Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

They don’t have outfits that big. nor codpieces that small.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

They punch you in the face and then start crying because their fist hurts.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

These are not very smart people, and things got out of hand.

When they say they are pro-life, they do not mean yours.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

“Alexa, change the president.”

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / State of the Union Open Thread – 9pm EST

State of the Union Open Thread – 9pm EST

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Lifehacker has a whole list of streaming options, if you don’t want to watch it on network tv.

The Washington Post liveblog is here.

The Guardian liveblog here.

CBS will be streaming, here:

… The president previewed the address in a video last week and said he wants his speech to highlight not only the progress the U.S. has made and what he wants to accomplish in his final year, but “what we all need to do together in the years to come.”

The White House has invited a number of people to sit in the box with First Lady Michelle Obama during the address, and one seat has been reserved and will be left vacant to represent “victims of gun violence who no longer have a voice.”

Other White House guests include Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy (D); the CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella; Jim Obergefell, the lead plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court same-sex marriage case; Spencer Stone, one of the three Americans who thwarted a potential terrorist attack on a Paris-bound train in August; one of the partners of a San Bernardino terrorist attack victim; and a Syrian refugee who moved to the U.S. with his children in December…

Who attends: Vice President Joe Biden will sit behind the president, next to Speaker Ryan. Members of the House and Senate will file into the House chamber for the speech. Some of the 2016 GOP presidential candidates will be there. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rand Paul will attend, but Ted Cruz is skipping it in favor of his own campaign event in New Hampshire. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will be delivering his state of the state address on Tuesday.

A number of Supreme Court justices usually show up, as well as members of the president’s cabinet. There’s always a “designated survivor,” who is a member of the cabinet designated to be at an undisclosed location when he delivers the speech, in case something happens to the president, vice president and speaker. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx was the designated survivor last year.

Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis who spent five days in jail defying a court order to license same-sex marriages will be in the chamber, although no one has revealed which lawmaker invited her.

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, on Tuesday said he won’t be there, and further, he has reserved an empty seat in the House chamber’s gallery during the State of the Union to represent “the lives of more than 55 million aborted babies.”….

Welp, the ceremonial March of the Senators has begun…

ETA: First Lady looks incredible in a sleeveless mango dress.

Once again, the SCOTUS Retrograde Boys (Scalia, Thomas & Alito) chose not to be here. Designated “Cabinet member who’ll be in charge if a meteor takes out the building” is Jeh Johnson — Homeland Security head.

The President is in the house — shaking hands & kissing ladies (including the Supremes!). Mitch McConnell, right behind him, looks like his hemorrhoids are acting up.

Reader Interactions

346Comments

  3. 3.

    Keith G

    I will watch some streaming recap tomorrow. That is not a comment on Obama, but just a comment on my relationship to news and politics as of early Jan, 2016.

    Knock em dead. Mr. President. Really.

  4. 4.

    beltane

    I’m glad the aborted babies will be in attendance, it wouldn’t seem complete without them.

  5. 5.

    Anne Laurie

    Michael Gerson, Dubya’s old speechwriter / apologist, truly has a mouth that cries out for a fist in it.

    (I haven’t been able to avoid his words, but this is the first time — on the CBS livestream — that I’ve had to listen to his Sylvester-sputtering lies & BS leak out of that conspicuously-oh-so-sincere yap.)

  7. 7.

    Corner Stone

    Not for nothing, but a site complaint. Can we have the blog so that when you click on the link for “Comments” it goes to below the OP and where the comments actually start? It’s incredibly frustrating to scroll down a long read post, then click Comments link and have to spend 3 seconds or more of my precious time to get to the comment box to sample all the witty and erudite postings of our own highly injury prone jackals.

  15. 15.

    jl

    I thought this thing had started. All I see is pundit BS, a WH focus group / remote audience of some kind and title screens.

    Somebody said that the Senators were already marching in. How long does it take those rich geezers to get their asses into the chamber anyway.

  21. 21.

    Anne Laurie

    @Iowa Old Lady:

    Who’s going to ruin their career by doing the R response?

    Nikki Haley.

    Guardian liveblog had a photo of her ‘poised & ready’ some minutes ago…

  22. 22.

    NotMax

    Kind of annoying to hear the talking heads repeatedly refer to it as his final State of the Union address.

    Other than tradition, there’s nothing keeping him from delivering another before the next inauguration.

    Article 2, Section 3 of the Constitution:

    He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient….

  23. 23.

    Betty Cracker

    Would love to hear what Biden and Ryan are talking about. Probably the most innocuous shit in the world.

  24. 24.

    jl

    I am pre-grouchy for this one. I was promised a new and exciting SOTU. So, better be some dancing bears, fireworks, WH garden cooking demo or something, or I will be pissed and that will be how Obama failed me today. I don’t even want to spy a damn GOPer pol, or hear one. More I think about, probably catch in youtube later, when in no danger of running into punditbafflegab or GOPer responses.

    Edit: Music. I want some music. I want damn Public Enemy and NWA bringing down the house. That is olde tymey grandpa music by now anyway. And Lin-Manuel Miranda freestying some themes from Hamilton in the background. Don’t got that, this thing aint ‘new kind of SOTU’ enough for me.

    I’ll catch it later.

  29. 29.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Simon Maloy
    ‏@ SimonMaloy
    ten whole years #NeverForget
    Tonight I ask you to pass legislation to prohibit the most egregious abuses of medical research: human cloning in all its forms; creating or implanting embryos for experiments; creating human-animal hybrids; and buying, selling or patenting human embryos.

    Remember the Manimal SOTU?

  31. 31.

    Mike J

    @NotMax:

    Other than tradition, there’s nothing keeping him from delivering another before the next inauguration.

    He has to be invited to speak in congress. He can give as many speeches as he wants that aren’t in front of congress, but, barring some catastrophe, will probably not be invited there.

  43. 43.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Baud: since the Shirley Sherrod fiasco (not to be That Guy, but that was a fiasco)

    @Patricia Kayden: you’re right, I’m gonna have to chalk that up as his domestic achievement

  44. 44.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: Thank you. I think I preferred seeing Boehner to seeing Paul Ryan. Can’t we just substitute the photo of him with the barbells from the last election?

  47. 47.

    NotMax

    @Anonimous

    Nay. Nothing requires it be delivered in the Capitol, just that it be addressed to the Congress. Nor that it be delivered in person (historically, many were sent in writing).

  55. 55.

    Corner Stone

    “First, on Iran. I have completely capitulated. They now own our Fort Knox and Goldman Sachs.”

  61. 61.

    dmsilev

    “Tonight is my last State of the Union Address. Next year, I look forward to delivering my first State of the Caliphate Address.”

  72. 72.

    Corner Stone

    How rude is it that Gabby’s husband didn’t even see fit to attend the SOTU with her!

  76. 76.

    WaterGirl

    @mdblanche: Ryan seems to realize the camera is on him at all times. But he has kind of a smirk, I think. He was tilting his head this way and that way as if he was trying to find the right pose. Ryan seems to have settled on the smirk.

  81. 81.

    Irony Abounds

    Knowing that the end is near, as inspirational as President Obama may be, it is really quite sad knowing the next President is very very unlikely to measure up. The President talks about choices, but when you look at who is running, the choices just aren’t very good.

  84. 84.

    Eric S.

    I haven’t watched one of these live in several years. I had almost forgot how much I hate the applause breaks every 30 or so seconds.

  85. 85.

    Anne Laurie

    Who invited those two nuns that CBS keeps focusing on? And why does one of them look like Scalia’s biological sister?

  89. 89.

    dmsilev

    @Anne Laurie: I think the second one is actually Scalia in drag.

    I believe those are the nuns that are suing the US government because contraception is icky, and I believe Speaker Ryan invited them.

  90. 90.

    slag

    Digging the whitehouse feed that cuts off the background heads and offers some decent charts and graphs. Also loving the speech!

  91. 91.

    Anne Laurie

    Bernie Sanders — sitting with my Senators, Warren & Markey, and Al Franken — just pulled out a notepad & started writing something…

  93. 93.

    mdblanche

    “The United States has the strongest most durable economy in the world.”

    Unfortunately we’re beating some alarmingly weak competition.

  95. 95.

    jl

    I can’t avoid this thing. Yahoo news says Orrin Hatch is the ‘designated survivor’. Get this thing over with asap, and get Barack and Joe headed off in different directions asap. I think I will have a SOTU drinky.

  104. 104.

    Skerry

    @jl: I read that Jeh Johnson, Sect of Homeland Security, is the designated non-attendee.

    ETA: Please, someone tell me that Orrin Hatch is not in the line of succession.

  105. 105.

    MomSense

    Holding my iPhone up to cover Ryan’s face. His smug expression almost makes me miss the boozy Agent Orange.

  109. 109.

    Anne Laurie

    @dmsilev:

    I believe those are the nuns that are suing the US government because contraception is icky, and I believe Speaker Ryan invited them.

    Figured it would be some stunt like that. At least I haven’t seen the cameras picking out Kim Davis — yet.

  113. 113.

    dmsilev

    “We should strengthen Social Security and Medicare”.

    Biden stands and applauds, Ryan looks like he just stepped in a pile of dog crap.

  115. 115.

    Cain

    Ryan is going ot have a hard time keeping that face straight the whole time… Obama needs some more zingers. :)

  118. 118.

    PsiFighter37

    Someone needs to tell Paul Ryan that the Speaker needs to stand up and applaud sometimes, too. Seems like he’s content being an asshole with his douchebag smile and not clap at anything.

  122. 122.

    Cain

    hahah,a, Obama.. it looked Biden was giving Ryan a high 5 after the whole there is red tape to be cut, comment by Obama :D

  125. 125.

    Steeplejack

    Kay is not going to like all this “retraining/retooling” stuff, and I agree with her. The people are available; the jobs aren’t.

  130. 130.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    foodstamps didn’t cause the financial cries, recklessness on Wall St did

    fuck you jeb

  133. 133.

    David Koch

    @Anne Laurie:

    Bernie Sanders … just pulled out a notepad & started writing something…

    Writing the SOTU address he’ll deliver next year calling for the end of capitalism.

  134. 134.

    WaterGirl

    love the sputnik / space comments. we didn’t make our own reality, we put ourselves on the moon 12 years later. go barack!

  135. 135.

    Irony Abounds

    He’s mocking the shit out of the GOP but doing so in a splendid humorous way. Love it.

  139. 139.

    mak

    Republicans would refuse to applaud if the President announced that he’d cured Alzheimers AND sucked Putin’s dick.

    Somebody, somewhere, has got to promise to kick Ryan square in the nuts, preferably while he’s wearing that smug fucking smirk.

  142. 142.

    WaterGirl

    I just want Barack to turn to all the republicans and say what I say nearly ever single day:

    What the fuck is wrong with you people?

  155. 155.

    Steeplejack

    @David Koch:

    I’m looking through the audience and gallery but I can’t locate Baud.

    He is truly an outsider’s outsider. Not a faux outsider like Cruz.

  156. 156.

    Corner Stone

    Yeah, solar is great. Except for in NV where Warren Buffet’s power station and regulations are killing it.

  157. 157.

    Mike in NC

    When they trot out Nikki Haley, try to remember there isn’t a molecule of difference between her and Sarah Palin or Michelle Bachmann. She has repeatedly called union members cockroaches who are not welcome in “her” state, and has basically done nothing to improve the lives of the benighted people of South Carolina, one of America’s armpits that ranks alongside Alabama and Mississipi for low quality of life.

  164. 164.

    WaterGirl

    Who’s the purple lady with no head who is sitting behind the Chiefs of the armed forces?

  169. 169.

    SRW1

    @Corner Stone:

    Ryan knows he under observation by the Freedumb Caucus and can’t afford even one wrong facial expression. He probably also nailed his ass to the chair in order not to fall prey to any reflex of joining a standing ovation.

  172. 172.

    lol chikinburd

    FUCK CANCER.
    FUCK CANCER.
    FUCK CANCER.
    FUCK CANCER.
    FUCK CANCER.
    FUCK CANCER.

    Obama chose the “FUCK CANCER” option during the second mission. Maybe oughta watch out for extraterrestrial invaders, and keep a close eye on Keith David.

  182. 182.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    John McCain eclipsed by somebody stating up in front of him to applaud. Perfect.

    Who was that he was sitting next to?

  184. 184.

    jog

    McCain is such a bitter old man, can’t even stand when BO talks about the Terror.

    “Twisted souls plotting in apartments ….”

    I’m gonna miss this guy’s rhetoric. And just about everything else about him.

  187. 187.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Oh, he is slamming the warmongers and neocons and chest thumping cowards.

    The Scarboroughs

  201. 201.

    ? Martin

    @dmsilev: He’d have to be tapping out tweets with his dick if he does. And it’s not that I doubt he could do that, but I’m surprised he can type that quickly with his dick without looking.

  209. 209.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    The lesson of Vietnam, the lesson of Iraq that we should have learned by now.

    But there is a smarter way.

    (Someone check if McCain can still blink with both eyes.)

  212. 212.

    Angie

    @PsiFighter37: i
    Amazing how Ryan is what we are all talking about. I agree I’m so focused on him and his smug look. I think this will be something that is going to be talked about after the speech. I just don’t understand why sometimes they can’t just agree that maybe I don’t know poverty is bad and why can’t people just talk about that agree on it anything. Watching Ryan behind the president just screams partisan politics. I just don’t get why it always has to be so divided. Watching this makes me think Congress in our presidents will never agree on anything which means they’ll never get anything done. All of this came to my mind because of Ryan sitting behind the president LOL

  214. 214.

    Helen

    He needs to find his groove. Needs to find his inner preacher. Whoever wrote this should be fired.

  215. 215.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: Just tell me that we at least have one more of those media dinners where Barack can pull out Luther again. We might hear motherfucker yet!

  227. 227.

    PsiFighter37

    Looked like Kelly Ayotte had a major sad about Guantanamo getting closed. I hope Hassan beats her like a drum.

  229. 229.

    Pogonip

    @David Koch: That’s because, as Baud was cycling to the White House (faster than driving), he was hit by a June bug which knocked him off his bike. Since he can’t get there in time, SGM John G. Cole, USA Retired, is now delivering the traditional after-speech: “My fellow Americans. I hate you all. Bite me and goodnight.”

  233. 233.

    TaMara (BHF)

    ABC News just flashed on Rubio and he looked like he got caught sexting his girlfriend. It was weird.

    ETA: Man, my President just shut down Trump. Yes.

  235. 235.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Obama goes after Trumpism, Paul Ryan decides he should half-heartedly applaud a critique of bigotry and racism

  248. 248.

    Anne Laurie

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    John McCain eclipsed by somebody stating up in front of him to applaud. Perfect.

    Who was that he was sitting next to?

    I want to say Susan Collins, but I don’t think that’s her. *Some* Repub lady I’ve seen in the news, but not recently…

  251. 251.

    WaterGirl

    Increased rancor and suspicion. Maybe Lincoln could have done better than I am, but this cannot be my task alone.

  256. 256.

    mdblanche

    Don’t be so hard on yourself, Mr. President. Despite his talents, the rancor when Lincoln was president was even worse.

  257. 257.

    the Conster

    This is the peroration of PBO’s last SOTU. He’s the best speaker anyone of us alive will ever see. Stand up people, your president’s passing.

  259. 259.

    MomSense

    It is past time for Susan Collins to leave the senate. If she can’t even muster a pleasant face for the idea of civility then she should go.

  260. 260.

    Steeplejack

    Huge (hypocritical) ovations against gerrymandering and money in politics. Yay!

    ETA: Ditto for “easier to vote.”

    ETFA: I’m a few minutes behind and can’t find any gaps to catch up.

  262. 262.

    Cacti

    I miss President Obama already.

    The top 2 Dem candidates are a retread and an ineffective prig.

    Sigh.

  265. 265.

    Anne Laurie

    @PsiFighter37:

    Looked like Kelly Ayotte had a major sad about Guantanamo getting closed. I hope Hassan beats her like a drum.

    Dang! How did I miss id’ing her?

    Verily, high office (Lead Handmaiden to the Future Lords of the Republic of Gilead) ages one. She looks way older than her years!

  267. 267.

    WaterGirl

    If we give up now, then we forsake a better future. If we do that, people with more money and power will screw things up even worse. We can’t afford to go down that path, it doesn’t get us the economy and security we want and contradicts everything that makes us the envy of the world.

    Whatever you believe, our collective futures depends on your willingness to uphold your duties as a citizen. Vote, speak out, stand up for others, especially the weak and the vulnerable.

  270. 270.

    jog

    @Cacti:
    Looks as bitter as he did in 2009. You’d think a guy who survived the Hanoi Hilton wouldn’t harbor such emotions.

    Not too many politicians recently mention how we need to help out the weak and vulnerable.

  272. 272.

    WaterGirl

    Barack Obama really believes in the goodness of people. Thank god. What is wrong with these people who want to “lead” in office but don’t believe in people?

  273. 273.

    MomSense

    @Mike J:

    Every election she rubs our noses in her I’m so moderate, oh so civil and bipartisan shtick and I’m fucking sick of it.

    Proud to say I’ve never voted for her or said one nice thing about her. Just really grating that she runs on civility and is sitting there with a sour face while the President talks about it.

  274. 274.

    Corner Stone

    @Suzanne: It’s not a good speech. Not good in delivery, content, energy, spacing. Anything.
    I believe Obama is the best publicly elected orator in our lifetime and is preternaturally gifted as a speaker. This is not his best effort, by far.

  276. 276.

    Suzanne

    @WaterGirl: I don’t know how eight years of dealing with those fuckers didn’t beat that out of him, but you are right—he still genuinely believes people are good.

    I love him so much. So so so much.

  278. 278.

    WaterGirl

    Clear eyed big hearted undaunted by challenge, belief in unconditional love and hope for the future. I believe in you.

    Good close.

  281. 281.

    WaterGirl

    Michelle used to hate hearing him speak, it made her so nervous. I wonder if she is over that by now. I think so.

  285. 285.

    Anne Laurie

    Speaking of people we’ll miss, has any President had a better corner man than Joe Biden? The comparison between his always-on-key reactions & Paul Ryan trying to thread the needle between ‘stern opposition’ & ‘pissy-pants loser’ is *not* flattering to the Repub or his party…

  286. 286.

    Cain

    I’m in tears, mostly because I’m not going to see his like for the rest of my life. It is the knowledge that this is a good man, and he cares.

    The sarcastic part wants to say, that I thought he looked at me and was talking to me, and I saw starbursts. :-)

    Thank you Obama!!

  295. 295.

    oldgold

    Tough crowd here. It was a good and serious speech that was well delivered. Was it the damn Gettysburg Address? No. So what?

  299. 299.

    Mike R

    Does anyone else think that Nora and whoever the other squirrel that followed her are about as disgusting as abucket of spit. Sorry on my phone and it is too small for m2 fat fingers

  300. 300.

    Mike J

    Peter Sagal ‏@petersagal 1h1 hour ago
    If Trump is elected, this is the last SOTU we’ll see for four years that does not involve chained slaves pulling a palanquin.

  301. 301.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @BillinGlendaleCA: I’m sure Marco has a date with Bill-O or Sean to express the judgment he totally didn’t make until he heard the speech and gave it mature reflection

  302. 302.

    JPL

    @WaterGirl: I thought he was going to do full Friday Night Lights.. clear eyes, full heart, can’t loose.

    I loved the speech and thought it was from the heart.

  304. 304.

    WaterGirl

    @Suzanne: I truly love him, too. He’s a great man and we are so lucky to have had him. He has not lost himself even tough he watches the republicans try to burn down this country ever single day. And still he believes in the goodness of our citizens.

  306. 306.

    Irony Abounds

    @Corner Stone: It a State of the Union speech, not a campaign speech, it went about as far in that direction as would be appropriate. It was just fine, it made clear that the Republican doom and gloom is utter nonsense, and it touched on all the things that the average joe sitting at home could relate to.

  313. 313.

    pseudonymous in nc

    @Corner Stone:

    I believe Obama is the best publicly elected orator in our lifetime and is preternaturally gifted as a speaker. This is not his best effort, by far.

    It’s the speech that a great and gifted orator would give after seven years of dealing with the gaggle of arseholes on one side of the chamber. It was a knowing speech, defined by a sense of the limits of what the presidency can achieve but also that it can offer a national message that’s aspirational and distinct from the dumpster fire of primary season.

    Sorry not sorry you disliked it.

  315. 315.

    slag

    Biden on Obama: “This guy has more character in his little finger than most people have in their whole body.”

  316. 316.

    Irony Abounds

    @Suzanne: If only. I only hope something miraculous happens and someone like Elizabeth Warren or Joe Biden emerges as the Democratic nominee so I’m not forced to vote against someone as opposed to for someone.

  321. 321.

    SRW1

    Did I see that right, poor Paul Ryan had to wait all by his lone self until Obama had completed his shaking hands tour and left the room before Ryan could gavel the session to a close?

  322. 322.

    Adam L Silverman

    @NotMax: It was in the opening list of objectives and phrased as “reduce the number of children killed by gun violence”.

  324. 324.

    WaterGirl

    @Redshift: Rule the “lesser” people. I am sad that we only have another year of Barack Obama as our president, but not half as sad as it would be to look at the world that way.

  325. 325.

    Irony Abounds

    @Corner Stone: You think any SOTU speech was great? It is a rare occurrence no matter who is President. I have no idea what you were looking for, but my guess is nothing he could have said or done would have pleased you. And don’t worry, I’ll leave it to you to yank your own god damn garters.

  326. 326.

    PsiFighter37

    Speech, frankly, was okay – not really amazing. They should’ve brought Jon Favreau back for one last memorable speech.

  327. 327.

    SRW1

    A quote from The Guardian live blog:

    Former Arkansas governor and current terrible Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee thought Ryan looked bored up there, sitting behind the president.

    Oh wait – no he didn’t. He thought Ryan looked like he wanted to ride rollercoasters with an international cocaine and heroin trafficker. You know the look.

  328. 328.

    Suzanne

    @Irony Abounds: Eh. I’ll vote for Bernie or Hillz (or Baud) without any regrets, because moving forward is the most important thing. Never lose ground.

    Nice Tex Cruz trolling during the speech.

    Shit, I would have basically spent the entire speech saying “NYAH NYAH NYAH, FUCKERS”, but that is why, for a President, I make a really good architect.

  329. 329.

    Corner Stone

    @Irony Abounds: I am on record on this very blog blowing my nuts on previous PBO SOTU’s.
    Don’t really care if you want to hear that or not but it’s truth. The other truth here is that this SOTU was sub par for him . Wevs.

  333. 333.

    Irony Abounds

    @Corner Stone: Well, whatever blows your nuts. Most SOTUs, even Obamas, are boring and overly long. I felt this speech was just fine under the circumstances, and your truth isn’t anyone’s but your own.

  334. 334.

    Cain

    Nikki’s eyebrows are rising pretty high.

    As an Indian, I would like to extend a fuck you to Nikki Haley.

  335. 335.

    Cacti

    @Cain:

    As an Indian, I would like to extend a fuck you to Nikki Haley.

    Nimrata “call me Nikki” Haley

    As opposed to Rafael “call me Ted” Cruz, or Piyush “call me Bobby” Jindal.

  339. 339.

    japa21

    This was not his finest oratorical effort. And he doesn’t give a rat’s ass. He wasn’t really going for the inspirational. He was going after the naysayers and the doom and gloomers and the haters. In other words, he was going after the GOP.

    This was the opening salvo for the campaign year. And he was great at that. And he definitely, based on this, is not going to go quietly into the night.

  343. 343.

    Cain

    I would have liked to have seen Senator Obama at the SOTU. But he did a great job regardless.

    I would say that Nikki probably did the best response from all the other 8 republican responses.

  345. 345.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @oldgold: I liked it a lot. I listened to it while doing other things, so I didn’t see too much of the video.

    I thought he was speaking to history mainly, not mainly to people watching or the talking heads.

    He was more than alluding to Kennedy when he talked about us conquering cancer and AIDS and malaria. I liked that he explicitly swatted down the doom and gloom, we’re broke and can’t do anything, and Daesh is going to kill us in our beds crowd. I liked that he again brought up the importance of Citizenship and us not just sitting around waiting for the politicians to fix things for us.

    Was it his best? Dunno. But I think history will treat it as an important speech.

    I hope voters wake up and take to heart some of the things he said. But tribalism is a really powerful thing in the USA… :-(

    Cheers,
    Scott.

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