State of the Union

Doing a little live blogging, so I can remember this.

"the Tollybon is broken"   Are they?  I thought we were negotiating with Mullah Omar.  BTW, where is Mullah Baradar, the number two guy?

And did the GOP just boo or make strange noises when Obama delivered his signature line about fairness?  Something sounded weird.

And OK, Obama just predicted that the business cycle won't ever bottom out again.  That's called communism.  Then he said he would fight the policies that "brought on the economic crisis in the first place".  Wow, that means he'll be against artificially propping up the housing market with Government-backed entities (that turn out to be political Christmas presents and havens for lobbyists). 

GM--back on top as the world's number one automaker.  Because they could finally get rid of onerous union contracts!

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BTW, that sincere inflection Obama uses in these speeches is grating.   It probably polls well, though.

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He wants to change the tax code to punish companies like GE who move jobs to Chiner. 

Addition- GE --  PAY YOUR FAIR SHARE, IMMELT!!!
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Obama wants special financing for moving plants into areas that have seen lost businesses move out.  Maybe Solyndra should have relocated to Chicago.

He will 'go anywhere' to open new markets.  Romney says he has created zero new markets.

Wow, now he's mentioning that Dotcom dude and piracy.  And even China.   Creating some kind of new special unit or something to investigate Chinese hackers?  Is that what he said?  Well, Patrick Fitzgerald is free.

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BTW, the state of the union is getting stronger!   Despite the Republicans.

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Obama, asking for more money for community colleges.  So far he's yet to talk about the debt.  As for turning the unemployment system into a 'reemployment system', he'll hack every Republican with him on that one.

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He's now asking for even more money, this time for teachers.  Getting the picture? Chicken in every pot.  He'll get to the debt when he gets to the 'tax the Richie Romneys' part of the speech.   It's their fault, ya know.  Meanwhile, he wants to make it a requirement for "ALL STATES to REQUIRE that every student remain in high school until they graduate or turn 18".  Isn't that what truant officers were for?  

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Now Obama is asking for more money for students through various programs and aid.   Wait--he said we would "run out of money" as opposed to saying we've already run out.  Ron Paul must be cackling.   Now he's threatening colleges to lower their tuition fees or else lose federal dollars.  Sure.

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Obama has stopped Juan at the border like no other prez-- comprehensive immigration reform--right now!  But don't punish the Juans brought here illegally by their parents, they should be rewarded.

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Women.   Or Woymn.  They should be equal.

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Expand tax relief to small businesses who are 'raising wages'.   What?

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Science.  Republicans hate it, those fools.  Don't gut these university grants and gifts.  Wait, didn't he just threaten the universities?

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Now comes the domestic oil part of the program, not featuring the Canadian pipeline.  Because after all, we need more ugly wind farms off the coast of Massachusetts.    And gas, natural gas.  Just don't pipe it anywhere.  Put it on BNSF freight trains brought to you by Berkshire Hathaway!

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Wow, Obama is mentioning a wind turbine factory.   Now he's mentioning S o l y n d r a without mentioning it, saying he won't give up on these failures..   Still nothing about the massive debt crippling "Brian's" kids.  Yeah, now he's insinuating that the government is subsidizing oil companies so they should subsidize Solyndras.

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Global warming time.   BTW, did y'all know there is still snow on Mt. Kilamanjaro?  Just updating everyone.  Obama just said he was mandating something, missed it.  Sorry.

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Asking for more money.  Now it's for infrastructure.  He's listing accomplishments again.. but didn't mention the 'intercontinental railroad'.  Ooh, good line on "nation building here at home".  But he finally mentioned debt--take half the savings from losing the wars and put half on debt payments and the other half on spending, which seems like a wash.

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Don't forget the evil bankers.  They have a deficit of trust.  They've always had a deficit of trust--they have all the money.

Housing market-- 'smart regulations to prevent irresponsible behavior'.  Good grief.  He's trying to regulate stupidity, common sense and business.   That's in addition to eliminating any possible down trend in the business cycle.  The only way to do such things is via a command economy.

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Blasting oil companies again.

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This speech is the mother of all smothering pie-in-the-sky government programs.

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Blasting bankers again.   Mentioning his non-recess recess appointment of Cordray.  Face, I guess. 

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Holder--  create another special unit to go after those who created the financial crisis.  Wow-- Holder may have to investigate Obama taking money from Fannie and Freddie.   Er, well, also Newt.  And of course Romney has stock in those companies.   Good luck with that.

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Obama demands the payroll tax cut should be passed without delay after nixing the pipeline.  The guy has balls, I'll give him that.

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Warren Buffet's secretary time!   Wonder how much she makes a year?  Anyway, he's talking about paying down debt, finally, and will of course couch it around punishing Warren Buffet and Mitt Romney, and himself, because they don't pay their 'fair share'.  Of course nobody mentions the fact that over 40 percent of workers pay zero tax, which is apparently 'fair'.  Paying no tax is the new fair.

This ain't class warfare, bub.  It's fairness.  Fairness!  Got it?   And he's the only one standing between those unpatriotic sapsuckers and the pitchforks.   And that's how the deficit gets reduced.  And the only way.

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Wow!  He uttered a universal truth!  "Nothing will get done this year".   Now he's blaming the downgrade on the Republicans.  And zap-- he just zapped ALL OF THEM with a proposal for a bill banning insider trading in Congress.  That was good, folks.

Now, like all liberals he's using the old ploy-- 'we all are part of the partisan problem, so let's fix it right now (when it benefits me)'.

Reverend Obama time.  Too much division (Republicans).  Barack ain't no partisan, Barack wants common sense solutions (mine).   We all sin (you GOPers want earmarks, too).  We can make progress with or without the Congress.  Wait, what?

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Ending the Iraq war has allowed us to defeat more enemies and win the war in Afghanistan.  We are winning and the troops are coming home.  Somehow they will never host another terrorist training ground, though, somehow, even after we're gone.  The Arab Spring is going well (despite Islamists taking over in Egypt and chaos in Libya and Syria, with AQ taking over towns in Yemen).  Well I agree we have to stand with those seeking freedom, especially within the swamps, but we must also be practical when those reforms threaten US national security.

And Iran-- listen up-- no options are off the table (even though we are secretly negotiating).  Our alliances are stronger than Bush, and we have never been closer to Israel than we are now, or something.

This is long, by the way.

But yeah, America is back.  We are back dammit, and if someone says otherwise they are stupid.  Because of me!  Yes, we're back because of me!  I did it.  And as long as I'm president it will stay that way.  But if you elect one of those GOP trolls there's no guarantee.   

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Kudos to the military.  Indeed.   There's a parade for returning Iraqi vets in St. Louis on January 28.  Did you know that? 

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Now Obama is making an analogy between combat troops going into battle, looking out for each other to survive, and the how government should function, diverting into the UBL kill raid.  Nice way to promote socialism, dude.   No, this nation is great because WE ARE ALLOWED TO PURSUE HAPPINESS AS FREE PEOPLE.  

That's enough.