Ugh, lost this thread to a glitch, but:
Obama rolled through the popular individual economic proposals (packaged as “middle-class economics”) with some panache: paid family and medical leave, pay equity, overtime pay.
Republicans have only arisen in the two tributes to vets.
Weird vibe during Obama’s request for Trade Promotion Authority: total silence for a moment there, with brief burst of Democratic applause when Obama admitted trade agreements have not always worked out in the past.
Nifty contextualization of Keystone XL pipeline as just one of many infrastructure projects, and not one of the better ones.
Obama’s much ballyhooed tax proposals covered with amazing brevity. Hard to say it’s the centerpiece of “middle class economics.”
I guess request for authorization of force resolution re IS was mild surprise. Interesting that reminders that deployment in Afghanistan is over got more space in speech.
Obama clearly enjoying himself on Cuba policy switch, watching Republicans squirm.
Gotta wonder if something imminent is in works with Iran, given very specific veto threat on new sanctions.
Clever use of Pentagon as authority for climate change as national security threat.
Interesting: more words devoted to pledge to close Gitmo than to much-ballyhooed tax proposals.
Obama giving more than the obligatory heave-ho to the bipartisanship pitch. Will be interesting to see how it goes over.
“Third way” pitch on criminal justice and immigration and abortion really sounding stale, I’m afraid.
So is elliptical reference to dark money the much-predicted “attack” on Citizens United?
Betcha that “my last campaign” followed by “I won both of them” well-planned trap.
Obama has really gotten good at applause-surfing.
Here comes the altar call and the analysis. If the past is any indication, the pundits will focus on stuff I considered unimportant.
