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	Obama, One Year Later: The State of the Union

The State of the Union address: A speech made in front of the wrong people!!

	State of the Union

Obama, One Year Later: The State of the Union

by Tim Van Schmidt

I made a special point of watching President Barack Obama's first State of the Union address on January 27, 2010. This really had nothing to do with the specific policies and political efforts he was going to talk about- jobs, health, international issues, all that stuff. No, after thinking a little about it, I realized that I made the SOTU a date because I wanted, and even needed, some inspiration. That's why I turned to support Obama in the first place- not because I agreed, or even knew much about his politics, but because he had a knack for delivering inspiring messages, an inspiring attitude. I needed some Obama juice.

But that Obama juice was in short supply for the SOTU and it made me wonder why. He seemed to be in command of the complexities of the issues he was talking about and most of his characteristic strengths as a speaker were evident- humor balanced with stop-on-a-dime seriousness, presented with language that vacillates between political expert and guy at the bar. It's a strong combination, and though Obama visibly looked weary, I believe he was still in control of what he was delivering.

But the speech fell flat. His ideas did not ring out in the air like a clarion call to gather and achieve. It seemed forced, unnatural and artificial. I think that the SOTU address was strange because it was delivered in front of the wrong people. Sure millions of Americans were in on it, but the members of Congress are a very poor group to stage anything in front of that could be called inspiration.

On the one side, of course, there were the Republicans who showed their contempt for the President by remaining cold and unmoving- dumb rocks without a pulse, putting up with the situation but not with any kind of grace or class. The malevolence in the air was palatable even across the thousands of miles of TV cable.

Then on the other side were the Democrats who were cheering like idiots at every half sentence Obama uttered. They probably feel they have to. It seems kind of like a one-up-manship game in this case. If one person is up cheering like an idiot, the others feel they have to, or be branded a malcontent. Really, the SOTU was probably the most exercise the Democrats get all year- jumping up and out of their chairs scores of times during the address. The insincerity of the Democratic outbursts of support was also palatable across the TV distance.

The result was actually a depressing feeling, not inspiration. Even though Obama was presenting ideas and plans that the people of the United States need very badly, you could kind of hear a "Yeah, right Buddy, good luck with that" going on in the heads of the people in the chamber. The politicians of the United States are calculated, cynical and stuck with their heads in their very comfortable Washington hole. Inside the hole, they're in control of everything and even the President is kind of unwelcome in their clubhouse. They seem smug and unreachable- certainly not reachable by the oration skills of Obama. These politicians make for a very unsavory group, lacking the ability to inspire or to get jobs done without this babyish schoolyard baloney. Obama was talking politics to the worst crowd imaginable. I realize that's what the State of the Union is, but it just seemed a shame to waste the effort to talk to them.

Obama should have delivered this speech to the people who really need the inspiration- the citizens of the United States. The dumb suits- and robes- sitting in judgment of Obama were not inspiring in the least. I don't care how many times Joe Biden nodded his head in agreement or Nancy Pelosi stood to applaud- both visible the entire time during the speech behind the President- they do not inspire me. That the speech was televised is not the same as actually giving a speech to the people. Obama could have given the same speech in front of a crowd of 100,000 citizens and would have been hailed as a great motivator. In Washington, in front of the elected aristocracy, he looked like a fighter getting in the ring with a barrel of pork one hundred times his size.

There was a little bit of the Obama juice towards the end of the speech, where he revved up the rhetoric and blasted up and above the specific issues. But he had already lost his crowd by that time. There was no real swelling of pride or a feeling of rising above the din. His speech had to finish up and that was it. If I were advising the President about the best way of kick-starting any effort, I would tell him to take his show on the road. Go out and inspire the people at rallies and they will light a fire under those lazy butts in Washington. Politicians talking to each other- and not particularly civilly at that- just does not cut it for the rest of us.

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	Obama E-mails

E-mails from Obama

by Tim Van Schmidt

Back before the election in 2008, when I registered with Barack Obama's web site, I automatically was put on an e-mail list that has been very active. I have received news and pleas for help from regional and national Obama officials, first in support of Obama's campaign, then in support of his efforts as President. Those e-mails have been very interesting- it's as though I were actually a part of what's going on. Of course, that was the genius of Obama taking advantage of the new ways to communicate. Even as a desk-chair participant, I have been informed and that ropes me in as a concerned citizen. It has worked better at getting me interested than any other effort by any other politician.

Not only have I heard some news, but at times, I have actually received a little Obama juice from the President himself. It really sounds cool to say "I got an e-mail from Barack today." Since the State of the Union address was a major clunker in terms of offering some juice, I thought I would include a few of my favorite messages from Obama:

July 4, 2009

This weekend, our family will join millions of others in celebrating America. We will enjoy the glow of fireworks, the taste of barbeque, and the company of good friends. As we all celebrate this weekend, let's also remember the remarkable story that led to this day.

Two hundred and thirty-three years ago, our nation was born when a courageous group of patriots pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to the proposition that all of us were created equal.

Our country began as a unique experiment in liberty -- a bold, evolving quest to achieve a more perfect union. And in every generation, another courageous group of patriots has taken us one step closer to fully realizing the dream our founders enshrined on that great day.

Today, all Americans have a hard-fought birthright to a freedom which enables each of us, no matter our views or background, to help set our nation's course. America's greatness has always depended on her citizens embracing that freedom -- and fulfilling the duty that comes with it.

As free people, we must each take the challenges and opportunities that face this nation as our own. As long as some Americans still must struggle, none of us can be fully content. And as America comes ever closer to achieving the perfect Union our founders dreamed, that triumph -- that pride -- belongs to all of us.

So today is a day to reflect on our independence, and the sacrifice of our troops standing in harm's way to preserve and protect it. It is a day to celebrate all that America is. And today is a time to aspire toward all we can still become.

With very best wishes,

President Barack Obama

October 9, 2009

This morning, Michelle and I awoke to some surprising and humbling news. At 6 a.m., we received word that I'd been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009.

To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.

But I also know that throughout history the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it's also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes.

That is why I've said that I will accept this award as a call to action, a call for all nations and all peoples to confront the common challenges of the 21st century. These challenges won't all be met during my presidency, or even my lifetime. But I know these challenges can be met so long as it's recognized that they will not be met by one person or one nation alone.

This award -- and the call to action that comes with it -- does not belong simply to me or my administration; it belongs to all people around the world who have fought for justice and for peace. And most of all, it belongs to you, the men and women of America, who have dared to hope and have worked so hard to make our world a little better.

So today we humbly recommit to the important work that we've begun together. I'm grateful that you've stood with me thus far, and I'm honored to continue our vital work in the years to come.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

November 25, 2009

Tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, Americans across the country will sit down together, count our blessings, and give thanks for our families and our loved ones.

American families reflect the diversity of this great nation. No two are exactly alike, but there is a common thread they each share.

Our families are bound together through times of joy and times of grief. They shape us, support us, instill the values that guide us as individuals, and make possible all that we achieve.

So tomorrow, I'll be giving thanks for my family -- for all the wisdom, support, and love they have brought into my life.

But tomorrow is also a day to remember those who cannot sit down to break bread with those they love.

The soldier overseas holding down a lonely post and missing his kids. The sailor who left her home to serve a higher calling. The folks who must spend tomorrow apart from their families to work a second job, so they can keep food on the table or send a child to school.

We are grateful beyond words for the service and hard work of so many Americans who make our country great through their sacrifice. And this year, we know that far too many face a daily struggle that puts the comfort and security we all deserve painfully out of reach.

So when we gather tomorrow, let us also use the occasion to renew our commitment to building a more peaceful and prosperous future that every American family can enjoy.

It seems like a lifetime ago that a crowd met on a frigid February morning in Springfield, Illinois to set out on an improbable course to change our nation.

In the years since, Michelle and I have been blessed with the support and friendship of the millions of Americans who have come together to form this ongoing movement for change.

You have been there through victories and setbacks. You have given of yourselves beyond measure. You have enabled all that we have accomplished -- and you have had the courage to dream yet bigger dreams for what we can still achieve.

So in this season of thanks giving, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to you, and my anticipation of the brighter future we are creating together.

With warmest wishes for a happy holiday season from my family to yours,

President Barack Obama