Frugal Café Blog Zone

Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on January 28, 2010

Pres. Barack Obama's State of the Union Address

I only watched the latter part of the president’s State of the Union address last night. As I toil through transcripts and commentaries this morning, there are a number of highlights and observations that may escape detection from other sources.

A quick, quirky recap at WaPo… here are some snippets from it: For Obama, a polite State of the Union:

…Obama spoke of Americans who “give back to their country.” Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) yawned.

Obama spoke of the need to get beyond “silly arguments.” Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) yawned.

Obama spoke of human rights in Iran. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) yawned.

Obama spoke about arms control. Christina Romer, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, yawned.

Obama spoke about a jobs bill. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer elbowed his colleague Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who had fallen asleep.

[...]

It would be naive to expect the good manners to last, but at the very least, lawmakers demonstrated that, if they worked really hard at it, they still had the ability to behave themselves.

[...]

There was the usual seesaw of alternating support from the Democratic and Republican sides. When Democrats cheered Obama’s claims of various tax cuts but Republicans sat in grim silence, the president ad-libbed: “I thought I’d get some applause on that one.”

There were grumbles among Republicans when Obama spoke of the Bush years as “the lost decade,” and when the president mentioned the “overwhelming scientific evidence on climate change.” When Obama told lawmakers to “let me know” if they have a better approach to health reform, Boehner stood and raised his hand to offer.

But the only thing approaching a disruption during the speech came from the Democratic side, where an unidentified man, believed to be a foreign diplomat, raised his hand and began to shout, “Mr. President!” One of the more visible displays of dissent came from, of all people, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, who from his second-row seat appeared to mouth “not true” and shook his head “no” when Obama said last week’s court ruling would allow foreign money in politics.

Washington Post missed this one in the “snoozing” category, but Michelle Malkin didn’t… Zzzzz: Two not-so-sharp responses to Obama’s SOTU:

Obama was supposed to set a “new tone” in Washington tonight. Don’t think he meant the tone to sound like snoring.

Janet Napolitano should have brought her Snuggie to the State of the Union Address. Here she is putting the “nap” in Napolitano:

Homeland Security head Janet Napolitano, caught snoozing during Obama's SOTU

Not a comforting image to see of our “Czarina of National Security” getting some shut-eye while POTUS speaks. Hope she didn’t end up drooling…

Nor did WaPo mention Sen. Harry Reid… Sister Toldjah caught the senator’s yawn, however:

Last night at the SOTU, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was doing what many of us were who were up watching the speech: yawning. He probably does that when he gets recaps from his staff about the calls coming in from concerned constituents, too.

Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Yawns During Obama’s SOTU

But Justice Samuel Alito was wide awake…

From Politico, Justice Alito mouths ‘not true’:

POLITICO’s Kasie Hunt, who’s in the House chamber, reports that Justice Samuel Alito mouthed the words “not true” when President Barack Obama criticized the Supreme Court’s campaign finance decision.

“Last week, the Supreme Court reversed a century of law to open the floodgates for special interests — including foreign corporations — to spend without limit in our elections,” Obama said. “Well I don’t think American elections should be bankrolled by America’s most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people, and that’s why I’m urging Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to right this wrong.”

The shot of the black-robed Supreme Court justices, stone-faced, was priceless.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) stood up behind the justices and clapped vigorously while Alito shook his head and quietly mouthed his discontent.

FOX News: Juan Williams: Inappropriate of Obama to Directly Scold Supreme Court & to Allow Dems’ Intimidating Applause

Additional reading:
Gateway Pundit: McCain Seen Mouthing “Blame It On Bush” During Obama’s Hyper-Partisan Attack Speech and Sarah Palin & Sean Hannity Discuss Justice Alito’s “You Lie” Moment (Video) and Chris Matthews: “I Forgot He Was Black Tonight For an Hour” (Video) and Terrific!… Governor Bob McDonnell Gives GOP Response to SOTU– Thanks His Daughter (Video) and SOTU LiveBlogging Tonight– Excerpts– It’s Showtime — Let the Blame Game Begin and Dem Rep Admits: “We’re Told to Call It a Jobs Bill Not a Stimulus Bill” and For 2010 Election Strategy Dems Decide To Blame Bush For Their Failed Economic Policies and Pelosi Claims House Dems Are Focused on Jobs But Unemployment Has Doubled Under Her Watch
Bob McCarty Writes: Oklahoma Senator Says Obama Best Liar Ever
Zipline Conservative: Obama’s State of the Union (Finally Focused)
The Anchoress: SOTU Speech Reaction and Obamaporta-prompta; Symptom of Distress?
Michelle Malkin: SOTU open thread: Blame the lobbyists! Fund high-speed rail boondoggles!
Rich Trzupek, Big Journalism: Top 10 Things I Learned Listening To SOTU Last Night
Frugal Café Blog Zone: State of the Union Online Poll Results from CBS News… Not Looking Good for POTUS and S.E. Cupp’s Sassy Take on the “White House’s Play-Doh Spin Factory” and Increasing Trouble in “Obama Paradise” but Don’t Blame POTUS… Newest Scapegoat Is Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Hello, Train Wreck: Obama’s Agenda Is Crashing… Calling Bill Clinton on Advice to Get Out of His Mess?
VotingFemale Speaks!: SOTU Report: Harry Reid Yawns while Janet Incompitano Sleeps and SOTU report: Congratulations Obama! you were promoted to ‘white guy’ for an hour! and SOTU Report: Obama to America: No Habla Massachusetts and Obama’s Failing War on Reality; it is antipathy to Socialism, Barack
Nice Deb: Krauthamer On Obama’s SOTU Speech: No Pivot, “Tone Was Strained and Unctuous”
Rep. Pete Sessions, Big Government: Text2Chat: State of the Union Edition
The Powers That Be: The President’s Brain is Missing
On My Watch – The Writings of SamHenry: The Plastic Presidency and A Vengeful Return to Obama the Enforcer
Washington Post: New poll finds voter anger drove results of Mass. election
Another Black Conservative: A mea culpa from a Hope Dope
GayPatriot: Has the President Read His Job Description? and In the wake of Brown Victory, Obama Returns to Campaign Mode
Dancing Czars: What Did Obama Say in his State of the Union Address? and Pelosi Says Jobs ‘Permeated’ Congressional Actions in Year of 10 Percent Unemployment
Real Clear Politics: MSNBC’s Mitchell: People Are No Longer Willing To Blame Bush
Political Integrity Now: Obama and the State of the Union: A lesson in Smoke and Mirrors
The Hill: Obama to talk economy, new jobs in hard-hit battleground state
Mcnorman’s Weblog: A Tale Of ObamaNomics
Hot Air: WH fumbling jobs, ObamaCare messages

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