In The News: President Obama Address the Earthquake in Chile

A collected President Obama speaks to the press about the earthquake in Chile, the potential for a tsunami, and how the White House intends to respond.

     

       The President Speaks on Chile Earthquake - Watch more Politics Videos at Vodpod.

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In The News: President Obama Meets with Black Leaders

Horrible weather did not prevent President Obama from meeting with some of America's most prominent Black leaders today.  Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, and Benjamin Jealous, president of the NAACP met with the President to advocate for new job legislation aimed at Black Americans.

Though the recession has rocked America as a whole, statistic show that Blacks are feeling the sting slightly more than the general population - especially in the area of unemployment.  Currently the unemployment rate nationwide is at 9.7 percent.  However, the unemployment rate among Blacks has reached 16.5 percent, way ahead of White rates that fall around 8.7 percent.

President Obama has consistently maintained that he would not support any economic/employment initiative that granted aid solely based on race.  Instead, the President would like to offer aid to those cities most in need, which, he feels, would ultimately help lift Black communities.

At the conclusion of the meeting the White House offered little detail on what was discussed.   However, participants seem cautiously optimistic about having had their case heard.

Obama, America's first Black President, is mindful of how implications of racial favoritism could negatively affect his image.  In walking the thin line of colorblindness, Obama can't be as philanthropic to minorities as some of his White predecessors have been.  Clearly freeing the slaves would have been a much more difficult task if Lincon's father had been a Black man and everyone seems to understand that.

Sources and More Info:

Obama, black leaders focus on economic hard times By Ben Feller (Associated Press)

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Today In Politics: President Obama Has Q&A with Senate Democrats

Bent on leveraging momentum gained by his State of the Union Addresss, President Obama met with Senate Democrats today to answer their questions.  As I spoke about earlier, I am encouraged to see some actual strategic execution from the Obama team lately.  After fielding questions from the GOP earlier this week, opening the stage to his fellow Democrats, some of whom will be seeking reelection in November, is a win-win situation for all.

     

       President Obama Q&A with Senate Democrats - Watch more Politics Videos at Vodpod.

Source: CSPAN on Youtube

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In The News: Obama Speaks at Republican Retreat

Earlier today President Obama broke new ground in American politics by joining the House Republicans at their annual retreat for a town hall-type discussion on bipartisanship.  For those, like me, who have often wondered whether a bipartisan Washington could ever really exist, this experiment visit, both adventurous and unorthodox in political nature, was a delight to witness.  The truth, even in our capitol, lies somewhere in between two extremes and today's therapy session town hall gave a unique glimpse at what political truth could potentially look like.

Once introduced, President Obama received a polite if not obligatory round of applause.  He then delivered a (brief) 21-minute statement, which he read from behind a podium, that detailed his first person account of the partisan blockages he faced during his first year as President.  Obama took the time to specify examples of centrist-right polices that, on GOP general principle, have been defeated, seemingly as an act of defiance against him.  At times he painted himself as a martyr:

"These are serious tines and what is required by all of us, Democrats and Republicans, is to do what's right for our country; even if it's not always best for our politics. I know it may be heresy to say this, but there are things more important than good poll numbers. (Chuckles) And on this no one can accuse me of not living by my principles."

Other times, he self-righteously (and rightfully) reminded the room that their task is to work in the interest of the American public:

"A middle class that is back on it's feet, and economy that lifts everybody up, an America that's ascendant in the world - that's more important than winning an election.  Our future shouldn't be shaped by what's best for our politics, our politics should be shaped by what's best for our future."

During the speech, Obama looked genuinely appreciative for the opportunity and cautiously hopeful that someone small population of the room would be open to his (slightly utopian) hope for bipartisan action.  That demeanor, however, was quickly replaced by frustration during a tug of war Question & Answer session.

See what could be the baby step beginnings of Washington bipartisanship below.


     

       President Obama's Speech at the House Republican retreat in Baltimore. - Watch more Politics Videos at Vodpod.

     

       YouTube - President Obama Full Q&A - Watch more Politics Videos at Vodpod.

Sources: NPR, C-SPAN, C-SPAN on Youtube

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Social Commentary: Grading Obama's 2010 State of The Union

I watched Obama's 2010 State of the Union in its entirety last night. I was wholly engaged the first 45 to 50 minutes, then my attention started to wane. It wasn't his best speech. It wasn't his best performance. It was, however, a small glimpse of fire and a much-needed reminder that the candidate I helped elect, still exists in there, somewhere.  Here's how Social Angst graded the President's first State of The Union Address:

THE SPEECH
If I’m being honest, I was a little disappointed in the speech. Off the bat, the speech was about 15 minutes too long. It was also redundant. There were too many (less than subtle) mentions of the W. Bush era. One reference, for the benefit of setting the record straight on federal spending, played perfectly and would have sufficed. Unfortunately, eluding to Bush a second and third time, played more like laying blame than clarifying for accuracy.

I was also left missing the majesty that I have come to expect from an Obama speech, which are typically intelligent, eloquent and inspirational. Yesterday, I assume for sobering affect, Obama and his team took a page from John McCain and aimed for straight talk instead of a moving soliloquy. This wasn’t a rally call. Sentences were kept brief and cadence was terse, perhaps as a means to “get down to business”. My heart did no cartwheels, my love for language and its masterful manipulation was left unrequited.

There were some high points though. My inbred American pride swelled slightly as he proclaimed that he would “not accept second place for America”. And he my heart swooned after the lines “Let's invest in our people without leaving them a mountain of debt. Let's meet our responsibility to the citizens who sent us here. Let's try common sense.”
The overall tone of the speech was slightly more explanative than I would have liked, though I understand it was necessary. In rereading the transcript, I see that there was an attempt to strike a balance between defending the actions of his first year and outlining his plan for next. Unfortunately, in watching the speech, the balance was less apparent.

Graded: B-


THE PERFORMANCE
Watching Obama speak from behind a podium is always a slight disappointment. Obama is at his best with a microphone in hand, sleeves rolled up, and on a stage where he can roam freely. Behind a podium, he tends to look stifled and his normally relaxed nature is less effective behind the stately piece of furniture.

Throughout the speech, there was one body language issue that really held my attention – his hands. I found my self somewhat distracted watching him restrain his natural tendency to articulate his point with his hands. It looked as if he had been coached to reign in his animation by clasping his fingers and placing them atop the podium. For some reason it bugged me, I suspect because in my mind the censorship of body language rings slightly less than genuine. Not a major pitfall, just a minor annoyance (born from my own overly analytical mind).

Graded: A-

THE STRATEGY
The greatest aspect of Obama’s speech was by far his return to strategy. Watching him speak last night finally allowed me to pinpoint what his political persona has been lacking over the last few months. During the campaign, we were introduced to a smart, subtle, patient and calculating candidate. While he has always played nice, posturing impeccably as the picture of self-control, never throughout the campaign did he seem like a wimp. Never did he allow his opponents or the media to misrepresent him or his stance on an issue at length. He was always strategic in dealing with inaccuracies – dismissing them with subtle, witty, and matter of fact rebuttals that set the record straight. Over the last few months, however, Obama has been a shadow of his campaign persona. His reactions to the media and his adversaries have lacked strategy (or at least strategy that is easily recognizable to common citizens, pundits, and political enthusiasts such as myself). No doubt that the Obama team has always had a political plan – unfortunately that plan was completely lost on the rest of us.

Last night, however, the Obama team made a return to preparedness and strategy and it was a pure joy to watch. He used everything in his available arsenal to set the record straight. First and foremost, he used the forum to educate the average American viewer - those people whose interpretation of politics is surmised almost totally by the opinions of their favorite partisan media personality. He set the record straight on his policy initiatives– passing the stimulus bill in the face of huge opposition, bailing out the banks for the greater good of the American economy in the face of public dismay and personal ideological conflict, and attempting to reform health care at the cost of his own political well being – outlining how above all he has made the American populace his top priority. He outlined his various attempts at bipartisan politicking and masterfully used the audience, specifically the unenthusiastic Republican portion of his audience, to show the American people how the GOP consistently rejected his policy “olive branches”. That being, perhaps, his greatest accomplishment of the night!

Graded: A+.


FINAL THOUGHTS
Since the beginning, Obama’s biggest political ally has been the common people. Last night it seemed like he remembered that. Helping the average American understand what’s going on in Washington is a gift he’d been previously squandering. Let’s hope he can keep this momentum. Let’s hope he can remember that for America to support him, they must first understand what the hell is going on.

Overall Grade for the SOTU: B+
It was an excellent start to his sophomore year.

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In The News: Republican "Response" to President Obama 2010 State of the Union

Of course this is not a "response" in the classic sense of the term. Virgina Gov. Bob McDonald briefly paraphrases the GOP's view of our current political schema.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Source: http://www.nbcwashington.com

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