If you watched or read President Obama's speech on Wednesday night, you saw that he spoke a great deal about how many Americans are sick and tired of the stuff going on in the government. Go on CNN, Fox News, New York Times, whitehouse.gov, or any of the major network sites and read a transcript of the last ten minutes of the speech (the speech was around 69 minutes long). This was the time he devoted to talking about the responsibility both parties have in fixing our current state of affairs. After reading this section, how do you feel about some of the things he talked about? Do you agree/disagree with him? Why... post two comments about this. The first comment should be your response, and make sure it's thorough and you provide SPECIFIC reasons why/why not you agree with it. The second comment should be a good response to your classmates. Same holds true for this one, be SPECIFIC in your commentary.
I really want to encourage you to start making sure you are informed on issues. That is why I am having you read the actual speech as opposed to a commentary on it. Make a decision or stance based on what YOU think of the speech, not someone else. OK???? And it's also OK to not understand everything you read, just for now read the actual speech.
Throughout the 2010 State of the Union Address, President Obama kept referring to the reality of our dysfunctional, ineffectual Congress, including both Republicans and Democrats. He's often talked about how without bipartisanship, our union lacks strength, which is true; Republicans will say NO to every single bill "because they can," and Democrats are weak, slow and divided (despite holding the supermajority for a full year -- when was the last time either party had 60 seats in a Senate? When was the last time a party wasted that chance?). The President has some good ideas, but he can't get anything done without the support of his own party, and he hasn't been proactive or mean enough to get it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with him; our legislative branch is pathetic. An example we all recognize would be the health care bill. Democrats compromised it to a pulp; Republicans voted as a block to force those compromises. And then, of course, Scott Brown took Massachusetts by storm and the whole fiasco kicked our President in the shin.
So, then, it's easy to see how Obama's right; no major issues will be resolved considering current country politics. The U.S. hasn't really done anything significant like that in decades. Obama's a smart man, as he proved when meeting with House Republicans recently, but being the most intelligent guy in the room doesn't mean squat if you can't act.
The thing about President Obama is that he is an incredible public speaker. No, I did not watch the State of the Union speech, I read it. But by reading it, I didn't get the full affect of what he was trying to say. He's trying to get the support that he needs in order to help pull everything together. He has big ideas, but no one can do it alone. We all like the idea of change but when's the last time we really did something?
ReplyDeleteI agree 100% with Peter. He also sees that Obama wants the change but isn't working hard enough at getting everyone else to follow. Like I said before, wathcing the speech is a lot more efficient than reading it. Obama actually incorporated humor into it. The humor could be seen in two ways. Either he was joking around to get the people to feel comfortable with him and give him trust. Or it could be seen as if he were making light of the situation (which I HIGHLY doubt, but I'm sure there are people out there who believe it...) Also, the way he started the speech, he broke tradition due to the fact that he didn't acknoledge the State of the Union in the first sentence. This could have been intentional. For all we know he could be trying to make a statement by saying that it really is time for change.
The last ten minutes of President Obama's speech hit a few very good points that need to be changed right away. I agree with President Obama in the fact that it is wrong that women don't get an equal pay for an equal day's work. It is great that Obama realizes all of these affairs in the country that need to be resolved. The Democrats and Republicans need to start making compromises for anything to start changing.
ReplyDeleteObama makes a great point when he says that the values that built America were neither Democratic values nor Republican values, they were American values. Americans take pride in their hard work and responsibilities. Obama needs support to make all of these changes that he promises come true and he knows that. He is going to try his best to gain as much support as possible to help our country change for the best.
I believe that these changes can occur if everyone just gives him the support and time to make them. He has many good ideas to help out with our current state of affairs but he doesn't have enough support to accomplish anything. Over time he will make some changes that will help America immensely.
I agree with Jamie and Peter in the sense that Obama is not trying his best to gain support. He needs to be a lot more proactive to gain the amount of support that he is looking for to back up his ideas. Peter makes a good point about the Health Care plan and how the Democrats and Republicans will not agree on anything. The Republicans need to loosen up because the Democrats are just looking for a compromise.
ReplyDeleteDuring the last ten minutes of President Obama's State of the Union Address, he began by speaking of our standings in comparison to other countries around the globe. He mentions topics such as the fight against HIV/AIDS, climate change, and bio terrorists and the helping of Muslim communities progress in subjects such as science. He is saying that despite all of our troubles in the past few years, we are still a very strong competitor. He then went on to talk about renewing equally among Americans through new bills and policies. "America must always stand on the side of human dignity," says Obama. In relation to this, he is planning on repealing the law that prevents gays from participating in the United States armed forces. His final point spoke of immigration and his plan to makes sure any immigrants that enter the country do it lawfully so they may contribute to the country in a productive and unobtrusive manner. He concluded his speech with a heart-filled sentiment about pride in our country and perseverance over troubling times.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the way he encouraged listeners to find hope in these economically hard times. He made people realize that we are doing a lot of good in the world, even though the people only see the little bad that we do. But it seemed as though he spent most of his last ten minutes encouraging hope and enthusiasm. His only real points towards the end were the renewing of equality and the unity between the political parties.But it is the latter that I feel very passionately about.
Obama spent much time addressing the need for republicans and democrats to work together. OUr country had been at a political stand still, causing other countries to progress while we are caught bickering among ourselves. Obama is planning on doing much to bring the parties together so that republicans will stop denying every move democrats make, and so that the democrats stop bullying the republicans in general.
Aaron makes a good point about how American values should be more important than party values; this is what George Washington said after leaving office, and is no less good advice in 2010 than in 1796. Being a hardcore member of either party means that one is completely out of tune with what's actually going on. This person is blind to the other side's arguments and ideas. And it's really troubling that we have so many of these people.
ReplyDeleteWe're all fellow Americans. We're in the same boat in terms of national policy. We shouldn't forget what makes us tick -- values -- and we certainly shouldn't elect leaders because of the entity supporting them.
After analyzing Obama's speech in lit class as well as listening to other people's opinions, I have determined that yes, Obama is a good public speaker. His use of humor is relieving to the stressful American people and his use of rhetoric is pretty unique. He identified his topics thoroughly and he explained each with accurate facts. Although I do not totally agree with the way Obama has handled America's problems, I did like his speech. Nonetheless, the fact that his first year as president has been pretty unsuccessful definitely makes me question how the next three years will be. Obama had promised so much change and he continues to promise. In my opinion, he seems to be creating a build-up, and this is not good.
ReplyDeleteI understand what Jamie is saying. Adding humor to his speech was definitely Obama's way of breaking tradition, and perhaps being unique. Traditionally, a state of the union address is formal and serious... Obama broke this mold. In some ways, I believe this is a good thing; people may remember all the important information Obama spoke about. Also, adding humor may have calmed down stressed Americans who are hopeless. If the president is eased, why shouldn't us, Americans be? However, I also think some people may have found Obama's compositional risks and humor offensive or inappropriate. In my opinion, a president who has not severely strengthened our country, cannot afford to take such risks... people may become impatient or annoyed. I know the republicans must have had plenty to say about this.
ReplyDeleteI definitely understand both sides of the argument.
Aaron made a great point in that Obama is pleading for support when he speaks of unity between the two political parties; that the country's values are America's values, not Republican or Democrat. Without his pleas, and without the correspondence of the country to these pleas, we may be trapped in a void of apathy.
ReplyDeleteI also loved Pete's interpretation of the "pathetic" behavior of our legislative branch. The democrats created a bill that they knew would never be accepted byt he Republican party and were forced by these men to compromise, and compromise, and compromise, until nothing was left of it. Then, and only then, did the Republicans deny the bill. If this constant bickering continues, our country will cease to progress, lowering in the standings among other world powers, and the people will suffer for it.
As many people have mentioned already, Obama is an extremely strong public speaker and makes everything he has to say sound important. In his speech in was reminding Americans that we will get through this never ending downfall that our economy is going through and make it even stronger. Obama made a point that the republicans and democratics have to work together if we want our economy to work out. He said that things are now in the hands of America. That was the main focus of the speech. Obama also plans on freezing the spending. I feel like this is going to be extremely hard to do since as time goes on things get more expensive causing the government to spend more money.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Alex. I feel like Obama is building up the hopes of many Americans by making so many promises. All of his promises may not come true and it could endly badly. In addition, I agree with Peter and Aaron when they say that Obama is pretty much "pleading" for the unity between the two political parties. Without unity, the country and the economy is not going to get any better.
ReplyDeletePresident Obama is one of the most appealing speakers i have seen in my sixteen years on this earth. He caught my attention as he started talking about the tax cuts he's going to propose to small companys, the student loans proposal, and my most astonishment, federal spending cuts.
ReplyDeleteThe reason that the federal spending cuts astonishes me so much is because, how is he going to do that with all that we're spending on? The war, new discoveries, loans, not to mention the 14 trillion dollars of debt we are in. He wants to keep spending on social security, medicaid and medicare. But other wise, we're cutting federal spending in the beginnning of 2011, which is supposed to lower our deficit by 2014.
The tax cuts on the small companys, for each american citizen they employ i think is a great idea, because all the tax cuts at the end of the year, will get put back into the economy, which in the end will regulate this economy to a standard where we aren't on the verge of a depression- for the third time.
Last but certainly not least, student loans. President Obama had said that if you go to school, and then afterwards, pursue a career in the public works which consists of FBI, secret service, CIA, police, and many more, he would stop your payments on your student loans after being employed for TEN years in the public works. This, i think is a great idea, but in the back of my mind, i also think some people might be done paying off their student loans by then. But then again, it also depends your salary at the time.
In the end, i believe that President Obama's speech was very successful and empowering. Lets hope some of these proposals are successful.
I agree with Jamie that obama is a great speaker, in which that he put humor into it. Being that it was his first State of the Union, it was one of the great ways to break the ice and get people to listen to what he was saying, also the way Aaron had put it, Obama is trying to make the country unified between each parties, thus trying to create another "Era of Good Feelings". Both parties disagreed on points. Such as bills being passed that Republicans did not agree with at all, but the democrats were very aware of that fact. Obama so far is trying to create peace, but in the end of his term the question of "Will he be a successful president, or non" is still up in the air.
ReplyDeleteAfter reviewing the last ten minutes of President Obama’s State of the Union Address, he was addressing nuclear weapon problems and that he is coming up with a way to diminish our supplies and launches of weapons. President Obama had said that the United States and Russia are negotiating with an Arms Control Treaty. I agree with this treaty because I feel once smaller countries see two large strong countries agreeing on a treaty together, they too will join in reducing their use of nuclear weapons as well. Also President Obama said that they are bringing in 44 nations together and will be meeting so they can secure all nuclear weapons around the world will be put to an end in four years so terrorism will not become a liability.
ReplyDeleteAlso President Obama was talking about how the U.S. has come together and helped around the world in fighting against HIV/AIDS, help the people of Haiti recover, work with Muslim Communities to promote science, education, and innovation, feed smaller developing countries, and fighting against the climate change. I liked how President Obama reminded our country that although our world is not at all perfect we are still come together and believe in freedom and human dignity. I agree with what President Obama stated because our country provides all Americans with freedom and self-respect.
Watching the last ten minutes of the speech seemed to be a good summary of what he may have said through the entire address. However, I understand his longing for change. He expresses the need for people to stand up for what they truly believe in, not just to keep their position. Obama as president, should lead as an example. During his campaign as Obama referenced in the state of the union speech, promised to work with both democrats and republicans. However, so far the president has not worked with the republicans at all. Thankfully for Obama, according to this past weekend's meeting with the republicans from the house of representatives, proves he is trying and starting out well. Its unfortunate that he did not work with both parties from the beginning, it was this that put his fate to be in a difficult position where he has been unable to create any change at all.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what people have already said as in that Obama is a very clear, loud, intelligent and strong public speaker. Like Courtney said, President Obama does in fact make everything he says sound important. I also agree with Aaron and Peter, how they said President Obama is persistent in asking for support when talking about the two political parties and that the values are together not just Republican or just Democrat. Like Peter also said in how Obama isn’t working hard enough to get this country to follow even though he really is trying hard.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Courtney with the fact she brought up about how America must do something for their to be change. If it is change Obama wants then he must start making changes and become more determined to make the promises he has made come true. Obama has not created any changes that he had promoted in his campaign. This may be because of the effect of media in todays society as he brings up in his speech but, if It was something so important to him he would have done something to make it possible. Obama must reach out to Americans in a way that will convince them to promote what their beliefs are. It is patriotism that Obama asks and change that he promises for but, he must continue to hype up America in the same way that he did in his campaign and make his own promises come true.
ReplyDeleteAs many people have previously stated, Obama has a gift for speaking. His speech was unique and he stated his acknowledgment of the difficulties Americans feel everyday. He broke the silence with humor with statements that were followed laugh such as "This week, I'll be addressing a meeting of the House Republicans. I'd like to begin monthly meetings with both Democratic and Republican leadership. I know you can't wait." In these ways, perhaps Obama may want to be portrayed as a "common man".
ReplyDeleteTowards the end of his speech, Obama mentioned security. He referred back to John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan about nuclear weapons during his speech to perhaps convince Americans that he wants to use the past to aid the future. Instances such as 9/11 and the Christmas attack were mentioned as a way for Obama to mention that he will do whatever it takes to make sure that events like these shall not occur again.
I believe that Obama wants to do a lot, afterall, his motto is all about change. He stated, "when you try to do big things and make big changes, it stirs passions and controversy." during the end of his speech and this fact is true. Hopefully, these passionate changes will occur and the remaining three years will be better. Let's hope that he is not all talk, but also action.
I completely agree with the point Obama is trying to get across in this section. It is extremely important for us as a country to unite and work towards a better future. As Obama says, in our countries history we have had no problem working for the future but today we seem to struggle. Our country needs to pull together and work on plans to secure our country’s place as a power in the world. Obama speaks about cleaner energy and cleaner nuclear power plants. He also mentions finding better ways to have offshore drilling. Obama has great ideas, but some of them seem a little far fetched if he doesn’t want to raise our taxes. Such ideas include public works to increase jobs and the student loans program. He also stresses the importance of lower the jobless rate. He wants to create programs for jobs and make it a priority. Obama makes a good point for securing our future, and has some very appealing ideas. Most of them sound like empty promises and we can only wait and see.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kayla. I am not sure how the federal spending cut will take place with our debt, however that starts next year. Also, his student loans idea may be beneficial to some people because it takes many people even more than 10 years to pay off their debts and this idea will cut some of their stress. Overall, Obama had many great ideas in his speech.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alexandra that Obama is a very good public speaker, but not backing up his speeches with action. I also agree that his first year has been unsuccessful. He promised change and we haven't seen any yet. He can announce all the new plans and bills he wants, but they mean nothing until they are written. He is a very good showman and a great face for America, but he has not proven to be a great President so far. He does have three years left in this term, so he does have time to make change.
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt that Barack Obama is a great speaker. Being that he is indeed a great speaker and the fact that he is President of the United States does make for a good mix. As people already mentioned, Obama raised several topics of discussion during the last ten minutes of his speech. I agree with the majority of his proposals, but I do have one concern. Where will the money for all of these attempts to make the U.S. better come from? Better yet, how can we possibly afford to feed these new ideas when we are in a recession? It just seems like its not possible. Raising taxes at a time like this would not be the best of ideas so I just don't understand how Obama can think that these attempts to better the U.S. will succeed. In my opinion, Barack Obama has good intentions, but I'm not sure if he's going to be able to follow through with his proposals.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jon. He says how Obama has appealing ideas, which he does, and the fact that to us, it doesn't seem like Obama will be able to follow through with these ideas. With that being said, I don't think it comes down to questioning whether or not we chose the right candidate as president, but more to the question of, "Will President Obama keep his promises?" Hopefully, President Obama can stick to his word by doing his best to make the United States a better country.
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ReplyDeleteI think that ideas Obama is trying to get across to our nation are reasonable and possible but not in the near future and not without hard work. It is extremely important for us as a country work together towards a better future even if we have to make sacrifices. As Obama said, "in our countries history we have had no problem working for the future but today we seem to struggle." Our country needs to work together and make sure we secure our position as a powerful nation in the world. Obama speaks about his small ideas such as cleaner energy, nuclear power plants, and off shore drilling sites. Some of these ideas might seem impossible in the near future because of the sacrifices and taxes that have to be made but if we work towards them as a nation this might just happen.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Zak that he is a great speaker and persuades people very easily but where is the money going to come from? We are already in a ridiculous amount of debt, so how is he going to do all this?
ReplyDeleteObama's speech was truly an inspirational one. Like all proficient public speakers, he chose his words wisely and said things that everyone could relate to. I agree with what he said about the fact that the world depends on the U.S to have a strong economy. We must all work together to pull our country out of its dark place. Also, Obama says that he will not allow terorists to mess with America any longer. That gives many people hope, but whether or not he will keep that promise is another issue. Obama said, "It's easy to lose sight of this truth, to become cynical and doubtful, consumed with the petty and the trivial." He also said that inspiration comes from ordinary Americans with dreams and aspirations. This statement, of course, is so encouraging to people. However, it feels as if Obama is just saying things to calm Americans down. Who knows if he will actually take the initiative to make the enormous changes that our country begs for.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Pasha that if Americans don't work hard to reach these goals, they won't be achieved. The country needs to work together as a team and make sacrifices.
ReplyDeleteObama's speech was up lifting and hopeful. Being the experienced public speaker that he is, he is able to get his points across clearly while pulling you into his big ideas. As you know there need to be some drastic changes with our countries economy, health care system, etc. Obama makes good points in how he wants to change things however this is going to take a lot of time and effert. I believe we need to come together as a country to really be able to fix the root of all our problems. It is easy to lose hope in hard times like now but the more we support each other the more we will be able to feel the support ourselves. As the people all we can do is vote and hope that the goverment does the right thing and has the people of this countries best interst at heart.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how much hope Barack Obama can give a country with only ten minutes of a speech. he is truely inspirational and his ideas are exaclty what the United States needs to get through these hard time. In the last ten minutes Barack's inniatives were to make people aware that in order for America to prosper we need to improve the economy, health care system,and the enviroment. In order to do this he made it clear that we have to bond as a country to get through these rough times. I truely hope that Obama isn't just saying stuff to comfort people and that he really wants to go through with his plans as soon as possible.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Steph. The speech did seem like Obama was just trying to calm the nation down because of all the struggles that are occuring today with the economy. However, it would be fanastic if Barack actually went through with everything he promises.
ReplyDeleteAfter reviewing the closing minutes of President Obama’s speech, he definitely expressed some points of concern that many people are feeling. Moreover, I agree with these statements of coming together to accomplish the tasks in the near and distant future. Currently in our economic crisis, President Obama states that it is imperative both parties find a common ground for any actions to be taken out. Also, I agree that by freezing government spending, for three years beginning in 2011, and by making a budget it will decrease our nation’s deficit. Furthermore, he says how the effort of everyone will be needed for these obstacles to be overcome, a simple but nonetheless difficult responsibility.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kayla and her comment on student loans. Through this action the number of public workers will increase, thus stimulating the economy. Also, I agree that federal spending needs to be decreased and only the essentials must be dealt with.
ReplyDeleteIn President Obama's speech i felt like he addressed many worries, and won many peoples hearts over but i feel as if though he is not the issue. He called out republicans to cooperate in everything as they are preventing The democrats to gain anything or the country to move foward. Jobs are a major issue far more than health care as he pointed out and i think this was used to overshadow the drama which was a good move on his part but he is spending too much money overall for being in a deficiet. Money is needed to get out of the issue but large amounts in short periods of time is not the solution i think it should be used more efficently over a longer period of time as it is a not a quick fix. Obama soothed many of the nations qaulms and issues with how society is being operated which i think was a good move but he still needs to prove that there is progression, though his intentions seem to be sincere theres a lack of progress.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cj that this is a difficult responsibilty, his idea of freezing government spending was risky, but i believe it could contribute to try to lower spending, even though its likely they will go over any budget. His adressing the issues of many Amerricans was needed as everyone is tense toward him and he needs their support to accomplish anything.
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