Update: I guess what bothers me most is that Liberals (Magellan not included) don't care. Show me a review by somebody on the Left who is worried about the record amount of spending/tax hikes Obama is going to impose on ALL OF US. All we get is...well...Bush spent too! Truth be told--Obama don't care about paying down the debt-- or the spending/tax hikes either. Practically everything Abichara says is true, except Obama is not oblivious to any facts. He's a socialist idealog, he wants more people dependent on the government...period.


2-25-09: Four stars for delivery. The average American, and Liberal ideologs were all gushy over the speech. Of course I was easily able to translate it over to what he really meant. Don't suppose dumb America would care to know... so I won't bother.

He delivered a very good speech, but little in the way of true substance. He spoke mainly about the stimulus and his economic plans in general, how it will fund education, infrastructure, and a host of other things. He talked about "making a down payment on universal health care". He was a little more optimistic about the economy than in recent pronouncements, but just today he struck a doom and gloom tone again by claiming that we will have to deal with a "day of reckoning" in the near future. Sounds like our troubles are not over, in fact, they might just be beginning...As for Obama, he's starting to sound schizophrenic, pushing for high government spending in one sentence, and then switching over to concern about high spending. Talk about a dualist!

Obama believes that he can fool the American people with nice rhetoric. In one sentence, he proposes trillions in new spending, with money that the Treasury has to in effect borrow from other nations, yet in the next sentence he has the gall to claim that he will reduce the deficit in half by 2012. That's quite a feat considering that his budget will double it over last year's budget alone. And he says that this might not be the last big spending proposal! And to top it off he's counting on tax revenue that won't likely be there, since the tax base will continue to shrink as the economy contracts and stays weak. Indeed, his budget states anticipates "robust" growth in 2010 and beyond. Most economists anticipate that the economy will contract by 2% or more this year and will stay weak in 2010 through 2012. In fact, not only does Obama anticipate high growth, but he also anticipates low inflation. His economic proposals in essence are based on overly optimistic budgetary projections and that might get us in trouble down the line.

In what world is this guy living in??? Many of his proposals are good. I could even get behind universal health care if the proposal is right, but his analysis of our fiscal situation is hopelessly naive, at best. I give him credit, Obama presents himself well and can deliver a speech with authority. But the substance doesn't match reality.

There is an old saying approximately: "Campaign in poetry; govern in prose." This guy is wearing thin. He is a good bullsh*tter, but let's get on with something.

I suppose the Obamaniacs are still changing their panties after his speeches, but the people who can actually read and write are getting restless.

I will give his lordship a 4, not because I agree with anything he said, but because he was successful. As some reviews here, combined with a gushing media are already showing the Kool-Aid drinkers are refilling their pitchers with glee. Here are some of the early highlights from Obama’s speech:

1) “We have known for decades that our survival depends on finding new sources of energy. Yet we import more oil today than ever before.” - Our survival does not depend upon alternative energy sources; but we do need to get off the import teat. Combine ANWR with offshore drilling and our other existing resources, and we already have the key to energy independence.

2) “The cost of health care eats up more and more of our savings each year, yet we keep delaying reform.” - Agreed, but not with the solution advocated by Obama and the left. Want to see what healthcare in the U.S. will look like after socialization? Go to the DMV, read the IRS Code, or look at Social Security.

3) “Our children will compete for jobs in a global economy that too many of our schools do not prepare them for.” - What exactly does this mean? What we do know is that since the feds began meddling in public education in the 1960’s and since the creation of the Department of Education we have gone from first in the world to dead last among industrialized nations. Republicans spent the 90’s criticizing the fact that Clinton spent like mad on education, while test scores remained flat. Bush and his party then proceeded to outspend slick Willie and the Dems…test scores remained flat, and graduation rates went down.

4) “And though all these challenges went unsolved, we still managed to spend more money and pile up more debt, both as individuals and through our government, than ever before.” - And so, fellow Americans, the answer is to spend more money and pile up more debt.

5) “A surplus became an excuse to transfer wealth to the wealthy instead of an opportunity to invest in our future.” - There was no surplus when Clinton left office- only a projected surplus. Here, Obama is preaching the old Democrat standby- class envy. The so-called rich pay more in taxes. When there is a tax cut, guess who saves more? Childish nonsense.

6) “Regulations were gutted for the sake of a quick profit at the expense of a healthy market.” - Sorry Obama lovers…this is an outright lie. Federal government regulations have increased at an alarming rate since 1990.

7) “People bought homes they knew they couldn’t afford from banks and lenders who pushed those bad loans anyway.” - Check Carter’s Community Reinvestment Act. Further, bad loans were made because lending institutions were forced to make them, under threat of lawsuit, by Janet Reno.

We are in this mess because of government meddling and runaway spending. Obama offers more government meddling and runaway spending. So much for “hope and change”.

Update: Since many here are big link fans...thanks to Wise for providing this one:

http://www.factcheck.org/politics/fact-checking_obamas_speech.html

Obama continues to inspire me, despite current economic circumstances (that keep me up at night.) Based upon his address and combined with his recent actions, I believe he is precisely the president I voted for, and the type of leader America needs right now. I do have a few outstanding questions, however, which prevent me from giving this address 5 stars.

I'm concerned about follow-through on some of the points he raised. Most notably, oversight of the credit crisis and how injecting money into financial and other industries will directly benefit citizens. I'm also concerned that his commitment to ensuring responsible homeowners don't lose their houses from here on out does nothing to help the folks who've already lost everything. I'm not talking livelihood, I'm talking about the basic ability to live, work and to be a productive member of society...you try doing that without a job or place to live.

What Obama discussed regarding a renewed commitment to education resonated deeply with me, having volunteered for an organization that supported under-priviledged youth while I was in college. I'm no fan of No Child Left Behind because it puts all of the emphasis (and consequent school funding dollars) on antiquated modes of assessment. In my opinion it accomplished the utter antithesis of "advancing education." I was happy to hear Obama's commitment to increasing the proportion of students completing college by 2020. I was happier to hear him call attention to the role that parents and communities can play in reinforcing the need for primary education and that he labeled the act of dropping out of high school as a failed personal commitment to this country. I think he effectively put equal emphasis on increasing government spending and the need for personal and community responsibility to tackle this huge problem.

I also appreciated his words about increasing our focus on environmental and medical innovation. These industries are flourishing elsewhere in the world, but have suffered here based on policy decisions by the Bush Administration. Funding innovation in these realms (and I'd argue for technology as well) will create jobs and bolster the economy for years to come. Additionally the benefits from these innovations will affect society broadly.

One of my favorite quotes of the night was something along the lines of "Living our values doesn't make us weaker. it makes us stronger. It makes us safer." I firmly believe that restoring international faith in America through a ban on torture, the closing of Guantanamo Bay, and an exit strategy from Iraq is also key to building the nation from within. Obama's rhetoric surrounding this issue felt unifying to me, and in stark contrast to the "if you're not with us, you're against us" mentality that has plagued my perception of patriotism itself for the past 8 years.

Another thing Obama addressed that has been conspicuously absent from gubernatorial rhetoric recently was the need for sacrifice. He mentioned it briefly and mainly in relation to political pet projects, but I look forward to this idea being expanded more broadly to include living in a more sustainable way as citizens. The time has come.

Finally, although only mentioned briefly, I think it's significant to note the pledge Obama has made to transparency. Recovery.gov is a huge step towards openness in government, and his added mention of revealing how money is being spent on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is encouraging because it indicates that this is a long-term objective rather than a mere appeasement.

That's about all I have in terms of my initial reaction...I expect I'll have more to say after sleeping on it :)

I will be listening. I don't think people can really give a fair rating until his speech is over. I think some may already have their minds made up. 'Nuf said!

Update: President Obama is now getting ready to make his speech. So, I am now going to sign off to listen. Bye for now.

Update again: Watched the speech, and I feel he made a lot of valid points. But in order to get anything done, it's going to take Congress and the President to work together.

I'm not sure this speech necessitated a joint session of Congress. I didn't hear anything that seemed new. I think Obama did a good job of voicing some optimism about the economy like President Clinton suggested he do. However, I'm not sold on the viability of everything he is proposing. Not only will we give more money to the banks and US auto industry, but Obama wants to hire more military personnel while reforming healthcare and education as well. I understand what reform entails, and it will require more money to get that done. So where will the money come from? Hmmm. President Obama also wants to cut taxes for 95% of Americans. That doesn't make sense. If we are going to fix the problem we are in now, we can't raise spending and cut taxes. That philosophy is the same approach that Bush took, and it led to the hole we are in now.
I'm all for change if it will improve how the government spends money. While the talk has been good, I'm still waiting for evidence that the way Washington goes about business has changed.