For me, the best part of the State of the Union coverage was Rubio’s response. With speeches delivered in English and Spanish, he outlined a cogent, passionate, positive conservative vision that speaks to the problems facing ordinary Americans in a way that the GOP message machine has been sorely lacking of late. He managed to engage with the President’s plans and criticize his record on deficits without coming off as hostile. Water bottle gaffe aside, I think he came off incredibly well and presented the best opposition response I’ve seen to date.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the State of the Union speech itself. Some of the proposals—like raising the minimum wage to $9—seemed wrong-headed and destined to backfire on entry-level employees if implemented, but for the most part Obama succeeded in presenting solutions that congressional Republicans would be willing to consider. The President, for example, spoke of public-private partnership in infrastructure investment, and generally sounded more willing to seek compromise with fiscal conservatives than he has in the past. Several of Obama’s post-election statements, including his inaugural address, seemed more like campaign speeches than serious attempts at political discourse, and the change of pace was refreshing.
While I was impressed by the relative moderation of the agenda presented in the State of the Union, I am less than convinced that the President is serious about confronting the most pressing issues of the day, namely the debt and unsustainable entitlement programs. The State of the Union touched on these issues briefly, and he indicated that his plans would not add “a single dime” to the deficit. However, Obama’s refusal so far to consider raising eligibility ages for Social Security and Medicare to account for increases in lifespans or to develop a plan to balance the budget in the long-term bother me greatly. Toning down the antagonistic rhetoric is a great improvement for this President, but we have a long way to go before the State of the Union is truly secure.