As to the new proposals, the President listed increasing the minimum wage to $9 per hour, providing a broad expansion of pre-school care for children, and creating an "energy security trust" with revenues from oil and gas lease to foster renewable energy. He also urged Congress to pass the rest of the American Jobs Act legislation that they had partially done 18 months ago, and to put more resources into job-creating research and development. Immigration reform was also urged, and not surprisingly given the 2012 election results, got a bipartisan ovation.
There were two high points rhetorically and emotionally during the SOTU:
-- when the President singled out 102 year old Desiline Victor who had to wait hours in line to vote due to minority voter suppression tactics by Florida's Rethuglican Governor and legislature, andWhile tea bagger members of The Stupid Party sat on their hands at those points, the majority of the audience stood and applauded. The State of the Stupid Party remains....stupid.
-- when the President called on Congress to allow a vote on gun control/safety proposals, saying the victims of Newtown, Aurora, Oak Creek, Blacksburg and other towns "deserved a vote."
BONUS: The official Rethug response was delivered by Sen. Marco "Polo!" Rubio, the Cuban American that Rethugs are offering up as their token Hispanic leader. It wasn't an inspiring performance, given that it was overwhelmingly negative with no real solutions offered. Then, there was this priceless moment, when he reached for a bottle of water in the middle of his remarks while his eyes remained on the camera:
Bwahahaha, the only thing missing was a belch after the swig of water. "The Republican Savior" indeed.
