Tonight, I’m announcing the creation of a Trade Enforcement Unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trade practices in countries like China. There will be more inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our borders. And this Congress should make sure that no foreign company has an advantage over American manufacturing when it comes to accessing finance or new markets like Russia. Our workers are the most productive on Earth, and if the playing field is level, I promise you – America will always win.Obama • Pushing tough language against bad trade practices. Makes a lot of sense in the wake of the recent NY Times article on Apple, but worries us in the case of SOPA.
On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Some even said we should let it die. With a million jobs at stake, I refused to let that happen. In exchange for help, we demanded responsibility. We got workers and automakers to settle their differences. We got the industry to retool and restructure. Today, General Motors is back on top as the world’s number one automaker. Chrysler has grown faster in the U.S. than any major car company. Ford is investing billions in U.S. plants and factories. And together, the entire industry added nearly 160,000 jobs. We bet on American workers. We bet on American ingenuity. And tonight, the American auto industry is back.
Was this the right thing for us to do, seeing the success we’ve had? (more here)
Big response for this line: “We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.”
Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and welcomed home some of our last troops to serve in Iraq. Together, we offered a final, proud salute to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought – and several thousand gave their lives. We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has made the United States safer and more respected around the world.Obama’s introductory lines in tonight’s State of the Union. Nice. “For the first time in nine years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq,” he continued. “For the first time in two decades, Osama bin Laden is not a threat to this country. Most of al Qaeda’s top lieutenants have been defeated. The Taliban’s momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home. These achievements are a testament to the courage, selflessness, and teamwork of America’s Armed Forces.”
Sights and scenes from people streaming in for the State of the Union.
What do some of the GOP presidential hopefuls have to say about tonight’s State of the Union Address?
“This is the most activist, big government leftist president that has ever served in this country.” - Rick Santorum
Santorum called the President’s address tonight “a bunch of flowery rhetoric and all this stuff about all the things he has done.” He criticized President Obama’s time in office by drawing attention to Dodd-Frank, the nation’s debt, unemployment, “Obamacare,” and our country’s bond rating. [ABC News]
“Tonight, the president will explain it was all George W. Bush’s fault. This is the fourth year of his presidency, he needs to get over it.” - Newt Gingrich
He dropped another “Saul Alinsky radical” mention on the President, saying he “taught radicalism in Chicago.”
Gingrich couldn’t pass up another opportunity to bust out his professor creds, saying, “And unlike the president, I studied American history.” [LA Times]
“What he’s really offering are partisan planks for his re-election campaign. As I’ve traveled across the country, I’ve heard similar stories in virtually every corner of America, high unemployment, record home foreclosures, debt that’s too high, opportunities that are too few. This is the real state of our union. But you won’t hear stories like those in President Obama’s address tonight. The unemployed don’t get tickets to sit next to the first lady.” - Mitt Romney
In a “prebuttal,” Romney today called President Obama “divisive” and a “desperate campaigner-in-chief.” Like Gingrich, he said the President should not blame others for “how we got in this mess.” [CBS News]
Word of the day: ”Prebuttal.”
I can’t add much to what’s already been (and will be) ...
One of the perks of being an early employee...
Over the last 90 days, the Digg...
#FMMDI (at 30 Rockefeller Plaza)
Thanks. I guess my thoughts are as follows:
1. I think...
Two Months Ago I set out to interview the principal cast...
Oh good. Looks like CNN’s live SOTU feed has all the fun-to-watch background stuff. Hopefully the audio will kick in at some point.
manicchill asks: So did the live chat get scrapped again? I know you guys are going to be pretty busy tonight with your cushy new job curating the SOTU tag, so I'll understand if so. :)
» SFB says: No, we’re still doing it! Promise! Our live chat is right here, and will start at 8:55 EST. Get in on it! :) — Ernie @ SFB
He didn’t run for president, but … the Indiana governor will be offering up some tough statements against Obama tonight as he makes the GOP’s official State of the Union response. Herman Cain will also offer a response for the Tea Party, and Occupy Wall Street will also make their own response. Here’s an excerpt from Daniel’s speech:
No feature of the Obama presidency has been sadder than its constant efforts to divide us, to curry favor with some Americans by castigating others. As in previous moments of national danger, we Americans are all in the same boat. If we drift, quarreling and paralyzed, over a Niagara of debt, we will all suffer, regardless of income, race, gender, or other category. If we fail to shift to a pro-jobs, pro-growth economic policy, there will never be enough public revenue to pay for our safety net, national security, or whatever size government we decide to have.
Read some more excerpts over this-a-way.
Behind the scenes of the State of the Union speech, featuring lots of Jon Favreau
Loved him in “Swingers.”*
* — said to mess with people
Copyright 2009-2013 Ernie Smith • Ask us stuff! • E-mail us • Follow us on Twitter • Follow us on Facebook
