Office have been too spineless to do ANYthing, every bill they have folded on and watered down to uselessness. I have no hopes at all currently of ANY of this coming to fruition under current Democrats in office. The Republicans will continue to oppose ever bill that comes up and the Dems are too spinless to simply go over thier heads.

Not impressed at ALL.

Maybe, but I'll judge Obama by what he works for, not weather it passes Congress. In other words, I'll judge him by his actions, not those of Congress. I hope others will do the same.

[Big Phil]

I'll believe this nonsense when i see it. So far, despite Obama, the Dems in in Office have been too spineless to do ANYthing, every bill they have folded on and watered down to uselessness. I have no hopes at all currently of ANY of this coming to fruition under current Democrats in office. The Republicans will continue to oppose ever bill that comes up and the Dems are too spinless to simply go over thier heads.

Not impressed at ALL.

Maybe, but I'll judge Obama by what he works for, not weather it passes Congress. In other words, I'll judge him by his actions, not those of Congress. I hope others will do the same.

A farmer who plows the sea still isn't accomplishing jack or shit. Intent and action are all fine and dandy, but if the Democrats are too spineless to do anything about it, Obama's administration will still be a failure.

[The Romulan Republic]

So you openly admit that you will blame Obama regardless of his actions if Congress hinders his agenda?

[Crossroads Inc.]

So you openly admit that you will blame Obama regardless of his actions if Congress hinders his agenda?

In a way yes... he is the Democrat leader, he has the power to personal go up to congress and say "Pass this bill or I will kick MAJOR ASS" He can twist arms, prod butts and most important, use the "Bully Pulpit" IE appearing on TV, making speeches, etc to hammer over and over "You dems in Office, ignore the GOP and PASS this BILL."

But so far everytime the congress or senate fold and capitulate to the GOP's every wish, he mostly just sits back and twiddles his thumbs.

[MKSheppard]

Congress funds things, Sheppard, not the President.. Power of the Purse is not in the ruler, see England before your country even was made.

The president can set priorities with his presidental budget that he forwards to congress -- which of course gets sausage mangled in the process that produces a final definitive USG Budget.

Will Obama be courageous enough to back his words in his presidental budget documents? I don't think so.

PS - Isn't it your country too?