The State of the Union 2011 Indeed....

Tonight, the 44th President of the United States, BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA is expected to deliver his 2nd State of the Union Address.. Though the news media, DC insiders and politicos have all but released ALL of the content of the speech tonight, the real question is: can he deliver on the message of "Hope" and "Change" that brought him to DC in 2008 and usher in a new era of bipartisan cooperation or will he continue to try to sell elaborate spending bills that would make Ms. Piggy run for the hills and prepare for a nuclear holocaust?

The plan by Republicans and Democrats, in light of the Rep. Gabrielle Giffords shooting in Tuscon, to sit together has been met with very cynical and largely widespread criticism. In fact, it seems that only DC insiders believe this to be a good idea. It isn't like the members of Congress are going to sit together, join hands and chant "Kumbaya", instead it is a small token gesture to try to build public support at a time when the Congressional approval rating is at an all-time record low and public sentiment is overall against BOTH major political parties.

President Obama has much to gain here. He faced an uptick in poll numbers following his speech at the Tuscon Memorial (of course with his handlers and supporters treating it as a "Campaign Event", why not?).. Obama's Democratic party lost the House in November and despite maintaining the Senate, it was done so with significant Republican gains.



Besides Obama, tonight will also pose a challenge to the House Republicans.. WI Congressman, PAUL RYAN is expected to give the official Republican response. However, MN Congresswoman MICHELE BACHMANN will also deliver a response for the "Tea Party Express", which provides evidence that "The Tea Party Express" is NOT beholden to the Republican Party..




With the TRUE "State of the Union" not much better than conditions were in 2009, when President Obama delivered his first speech, there are small glimmers of hope for certain sectors of the economy. However, with the Labor Department's report, released today, showing that 20 states LOST jobs, it will be hard to convince a weary public that anymore programs that deliver such pipe dreams as "infrastructure" and "Green Jobs" are worthwhile. Also, with many Americans watching their Health Care premiums rise in the new year or companies dropping coverage altogether, I can't help but wonder if Obama will address the cornerstone of his Presidency, "The Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act" (AKA: Health Care Reform), especially at a time when House Republicans are voting to repeal the measure and courts have struck down the draconian mandate.

The questions for tonight are: Will Obama be able to rekindle the magic of 2008? Will the Republicans be able to win over the Tea Party supporters? Will tonight's token gesture by the members of Congress REALLY lead to a "new spirit" in D.C.? (Yeah Right..)

Stay Tuned......