Washington Watch: "Obama (Gently) Smacks-Down Congress"

President Barack Obama delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 28, 2014 (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

President Barack Obama delivered his 5^th State of the Union (SOTU) address with a style and tone reminiscent of his early presidential campaign years. He spoke of unifying themes and appealed to our greatness as a nation. The Republicans seemed confused as to when to applaud and stand, and tellingly kept their seats even when the President spoke of popular issues such as salary fairness for women and accessible health care for all.  

Barack Obama, as only he can, spoke in generalities while still getting in the ‘digs’ to the other side. This was not a red-meat speech…nevertheless, it was a chastisement. A good orator can do this. They can tell you off without you even realizing you've been told off. 

Make no mistake...the President told off the GOP-led House during the SOTU; and he did it while smiling the whole time.

The President’s speech signaled, with carefully chosen words, that he is prepared to go it alone. It was expected that he would say that he will use Executive Action whenever possible to bypass the GOP-controlled house. However, he didn't say this directly. Instead he used subtleties - pointed phrases that were surrounded by feel-goodtext.

From the beginning, when he referred to Boehner as a ‘son-of-a-barkeep’ it was evident that this would be a speech of carefully crafted one-liners. Most of the pundits, and Boehner himself accepted the comment as flattery, signifying how far Boehner has come. Probably. However, while the Speaker of the House is indeed the son of a bar owner, the use of that phrase reminds people of Boehner’s recent statement to Leno that he likes wine and cigarettes AND it ties him to the other son-of-a-______ phrases. Did the White House 'play-the-dozens?' Will the phrase have legs? Will bloggers and journalists start referring to Boehner as ‘that son-of-a-barkeep?’ Is this an inside joke within the Administration?

Okay...so the barkeep line was probably innocent, but let's look at other major quotes from the speech that spoke directly to our gridlocked Congress.

“America Does Not Stand Still and Neither Will I”

"But what I offer tonight is a set of concrete, practical proposals to speed up growth, strengthen the middle class and build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class. Some require congressional action, and I'm eager to work with all of you. But America does not stand still, and neither will I. So wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that's what I'm going to do."

“I’ll Act On My Own” 

"We'll need Congress to protect more than 3 million jobs by finishing transportation and waterways bills this summer. That can happen. But -- but I'll act on my own to slash bureaucracy and streamline the permitting process for key projects, so we can get more construction workers on the job as fast as possible."

"Congress Finally Produced..."

"Last month, thanks to the work of Democrats and Republicans, Congress finally produced a budget that undoes some of last year's severe cuts to priorities like education. Nobody got everything they wanted, and we can still do more to invest in this country's future while bringing down our deficit in a balanced way."

 "Congress Should Undo the Damage"

"Federally-funded research helped lead to the ideas and inventions behind Google and smartphones. And that's why Congress should undo the damage done by last year's cuts to basic research so we can unleash the next great American discovery."

"Congress Can Help"

"I'll cut red tape to help states get those factories built and put folks to work, and this Congress can help by putting people to work building fueling stations that shift more cars and trucks from foreign oil to American natural gas." 

"If Congress Wants to Help”

"It means connecting companies to community colleges that can help design training to fill their specific needs. And if Congress wants to help, you can concentrate funding on proven programs that connect more ready-to-work Americans with ready-to-be-filled jobs." 

"This Congress Needs to..."

"I'm also convinced we can help Americans return to the workforce faster by reforming unemployment insurance so that it's more effective in today's economy. But first, this Congress needs to restore the unemployment insurance you just let expire for 1.6 million people."

"Congress....Give Them That Chance"  (The long-term unemployed)

"Congress, give these hardworking, responsible Americans that chance.  Give them that chance. Give them the chance. They need our help right now, but more important, this country needs them in the game."

"As Congress Decides What it's Going to Do"

"And as Congress decides what it's going to do, I'm going to pull together a coalition of elected officials, business leaders, and philanthropists willing to help more kids access the high-quality pre-K that they need. It is right for America. We need to get this done."

"You Don't Have to Wait for Congress to Act"

"To every mayor, governor, state legislator in America, I say, you don't have to wait for Congress to act; Americans will support you if you take this on. And as a chief executive, I intend to lead by example."

"Congress Needs to Get on Board"

"In the coming weeks I will issue an executive order requiring federal contractors to pay their federally-funded employees a fair wage of at least $10.10 an hour because if you cook -- our troops' meals or wash their dishes, you should not have to live in poverty. Of course, to reach millions more, Congress does need to get on board."

"If this Congress Wants to Help"

"MyRA guarantees a decent return with no risk of losing what you put in. And if this Congress wants to help, work with me to fix an upside-down tax code that gives big tax breaks to help the wealthy save, but does little or nothing for middle-class Americans, offer every American access to an automatic IRA on the job, so they can save at work just like everybody in this chamber can."

"With or Without Congress"

"Citizenship means standing up for the lives that gun violence steals from us each day. I have seen the courage of parents, students, pastors, and police officers all over this country who say "we are not afraid," and I intend to keep trying, with or without Congress, to help stop more tragedies from visiting innocent Americans in our movie theaters and our shopping malls, or schools like Sandy Hook."

There it is. A smack-down with a kid glove for the GOP-led House and their son-of-a-barkeep leader.

Washington Watch: "Obama, Where Are You?"

The new year in Washington promises more of the same gridlock and partisan politics that have dominated for many years. If the President thought his re-election would end the Republican stubbornness, and insistence on getting NOTHING done, he was wrong.

This year, we hear Republicans are ready to vote another 40 or more times on ending Obamacare.  They think this is a winner for them going into the 2014 elections. It will be if all of the people benefiting from Obamacare (and there are many), stay home. And don't forget all of the efforts to purge young people, people of color, and other Democratic-leaning voters from the rolls. No doubt this will continue (in-lieu of outreach), as America grows more diverse.

In 2014, it is doubtful the Democrats will retake the House. Hopefully, the Party can hold on to the seats they have and gain a few additional seats. We wonder if more moderate Republicans will capture seats from the far-right fringe that seems to want to hold the nation hostage with their 'anti-Obamanism.' Most believe the battle for the Senate will be brutal.

So what's coming from the Administration? Will we get better messaging from the President this year than in 2013?



Not so far. Just this past week we got examples of the President sending what I think are the wrong messages. Granted, it is a long (and well-written) article on the Obama presidency, the good and the bad. Obama gives his reasoning for his positions and speaks of the many issues on his plate. However, the headlines that came from, David Remnick: On and Off the Road with Barack Obama : The New Yorker, included:

“I would not let my son play pro football,” and the President's suggestion that marijuana is no more dangerous than alcohol.

Comments like these are not going to find favor from a wide variety of Americans. I understand his discomfort with discriminatory drug sentencing laws, but let's get real here:  Do we want or need more pot-heads? Is this the message we want to send to our kids? I don't think so. (I admit -- I am an old-school parent!)

Major media sources, including the Huffington Post, also ran with the football quote, reminding readers of a similar comment the President had made earlier:

"Obama expressed similar sentiment in a January 2013 interview with the New Republic.
"I'm a big football fan, but I have to tell you if I had a son, I'd have to think long and hard before I let him play football," Obama said. "And I think that those of us who love the sport are going to have to wrestle with the fact that it will probably change gradually to try to reduce some of the violence. In some cases, that may make it a little bit less exciting, but it will be a whole lot better for the players, and those of us who are fans maybe won't have to examine our consciences quite as much.""

Why take on football???? (He also mentions boxing in the New Yorker article.) We cannot take all of the danger out of everyday life, and certainly not out of sports. People who box or play football (or coach and train these sports), will tell you that much of what they do involves discipline, teamwork, fitness, and motivation.  Life skills are taught in most boxing and football programs.

Beyond that, in a thought provoking piece on Patheos.com, Pastor Tim Wright in his Searching for Tom Sawyer blog, describes what he calls:  The Emasculation of Boyhood. He draws a distinction between 'play' and the increasing violence we see in society. This is the battle Mr. President.

So if the quotes on football and marijuana were approved by the White House, I have to believe this is part of the new 'messaging.'  This is not good for Democrats or the country.

And then there is the Obamacare messaging (which is somewhat better than the first few months.) My regard for the President remains, but the Administration gets an 'F' on the Obamacare roll out.

Nevertheless......Obamacare itself gets a 'B.' Many people are getting affordable health care for the first time in decades. Many more will get this once they figure out how to sign-up. Because of Obamacare, and this is a biggie -- people with preexisting conditions (and who doesn't have a preexisting condition these days) no longer have to decide between food and shelter or health care.

Still... the message on the benefits of health reform needs to get out to more Americans. One family at a time, one community at a time...the same way the Obama elections were won. Republicans and their media sources will not make this easy and there will be much misinformation disseminated to slow down or stop the process. In addition, there are 'fixes' that need to be made to Obamacare and these will be highlighted by those that never wanted the President to succeed in the first place.

Strong communication is needed to inform the public.  Who steers the ship? Who is in charge? 

I know the President has apologized for the Obamacare shortcomings.  (To be honest, I'm not too keen on someone at his level being that apologetic to the public. He should talk to my mom about this...that woman never apologized to her kids about ANYTHING. As a matter of fact, sometimes WE apologized for things SHE did. Still, it was clear who the leader was.) Stop apologizing Mr. President. Time for heads to roll.  Start at the top.

And Mr. President, put on your tall boots and get out there and do what you do best. Remind people of the reason you made this your signature initiative....the IMPORTANCE of affordable health care for all.

We remember that story you told about your mom battling cancer and having to spend time with excessive bills and insurance companies. Remind people that you did this for all of those patients and their families who, like your mom, have mailboxes full of medical bills they cannot pay and incessant phone calls from medical collection agencies.

Remind people of the importance of free preventative screenings to slow down or halt the spread of disease.

Remind people that you gave the other Party plenty of time to come to the table and discuss the health care needs of Americans, but instead they let their dislike of you dictate their inactivity on this issue.

And finally, remind people that you did this -- NOT to score political points...but because it is right for America. 

This same message is needed for immigration reform, women's rights, tightening gun dispersal, creating jobs, and rebuilding our cities. This is how we unite Americans. Never mind about Congress.

Barack Obama...with his moral center and superior communication skills...is the only public figure right now who can get the message out. It's corny, but it is the appeal to our higher selves. An appeal for right action.

The President we have now can do this. I believe he will. This is what a leader does.

President Barack Obama holds a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Jan. 14, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)