Obama Calls for a Strong and Decent Government

Barack Obama spoke as our commander in chief last night, setting the tone and direction of the country, and he mentioned ALLENTOWN, PA! We thought he sounded more conservative than liberal, but strong and hopeful as he scolded both Democratic and Republican elected leaders for not mirroring the strength and decency of the American people. He reminded people that he is working on important issues like health insurance reform because of the real stories he has heard from Americans who have been denied coverage, or have gone bankrupt, not because of his "legacy." He also cuffed around the Supreme Court for their radical decision that corporations can now overpower the American people and buy elections, as he stared right at them, and we thought that was gutsy. Take that, Roberts and Alito! How dare you play politics with our democracy! We won't stand for that!

Some things that stood out for us was how he mocked the Democratic majority for "running for the hills" and not getting the job done on health care reform. (YES!) But he also personally took some of the blame for not being clear enough to the American people. He called out the Republicans for obstructing everything he wants to do, but he is still hopeful that we can "move forward as one nation." We don't feel too hopeful about that anymore considering the recent Supreme Court decision and the fact that not one Republican is on board with health insurance reform. Obama has gotten closer to achieving reform than any President ever before, and if it is derailed, then the onus is on the Republicans. He reminded Republicans that if they have any better solutions, then he would like to hear them. Near the end of the speech, some of the Republicans finally began to applaud. But they were silent earlier, even when he mentioned tax cuts. The Republicans are even opposed to his plans for a fee on big banks to recover the rest of the bail out money and give it back to taxpayers!

Obama realizes that people are still struggling, but at the same time he has averted a major disaster, because of the stimulus. The markets are stabilized and most of the money has been recovered from the bank bailout. The economy is growing. He cut taxes to 95% of working families, created 2 million new jobs. He says that his main priority in 2010 is JOBS. He is proposing a new jobs bill which will focus on small business tax credits and loans, eliminating the capital gains tax, creating infrastructure and clean energy jobs.

We believe that if Obama's conservative tone and willingness to work with Republicans on so many issues will continue to be flat out rejected by the GOP, this will ultimately result in Americans not voting for Republicans and their "do nothing" stand. This will be the demise of the Republican Party, since they are not willing to work for the American people, and they clearly care more about divisive politics. Obama is fed up with the divisiveness, the dirty tactics, and the spins and lies of the media. So are the American people. He is calling for a government and a Supreme Court that matches the "decency" of the American people, not the greedy, corrupt corporate interests. He wants a government that "embodies the strength of the American people." He said "we don't quit, and I don't quit."