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The State of the Union: The Self-Congratulatory Blowout of the Governing Class
The National Review's The Corner ^ | January 28, 2014 | Jim Geraghty

Posted on 01/28/2014 6:52:37 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

Yes! The State of the Union Address feels like a national ritual that is stuck on autopilot, lumbering along year by indistinguishable year, immune to reform or adaptation or updating, usually instantly forgotten and increasingly irrelevant… and yet unstoppable. Even the speech text is pretty much the same every year, regardless of the actual condition of the country.

National Journal’s Matt Vasilogambros points out how often the opening statement must include the cliché, “the State of our Union is strong!” (It’s become a catch phrase. The audience expects it like the bar crowd shouting “NORM!” on Cheers, or Kramer exploding into a room on “Seinfeld”.)

What’s worse, the actual state of the nation hasn’t been anywhere near strong lately, at least not since the crash of autumn 2008 and perhaps not since 9/11. The economy plods along at best, sputters and stumbles. Wages are stagnant. We had a complicated, headache-inducing health care system before Obamacare, and now it’s exponentially worse. Too many schools fail our kids. The debt grows. The world beyond our borders looks like chaos.

And yet every year, the president, and this president in particular, goes out and says, in effect, “We’re doing pretty darn good! And things are looking up! Hooray for us!”(continued)

(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: obama; obamasotu; sotu

1 posted on 01/28/2014 6:52:38 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“It has turned into a childish spectacle. I don’t want to be there to lend dignity to it,” Scalia said, with a certain amount of mischief.


2 posted on 01/28/2014 6:53:46 PM PST by ObamahatesPACoal
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Just as it would be nice to have an authentic opposition Party, once again, the country could use another Jefferson, who tossed aside Washington and Adams ritual addresses, counter-addresses and counter-counter messages for a simple written report on “the state of the Union,” as is called for “from time to time” in the Constitution.


3 posted on 01/28/2014 6:58:14 PM PST by Prospero (Si Deus trucido mihi, ego etiam fides Deus.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Democrats are the only people clapping at the SOTU.


4 posted on 01/28/2014 6:58:44 PM PST by plainshame
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Obama did not say that the “Union is strong,” he said “that it is Americans like you that make the Union strong.”


5 posted on 01/28/2014 7:02:05 PM PST by Graewoulf (Democrats' Obamacare Socialist Health Insur. Tax violates U.S. Constitution AND Anti-Trust Law.)
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To: plainshame

National Security and Generals are not clapping.


6 posted on 01/28/2014 7:02:43 PM PST by rovenstinez
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
And Eric witHolder struts in without the least concern of being arrested by the Sargent at Arms...
7 posted on 01/28/2014 7:02:55 PM PST by MileHi ( "It's coming down to patriots vs the politicians." - ovrtaxt)
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To: rovenstinez

Why should they?


8 posted on 01/28/2014 7:04:07 PM PST by GGpaX4DumpedTea (I am a Tea Party descendant...steeped in the Constitutional Republic given to us by the Founders)
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To: MileHi

Nothing said about NSA...or his drones...


9 posted on 01/28/2014 7:04:08 PM PST by rovenstinez
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To: MileHi

Eric Holder is a pons...just like his boss...why should he expect to be arresed?


10 posted on 01/28/2014 7:05:52 PM PST by GGpaX4DumpedTea (I am a Tea Party descendant...steeped in the Constitutional Republic given to us by the Founders)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Zero looks like he’s high. What a babbling, stupid, marxist, embarrassment.


11 posted on 01/28/2014 7:10:19 PM PST by NoKoolAidforMe (I'm clinging to my God and my guns. You can keep the change.)
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To: rovenstinez

]]]spit[[[


12 posted on 01/28/2014 7:17:17 PM PST by MileHi ( "It's coming down to patriots vs the politicians." - ovrtaxt)
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To: GGpaX4DumpedTea
...why should he expect to be arresed?

He shouldn't, obviously. Such is the "State of the Union".

13 posted on 01/28/2014 7:18:47 PM PST by MileHi ( "It's coming down to patriots vs the politicians." - ovrtaxt)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“The State of our Union is DOPE, y’all! Peace out! “


14 posted on 01/28/2014 7:19:31 PM PST by Roscoe Karns
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

NRO just wants more Mandela adulation


15 posted on 01/28/2014 7:20:14 PM PST by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans!)
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To: MileHi

Sergeant at Arms.

“Dick Sargant” was Samantha’s husband.


16 posted on 01/28/2014 8:12:57 PM PST by warchild9
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

In this New Year, 2014, both Groundhog Day and the State of the Union address will occur on the same day.

This is an ironic juxtaposition of events. One involves a meaningless
ritual in which we look to an insignificant creature of little
intelligence for prognostication.

The other involves a groundhog.


17 posted on 01/28/2014 10:13:54 PM PST by vette6387
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

It would be refreshing if the SOTU was actually that instead of another campaign speech.


18 posted on 01/29/2014 6:17:46 AM PST by Texas resident
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To: warchild9

oops...


19 posted on 01/29/2014 7:09:08 PM PST by MileHi ( "It's coming down to patriots vs the politicians." - ovrtaxt)
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