SOTU liveblog
i'm not gonna be playing the drinking game because i'm a working stiff and it's a weeknight and i just got home, but i'll try to give my reactions if there's anything interesting said. i'm watching it on PBS with jim lehrer & co....
6:05 PM
bush was just announced, and he makes his entrance...
6:09 PM
he takes the podium, and pelosi presents him.... do i hear boos??
6:10 PM
we have "answered the call" for vigorous debate on the issues that face us, heh. nice way to characterize bitterness and bickering. then he calls for bipartisanship. reference to "charge to keep". meh.
6:12 PM
he's starting with the weak economy. wants congress to pass stimulus ASAP without making changes. while talking about making his tax cuts permanent, he made a really weak joke about people who want to pay higher taxes: "the IRS accepts both checks and money orders". promises to veto any tax increase.
6:15 PM
hah!!! he's talking about balancing the budget by 2012 by cutting 150 "wasteful or bloated" programs. what a joke. he had 7 years and did nothing but profligate spending, and now he's going to put the reins on the next president. also, it's funny to watch congress give him a standing o when he's bashing earmarks, considering that they are the guilty earmarkers.
6:19 PM
on to health care... he's invoking the false dichotomy of government control and personal medical decisions. "socialized medicine!!! ooga-booga!!!"
6:22 PM
education: touts success of bipartisan NCLB; the democrats are not amused. wants some sort of $300 million children's pell grant program. hmmm....
6:25 PM
on the benefits of free trade: it will enable us to "show our neighbors in the region that democracy leads to a better life". without free trade agreements, "we will embolden the purveyors of false populism in our hemisphere". except not with cuba, apparently.
6:29 PM
talks about balancing ethics and science. i don't want to get into his convoluted stem cell position. moves on to his judges. the democrats are understandably not feeling very charitable in their response tonight. a lot of republicans standing up and cheering, and democrats sitting without clapping.
6:34 PM
haha, the republicans seem to have lost some of their enthusiasm now that he's moved on to immigration reform.
6:36 PM
apparently, this is the "premise of our foreign policy": we trust that people, when given the chance, will choose a future of freedom and peace. "since september 11, we have taken the fight to these terrorists and extremists"... yeah, which category do the iraqis fall into?
6:39 PM
wants more marines for afghanistan. latest news resports suggest that adding troops is probably necessary. on to iraq and praising the surge.
6:44 PM
still talking surge. "al qaida is on the run in iraq and will be defeated" someone yells, "hoo-rah!"
6:47 PM
20,000 troops coming home, more must be based on conditions on the ground. he's not specific on what conditions exactly, however.
6:52 PM
tough but qualified talk on iran. nothing really new though. iran must stop enrichment before negotiations can begin.
6:56 PM
wants to extend wiretapping and protect the phone companies while we're at it. republicans enthusiastic, democrats not.
one sentence on sudan. that's it. a simple condemnation. nothing more. he does call it "genocide", though.
6:58 PM
our african AIDS program only helps 1.4 million people? that sounds like a small number... doesn't it? he's calling to double the money for that program.
7:02 PM
some talk on veterans' benefits reform, and then his final message: trust "the people".
well, that was pretty boring and empty for the most part, i gotta say. but then he's a lame duck and everyone hates him, so what do you expect.
6:05 PM
bush was just announced, and he makes his entrance...
6:09 PM
he takes the podium, and pelosi presents him.... do i hear boos??
6:10 PM
we have "answered the call" for vigorous debate on the issues that face us, heh. nice way to characterize bitterness and bickering. then he calls for bipartisanship. reference to "charge to keep". meh.
6:12 PM
he's starting with the weak economy. wants congress to pass stimulus ASAP without making changes. while talking about making his tax cuts permanent, he made a really weak joke about people who want to pay higher taxes: "the IRS accepts both checks and money orders". promises to veto any tax increase.
6:15 PM
hah!!! he's talking about balancing the budget by 2012 by cutting 150 "wasteful or bloated" programs. what a joke. he had 7 years and did nothing but profligate spending, and now he's going to put the reins on the next president. also, it's funny to watch congress give him a standing o when he's bashing earmarks, considering that they are the guilty earmarkers.
6:19 PM
on to health care... he's invoking the false dichotomy of government control and personal medical decisions. "socialized medicine!!! ooga-booga!!!"
6:22 PM
education: touts success of bipartisan NCLB; the democrats are not amused. wants some sort of $300 million children's pell grant program. hmmm....
6:25 PM
on the benefits of free trade: it will enable us to "show our neighbors in the region that democracy leads to a better life". without free trade agreements, "we will embolden the purveyors of false populism in our hemisphere". except not with cuba, apparently.
6:29 PM
talks about balancing ethics and science. i don't want to get into his convoluted stem cell position. moves on to his judges. the democrats are understandably not feeling very charitable in their response tonight. a lot of republicans standing up and cheering, and democrats sitting without clapping.
6:34 PM
haha, the republicans seem to have lost some of their enthusiasm now that he's moved on to immigration reform.
6:36 PM
apparently, this is the "premise of our foreign policy": we trust that people, when given the chance, will choose a future of freedom and peace. "since september 11, we have taken the fight to these terrorists and extremists"... yeah, which category do the iraqis fall into?
6:39 PM
wants more marines for afghanistan. latest news resports suggest that adding troops is probably necessary. on to iraq and praising the surge.
6:44 PM
still talking surge. "al qaida is on the run in iraq and will be defeated" someone yells, "hoo-rah!"
6:47 PM
20,000 troops coming home, more must be based on conditions on the ground. he's not specific on what conditions exactly, however.
6:52 PM
tough but qualified talk on iran. nothing really new though. iran must stop enrichment before negotiations can begin.
6:56 PM
wants to extend wiretapping and protect the phone companies while we're at it. republicans enthusiastic, democrats not.
one sentence on sudan. that's it. a simple condemnation. nothing more. he does call it "genocide", though.
6:58 PM
our african AIDS program only helps 1.4 million people? that sounds like a small number... doesn't it? he's calling to double the money for that program.
7:02 PM
some talk on veterans' benefits reform, and then his final message: trust "the people".
well, that was pretty boring and empty for the most part, i gotta say. but then he's a lame duck and everyone hates him, so what do you expect.