WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama called on Washington to work together in his State of the Union address Tuesday night and lawmakers crossed the aisle to sit with each other in a show of bipartisanship.
But reaction to the speech from Arizona's congressional contingent still split mostly along party lines.
"I liked it. I liked the idea about investing in our people. I liked the idea about a fairness in our tax code, everybody shares the burden," said Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson. "I really liked when he said, ‘I am not going to let us go back to the policies that got us here.'"
Rep. Trent Franks, R-Glendale, on the other hand, said he was not sure the speech "has any positive dimension for Arizona."
"He (Obama) said a lot of wonderful things. The notion that he quoted Lincoln and that the government should only do for the people what they can't do for themselves," Franks said. "But that's like Elmer Fudd starting a rabbit protection agency. It's just completely antithetical to everything he's ever done."
Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Flagstaff, said bipartisanship needs to work in both directions, noting the president's vow to move forward on his agenda "either with us or he'll do it without Congress."
"I think that's a dangerous comment," said Gosar, who did not attend the speech but watched from back in Arizona. Gosar said he felt it was more important to spend time with constituents than attend what he likened to a campaign speech.
"Once again, it's filled with promises and bigger government and more spending which is something that we ... cannot afford," Gosar said. "It still does not address that we are in grave condition economically. We need a government that works with us, not dictating to us."
The president's address, his third, ran an hour and 10 minutes and was interrupted repeatedly by applause - mostly from Democratic members at the joint session of Congress.
His "Blueprint for an America Built to Last" touched on broad themes of economic strength, energy independence and financial parity.
"Think about the America within our reach: A country that leads the world in educating its people. An America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs," he said.
"A future where we're in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren't so tied to unstable parts of the world ... An economy built to last, where hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded," Obama said.
The president noted successes in Iraq and against al Qaeda in the last year, and said the economy is returning. But he called for a renewal of America's manufacturing base, promised to target businesses that move profits offshore and to crack down on countries that infringe on U.S. intellectual property and do not engage in fair and open markets.
Obama also called for comprehensive immigration reform, saying his administration was cracking down on illegal immigration and that opponents of further reform "are out of excuses." That is particularly true of immigrants who grow up here after being brought here as children, he said.
"Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. I will sign it right away," he said to applause.
Franks said comprehensive reform is "what the Republicans have been saying for years." Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Mesa, agreed that reform is needed but that "we got to have more border security first."
Gosar looked past immigration reform to Operation Fast and Furious, the failed Justice Department gun-trafficking investigation. He called it "inappropriate" to talk about reform while "we've used Mexican lives as collateral, we've used American lives as collateral."
"To jump to the DREAM Act ... well, you've gotta secure our borders to be able to do that," Gosar said.
But Grijalva said it is past time for the country to move on immigration reform and the DREAM Act, which gives a path to citizenship under some circumstances for immigrants brought here illegally as children.
"I'm glad he brought it up," Grjalva said. "He said if you're not going to do anything about comprehensive reform because of divisions in this Congress, then let's do something for the 100,000 ... that have so much to contribute to America."
Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Phoenix, said he was impressed by Obama's call for Congress and the nation to pull together and for everyone to do their part to move the country forward.
"Everybody needs to feel a little bit of the pain, but everybody needs to contribute a little bit. That's what makes this country great," Pastor said.
"We need to rein in our deficit, but we need to invest in the future," said Pastor, who thought the speech - the 20th he has heard as a member of Congress - "struck chords" that will resonate with Americans.
Pastor agreed with Obama that, with wars winding down overseas, it's possible and preferable for the country to invest back home.
But Flake, in a prepared statement released immediately after the speech, said it did not do enough to reduce the "crippling debt to the next generation."
If there was one area that both sides could agree on, it was the uplifting presence of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Tucson, who was grievously wounded in a shooting spree just weeks before the 2011 address. She returned this week for what will be her last speech as a member of Congress - she is scheduled to resign Wednesday to focus on her recovery.
Giffords sat between Flake and Grijalva, a bow to last year's address when the two men sat next to an empty seat that would have been hers.
Flake said it was "certainly nice to sit with Gabby Giffords. It was much better than having the empty chair next to us last year."
"That was beautiful. I'm so thankful she was here" Franks said. "That was the highlight of the night without a doubt."
But even that moment could not completely skirt party lines.
"She (Giffords) was engaged in the whole speech, and her and I were cheering him (Obama) on," Grijalva said.
"Flake wasn't cheering him on that often, but we were cheering him on," he said with a laugh.
Cronkite News Service reporters Salvador Rodriguez, Stephanie Snyder and Dustin Volz contributed to this report.
Rational Human posted at 8:44 am on Thu, Jan 26, 2012.
"Any president whose actions so consistently refute his own words must have deep contempt for the intelligence of the American public."
The Obama administration told U.S. owned Hawker Beechcraft earlier this week they are being excluded from bidding on the US Air Force contract for a light attack aircraft. That leaves Brazilian owned Embraer as the likely recipient of the lucrative deal.
I found this one hard to believe so I did a little research. It was tough because this was completely ignored by the main stream media. The information is out there on several conservative sites. Please see the two articles linked below.
This is a double slap in the face of the United States.
At a time when jobs, the economy, and security are the most critical priorities for our country,the Obama administration decides to send a defense contract to a foreign owned company.
This has to be the stupidest thing this administration has done to date.
This is not just a dumb decision, it is a perfect example of why this president is such a poor leader. He talks about wanting jobs. He says we need to force companies to repatriate billions of dollars that Americans keep overseas. He wants to raise taxes so he can spend billions on stimulus that does nothing to stimulate anything. And when it’s time to act, he sends our tax dollars overseas at the expense of American jobs and income for an American company.
This is nothing more than a Chicago-style political pay back; but this time it is at the expense of our national security. How much more damage will Obama be allowed to do in the next 14 months?
One of the lead stories in the media this week blasted Congress for insider trading. If this contract goes to Embraer it will be a huge payoff to another George Soros company.
When will the 4th estate do it’s constitutionally protected job and expose the real obama to the American people?
Article from REDSTATE Posted by Ben Howe Monday, November 21st at 6:00AM EST: Obama Administration Sends Weapons Contract to Foreign Company with Ties to Iran
Article from WORLDPRESS By Gary P Jackson| NOVEMBER 22, 2011 · 4:17 PMHawker-Beechcraft Denied Big Air Force Contract in Favor of Brazilian Company With Soros Connections
Article from A Time For Choosing · Just another WordPress.com
http://www.kansas.com/2011/11/23/2112778/hawker-requests-gao-review-of.html
We can no longer depend on the media to pass on any news that
might be construed as negative towards the democrats.
Rational Human posted at 5:07 pm on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
A vote for anyone other than Ron Paul is no different than voting for this current Obamanation.
Rational Human posted at 5:06 pm on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
Every politician running for president that has even a remote chance of winning is part of a dark agenda being perpetrated on the American people by a small elite group otherwise known as an oligarchy, except Ron Paul. I wouldn't waste my breath on any of the others He wont win because they control the MSM, and the MSM is what tells the sheeple who to vote for. There hasn't been an independent president since JFK and they killed him so that they could keep their never ending wars going.
Moderation posted at 11:34 am on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
Rational Human who do you support out of the Republican canidates? Who is your choice for our next President even if it was someone not on the ticket. I really did like the response by Mitch about numbers and math. I just would like to know who you and Tea Party Patriot support? I actually like Ron Paul. At least he is consistant.
Rational Human posted at 8:35 am on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has resorted to “extremism” with stifling, anti-growth policies and continually tries dividing Americans, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said Tuesday in the formal Republican response to the president’s State of the Union address.
Eight months after deciding not pursue a bid for his party’s presidential nomination, Daniels used his nationally televised speech to lash out at Obama and cast the GOP as compassionate and eager to unchain the country’s economic potential.
“No feature of the Obama presidency has been sadder than its constant effort to divide us, to curry favor with some Americans by castigating others,” Daniels said, according to excerpts of his remarks released before he and Obama actually spoke. “As in previous moments of national danger, we Americans are all in the same boat.”
Obama’s address, and Daniels’ speech, come at the dawn of a presidential and congressional election year in which the defining issues are the faltering economy and weak job market.
Obama was ready to describe his vision of attaining “an economy built to last” and an emphasis on fairness, which includes protecting the middle class and making sure the rich pay an equitable share of taxes. Led by Daniels, Republicans were firing back that it was their party, not Obama’s, that understood the best way to trigger economic growth was to get the government out of the way.
“The extremism that stifles the development of homegrown energy,or cancels a perfectly sane pipeline that would employ tens of thousands, or jacks up consumer utility bills for no improvement in either human health or world temperature, is a pro-poverty policy,” Daniels said.
He said Republicans prefer “a passionate pro-growth approach that breaks all ties and calls all close ones in favor of private sector jobs that restore opportunity for all and generate the public revenues to pay our bills.”
Rational Human posted at 8:31 am on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
During President Barack Obama's State of the Union Speech, he continued to describe his ongoing and noble goal of achieving economic fairness for all Americans.
“Let’s never forget: Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules every day deserve a government and a financial system that does the same. It’s time to apply the same rules from top to bottom: No bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts. An America built to last insists on responsibility from everybody,” said Obama during his State of the Union speech Tuesday night.
However, Obama failed to mention fairness on the part of elected officials -- including members of the Obama administration -- who are routinely accused of corruption, abuse, waste and out-and-out criminal activities.
Far too many Americans find themselves disgusted with President Obama and the current crop of politicians who thumb their noses at the laws citizens must obey under threat of punishment -- imprisonment or fines.
"My impression is that Obama believes he knows what's fair and unfair, but his belief is based on a Marxist-Alinsky foundation and a Chicago-based cornerstone," said political strategist Mike Baker following the State of the Union.
According to a Harris Interactive poll for the non-partisan watchdog group Judicial Watch, the Washington, DC elite are viewed as being "up to their necks" in corruption and abuse.
The scientific poll revealed:
* GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION: The vast majority of registered voters (88%) believe corruption is a significant problem in Washington. More registered voters (45%) believe one of the Republican candidates would be more effective that Obama (34%) in addressing political corruption, with Ron Paul seen as the Republican best able to combat government corruption.
* TRANSPARENCY: The vast majority of registered voters (68%) believe President Obama has either worsened (27%) or not improved (42%) government transparency as he promised during the 2008 presidential campaign. Only slightly more than half of registered Democrats believe Obama has improved transparency.
* CONGRESSIONAL INSIDER TRADING: The vast majority of Americans (86%) believe insider trading should be enforced against members of Congress.
“Let the results of his poll be a lesson for all politicians. Voters want to clean up corruption in Washington. The survey also represents a clear warning for Barack Obama who has fallen short on his campaign promise to make government more open and transparent in the minds of the majority of voters.
"And Republicans should be worried that few Americans trust them to combat government corruption. And while the public is evenly split on key issues such as Obamacare, they remain unified in support for more and better law enforcement in the area of illegal immigration,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
IMMIGRATION POLICY IGNORED DURING SOTU
The majority of registered voters (53%) want more emphasis on law enforcement when addressing illegal immigration while only a small percentage (9%) want less.
Meanwhile, three-out-of-four registered voters (74%) believe local law enforcement officers should help enforce illegal immigration laws, including a majority of Hispanics (57%).
A majority of registered voters (64%) disagree with illegal alien sanctuary policies, including a slight majority of Hispanics (51%).
Rational Human posted at 8:14 am on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
President Obama said “immigration” twice during Tuesday’s campaign spee…er, State of the Union speech. 195 words in less than two minutes and President Barack Hussein Obama came out 4-Square for amnesty for illegal aliens. And, the Democrats were on their feet applauding it. After all, that will be their base voters for years to come. It is their only hope of retaining power. American citizens mean nothing to them.
CHIRLA Chief Angelica Salas wasn’t that impressed. The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles issued a press release within an hour of SOTU that said, “We regret the President had only a handful of full sentences to say about his intent to advance much-needed updates to our broken and inhumane immigration system. We regret the President did not address how a cruel and unfair system prescribes undocumented immigrants who work hard and contribute flat denials to a fair shot, fair share, and a family and country to love.” [sic]
They said “regret” twice. But it’s crocodile tears.
They're getting everything they want: Reduced enforcement, reduced deportations, prosecutorial discretion, administrative amnesties left and right. Heck, Reconquista Hilda Solis, La Secretaria del Trabajo has DoL personnel teaching illegal aliens how to sue American employers. It doesn't get much better, or ironic, than that.
And, I doubt Chirla and groups like them really want an official amnesty, anyway. Because if there is an amnesty, like in 1986, they lose their Raison d’être. There would be no reason to extort millions of dollars annually from U.S. corporations if there was an amnesty.
Yeah, crocodile tears.
Let’s take a look at the President’s words and analyze them a bit:
And let's also remember that hundreds of thousands of talented, hard-working students in this country face another challenge: the fact that they aren't yet American citizens.
“…they aren't yet American citizens.” It isn’t just a pathway to legalization, or “bringing them out of the shadows." Obama wants illegal aliens to become citizens.
Many were brought here as small children, are American through and through, yet they live every day with the threat of deportation.
Some were brought here as small children, most were not. But you can bet that if any kind of amnesty or Dream Act farce is passed into law, MOST of them will be claiming they came here as children. And, come on, Mr. President, you are lying about them living in fear of deportation. Nobody fears deportation. The Morton Memo on Prosecutorial Discretion exempts a mass murderer from deportation if the government wants them exempted.
Others came more recently, to study business and science and engineering, but as soon as they get their degree, we send them home to invent new products and create new jobs somewhere else. That doesn't make sense.
Well, it actually does make sense, since not all of them want to stay in America. Many want to go home and make their fortune and build up their own countries. The foreign student high-tech spies want to stay in America, for sure, so they can pirate technology from our top companies, but you weren’t speaking of them, I don’t think.
Also, isn’t it great that foreign students who do graduate from American colleges and get a work visa end up earning about 68% of what American workers from those same schools would earn? Great deal for American businesses, wouldn’t you say?
I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration. That's why my administration has put more boots on the border than ever before.
Well, maybe. But reports from the border indicate that regardless of the number of agents, they are deployed to fail. From TBS, turn back south, to abandoning thousands of square miles of sovereign American soil to the drug traffickers, nobody in the Border Patrol honesty believes they are a credible deterrent.
That's why there are fewer illegal crossings than when I took office.
That’s why? I thought it was the economic downturn that slowed the illegals from coming.
The opponents of action are out of excuses. We should be working on comprehensive immigration reform right now.
"Comprehensive" means amnesty.
But if election-year politics keeps Congress from acting on a comprehensive plan, let's at least agree to stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs, start new businesses, defend this country.
We’re not expelling them now, Mr. President. You’re lying again.
Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship; I will sign it right away.
Rational Human posted at 7:27 am on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
This is why Obama is called the Liar-in-Chief.
President Barack Obama laid out an array of plans in his State of the Union speech as if his hands weren’t so tied by political realities. There can be little more than wishful thinking behind his call to end oil industry subsidies – something he could not get through a Democratic Congress, much less today’s divided Congress, much less in this election year.
And there was more recycling, in an even more forbidding climate than when the ideas were new: He pushed for an immigration overhaul that he couldn’t get past Democrats, permanent college tuition tax credits that he asked for a year ago, and familiar discouragements for companies that move overseas.
A look at Obama’s rhetoric Tuesday night and how it fits with the facts and political circumstances:
OBAMA: “We have subsidized oil companies for a century. That’s long enough. It‘s time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that’s rarely been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that’s never been more promising.”
THE FACTS: This is at least Obama’s third run at stripping subsidies from the oil industry. Back when fellow Democrats formed the House and Senate majorities, he sought $36.5 billion in tax increases on oil and gas companies over the next decade, but Congress largely ignored the request. He called again to end such tax breaks in last year’s State of the Union speech. And he’s now doing it again, despite facing a wall of opposition from Republicans who want to spur domestic oil and gas production and oppose tax increases generally.
—
OBAMA: “Our health care law relies on a reformed private market, not a government program.”
THE FACTS: That’s only half true. About half of the more than 30 million uninsured Americans expected to gain coverage through the health care law will be enrolled in a government program. Medicaid, the federal-state program for low-income people, will be expanded starting in 2014 to cover childless adults living near the poverty line.
The other half will be enrolled in private health plans through new state-based insurance markets. But many of them will be receiving federal subsidies to make their premiums more affordable. And that’s a government program, too.
Starting in 2014 most Americans will be required to carry health coverage, either through an employer, by buying their own plan, or through a government program.
—
OBAMA, asking Congress to pay for construction projects: “Take the money we’re no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the rest to do some nation-building right here at home.”
THE FACTS: The idea of taking war “savings” to pay for other programs is budgetary sleight of hand. For one thing, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been largely financed through borrowing, so stopping the wars doesn’t create a pool of ready cash, just less debt. And the savings appear to be based at least in part on inflated war spending estimates for future years.
—
OBAMA: “Through the power of our diplomacy a world that was once divided about how to deal with Iran’s nuclear program now stands as one.”
THE FACTS: The world is still divided over how to deal with Iran’s disputed nuclear program, and even over whether the nuclear program is a problem at all.
It is true that the U.S., Europe and other nations have agreed to apply the strictest economic sanctions yet on Iran later this year. But the global sanctions net has holes, because some of Iran‘s large oil trading partners won’t go along. China, a major purchaser of Iran’s crude, isn’t part of the new sanctions and, together with Russia, stopped the United Nations from applying similarly tough penalties.
—
OBAMA: “Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last – an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values.”
THE FACTS: Economists do see manufacturing growth as a necessary component of any U.S. recovery. U.S. manufacturing output climbed 0.9 percent in December, the biggest gain since December 2010. Yet Obama’s apparent vision of a nation once again propelled by manufacturing – a vision shared by many Republicans – may already have slipped into the past.
Over generations, the economy has become ever more driven by services; not since 1975 has the U.S. had a surplus in merchandise trade, which covers trade in goods, including manufactured and farm goods. About 90 percent of American workers are employed in the service sector, a profound shift in the nature of the workforce over many decades.
The overall trade deficit through the first 11 months of 2011 ran at an annual rate of nearly $600 billion, up almost 12 percent from the year before.
—
OBAMA: “The Taliban’s momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home.”
THE FACTS: Obama is more sanguine about progress in Afghanistan than his own intelligence apparatus. The latest National Intelligence Estimate on Afghanistan warns that the Taliban will grow stronger, using fledgling talks with the U.S. to gain credibility and stall until U.S. troops leave, while continuing to fight for more territory. The classified assessment, described to The Associated Press by officials who have seen it, says the Afghan government hasn’t been able to establish credibility with its people, and predicts the Taliban and warlords will largely control the countryside.
—
OBAMA: “On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Some even said we should let it die. With a million jobs at stake, I refused to let that happen. In exchange for help, we demanded responsibility. We got workers and automakers to settle their differences. We got the industry to retool and restructure. Today, General Motors is back on top as the world’s number one automaker. Chrysler has grown faster in the U.S. than any major car company. Ford is investing billions in U.S. plants and factories.”
THE FACTS: He left out some key details. The bailout of General Motors and Chrysler began under Republican President George W. Bush. Obama picked up the ball, earmarked more money, and finished the job. But Ford never asked for a federal bailout and never got one.
—
OBAMA: “We can also spur energy innovation with new incentives. The differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change. But there‘s no reason why Congress shouldn’t at least set a clean energy standard that creates a market for innovation.”
THE FACTS: With this statement, Obama was renewing a call he made last year to require 80 percent of the nation’s electricity to come from clean energy sources by 2035, including nuclear, natural gas and so-called clean coal. He did not put that percentage in his speech but White House background papers show that it remains his goal.
But this Congress has yet to introduce a bill to make that goal a reality, and while legislation may be introduced this year, it is unlikely to become law with a Republican-controlled House that loathes mandates.
—
OBAMA: “Right now, because of loopholes and shelters in the tax code, a quarter of all millionaires pay lower tax rates than millions of middle-class households.”
THE FACTS: It’s true that a minority of millionaires pay a lower tax rate than some lower-income people. On average, though, wealthy people pay taxes at a much higher rate than middle-income taxpayers.
Obama’s claim comes from a Congressional Research Service report that compared federal taxes paid by people making less than $100,000 with those paid by people making more than $1 million. About 10 percent of families with incomes under $100,000 paid more than 26.5 percent in federal income, payroll and corporate taxes. And about a quarter of millionaire taxpayers paid a rate lower than that.
—
OBAMA: “We can‘t bring back every job that’s left our shores…. Tonight, my message to business leaders is simple: Ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country, and your country will do everything we can to help you succeed.”
FACT CHECK: Many of the jobs U.S. companies have created overseas won’t return because they were never in the United States in the first place.
As Obama said in his speech, U.S. workers have become more productive and labor costs have fallen.
But there are powerful forces pushing the other way: Many of the overseas jobs in U.S. companies weren’t transferred from the U.S. They were created in fast-growing markets in Latin America, Asia and elsewhere to serve customers in those markets. Companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index now earn more than half of their revenue from overseas.
That has fueled more job creation abroad. U.S. multinationals cut more than 800,000 jobs in the United States from 2000 to 2009, according the Commerce Department. They added 2.9 million overseas in the same period.
—
OBAMA: “Anyone who tells you that America is in decline or that our influence has waned doesn‘t know what they’re talking about … That’s not how people feel from Tokyo to Berlin; from Cape Town to Rio; where opinions of America are higher than they’ve been in years.”
THE FACTS: Obama left out Arab and Muslim nations, where popular opinion of the U.S. appears to have gone downhill or remained unchanged after the spring 2011 reformist uprisings in the Middle East. A Pew Research Center survey in May found that in predominantly Muslim countries such as Turkey, Jordan and Pakistan, views of the U.S. were worse than a year earlier. In Pakistan, a major recipient of U.S. foreign aid that went unmentioned in Obama’s speech, just 11 percent of respondents said they held a positive view of the United States.