President Obama was in top form for his first State of the Union message last night. He was calm, direct, and didn't mince words for the Rethugs in attendance. Some of our favorite moments:
"I've been told that our political system is too gridlocked, and that we should just put things on hold for a while. For those who make these claims, I have one simple question: How long should we wait? How long should America put its future on hold?"Also fun to watch was the Rethug reaction to Obama's plan to tax banks who haven't repaid the taxpayers, but who are giving out enormous bonuses: they sat on their hands! Good visual for the 2010 campaign. Same for the list of taxes Obama reduced: the Rethugs didn't applaud.
"If the Republican leadership is going to insist that sixty votes in the Senate are required to do any business at all in this town, then the responsibility to govern is now yours as well."
"Each time lobbyists game the system, or politicians tear each other down instead of lifting the country up, we lose faith. The more TV pundits reduce serious debates into silly arguments, and big issues into sound bites, our citizens turn away."
"To Democrats, I would remind you that we still have the largest majority in decades, and the people expect us to solve some problems, not run for the hills."
"We don't quit, I don't quit.
Finally, Justice Sam "Mosquito" Alito shaking his head and mouthing "not true" was priceless and a breach of protocol, as the President criticized the Court's right wing majority for siding with corporations on campaign ads. Mosquito has the least "judicial temperament" of any Justice in recent memory, and apparently hasn't forgotten the President's January 2006 vote against his confirmation for the Supreme Court.
(photo: NY Times)
