Obama's State of the Union Address: An Epitaph for the GOP

Not since Ronald Reagan has an American president in his early months enjoyed as high approval ratings as does Barack Obama. A new New York Times/CBS News poll indicates that three-quarters of Americans back President Obama. It's further confirmation not only of Obama's extraordinary political skills, but also the precipice that the GOP hasn't approached but actively leaped over. When Obama delivers the State of the Union address Tuesday, he will wield the one of the most powerful hands history has ever bestowed upon an American president.

Obama will undoubtedly seize the opportunity to sketch out his program for American renewal, both in domestic and foreign policy. His speech, I predict, will not only be seen as a pivotal moment in restoring American democracy, but also an epitaph for the conservative movement that has finally run American into the ground.

By 2010, the GOP's refusal to vote for the stimulus bill will been seen a as decisive event in the party's fortunes--for the worse. Had the party cooperated with the president, it might have been able to resuscitate itself. The Times/CBS poll indicates that Americans are displaying great patience and don't expect the economy to turn around any time soon. But they have seen through the GOP's charade of purporting to stand for fiscal discipline--after plunging the country into $1 trillion of debt over the past eight years.

The conservative movement is now officially dead. All that remains is for the pallbearers to carry the casket to its burial site. Obama's speech Tuesday will provide the funeral oration.

Comments

[hpw101]

if the only news you watch is MSNBC, then you would have believed that the GOP died years ago. Seriously guys, Maddow and Olberrman are smart people; however, i find their programs unwatchable b/c of their unwillingness to include conservatives on their shows, especially Olberrmann. That man cannot stand dissent; it's almost comical. He rants and raves about Limbaugh and Hannity. Although I equally detest Hannity, I'm willing to bet you the GDP of Ireland that he has had more Libs/Democrats on his show.

People have oft justified Bush (justifiably so) for taking advantage of a national crisis to swiftly push through questionable legislation i.e. the Patriot Act. Is what Obama doing all the different? The gloom and doom that he presents in our current situation. And seriously Barney Frank. WTF?!?!?!?

[research]

If you can stand Limpbals, you can't stand Kieth, and the reverse too.

[editorjuno]

Heilbrunn's piece wasn't about media punditry, it was about a speech that comprised a nail in the already-closed GOP coffin -- and your invocation of "doom and gloom" indicates that you didn't listen to (and certainly didn't *hear*) that speech, which was about far from pessimistic as Olbermann and Limbaugh are from riding Kentucky Derby winners.

[tokenconservative]

Wrong - according to both Zogby and Rasmussen, every president with the exception of the Bushes has had such a high approval this early in office (post WWII) - only Clinton, Ike and Carter were higher, though.

[LeftRight]

However there's only been 6 Presidents who were elected with higher percentages in the first term than Obama.

[aaronr2000]

Now that the jury is finally back on Reaganomics, finding it guilty on all counts of first assault on the American economy, can we please stop talking Ronald Reagan up as the gold standard of presidental popularity? OK he was popular back then and idolized by conservatives now, granted. At least remind everyone that if only the people back then knew what we know now, perhaps he would not have been so adored.

[dureta]

I would like to think that people en masse are educating themselves on how globalization with its potlical and financial power structures ,in effect, leave billions of people indentured slaves to wage-labour that is always being assaulted by captialism and its champions to the tune of lower wages and less benefits.

the problem with this system is that as money accumulates at the top, those at the bottom are left with little or nothing from which to build a better future for themselves upon.

It's time to stop blaming the poor for being poor, its time to stop blaming the sick for being sick, its time to stop blaming the rich for being rich and the privileged for being privileged. Its time to change the system of global captialism.! (thats right, i said it!)

Republican's obviously still believe existing socail power structures here and around the world are just fine in its distribution of the haves and have-nots.

they even use the argument of a sort of financial darwinism to justify the existence of poverty.

i hope these dinosaurs are on their way out but i don't think we are there yet, not while all we care about is making a dollar at the expense of others.

[evanhealy]

As I understand it Obama's speech on Tuesday was specifically NOT a State of the Union.

[NeoLiberal]

That is correct. The Constitution mandates an annual state of the union report from the president. This speech was not that report but rather a speech to a joint session of Congress, which the president can call any time.

[SueInCA]

For all you conservatives out there who want to throw the term "liberal" at the feet of us progressives and act like it is a badge of dishonor, let me refresh your memories. If it were not for the so called liberals (i like to refer to us as social activitists) the following would never have happened:

The civil war would have never been won by the north and black people might still be slaves
Women would never have obtained the right to vote
Black people the right to vote
Prohibition was repealed
40 hour work weeks
The weekend
Overtime pay
Holidays and Holiday pay
Child welfare laws
Child labor laws
Clean air, Clean water
National Parks, Forest Preserves
Unemployment benefits
Social Security
Tenant rights
Campaign laws
After school programs/headstart
Antitrust laws
Desegregation
Equal opportunity

So, while you are at your happy hour, spending time with your family on the weekend after a week of earning a fair living, voting for your representatives, vacationing at Yosemite, living in your rented apt, collecting that ss check, being protected from unscrupulous corporations, and enjoying the freedom of choosing who your friends are without repercussion, thank a liberal, social activitist and those who gave their lives so you could enjoy all these things.

[hairyhuman]

Those are quite some strong claims. Where do you find that information? Was Abraham Lincoln liberal? So "liberals" helped win the Civil War but helped us lose the Vietnam war?

[SueInCA]

if you want to verify my claims, please look it up. I am not going to give you a history lesson, that is your responsibility. Lincoln was a moderate republican. Without the south conservatives and their strange ideas of owning another human being, the civil war would never have been necessary.

[DRER]

Thank you SueinCA for reminding everyone of what the liberals have provided for the average American citizen. As a retired university history porfessor, I appreciate your blog.

[theone718]

Obama gave a wonderful eulogy to the GOP. May they R.I.P.

[hairyhuman]

And I thought you guys despised Ronald Reagon.

[Oma]

We do, and for good reason. He began the downward slide of this formerly great country
with his myth of the single black mother driving her Cadillac to the welfare office and other such Republican lies. Now, after almost 3 decades of Republican theft and malfeasance, many of us from the disappearing middle class may be walking to the welfare office.

[McJeff]

we do.

the comparison here is to RR's high approval ratings. Unlike "Grandpa" Rayguns, O does not BS or speak down to the American people, but speaks to them as equals and adults.
Big difference.

[americanalien]

Excellent post Jacob Heilbrunn. God bless you.

President Obama is undoubtedly the most popular president in the 232 year history of the United States of America and probably the most popular democratically elected leader in the history of the world. All the polls show his approval ratings topping 70% or 80% and some even have in the 90% range. This is unprecedented for any President at such an early point in his term. President Obama is in a league of his own, Ronald Reagan doesn't even come close to him. The guy is a national phenomenon. He is beloved by people from as diverse a background as you can find: black, white, and brown; rich, middle class, and poor; urban, suburban, and rural; liberal, moderate, and conservative -- and the list goes on and on and on and on.

President Obama has reshaped America for a generation to come. He has completely changed the dynamics in our politics. There are no longer any red and blue states. There are only blue and purple states. America will once again be like that city which is set upon a hill under Obama's leadership. An empire has found its savior. God bless America and God bless President Obama.

[McJeff]

gettin a little ahead of ourselves, aren't we? we want him to be that. I don't think he's there yet. Be careful not to get lost in euphoria and "irrational exuberance!"

[LewisT]

Yes, the Republicans blew it.

Now we get the "scandal of the week" Democrats for a few years. Then most of us will get sick of the liberals with their arrogance and self-righteousness and toss them out. Should take about 4 years.

So it goes.

Alexis de Tocquevill wrote in the 1840s that the United States will stand until the people discover that they can loot the public treasury (or words to that effect). Looks like we finally got down to it!

[NiceguyEddie]

"arrogance and self-right­eousness".­..?!

You've GOT to be JOKING!!! That's what has turned this country against the CONSERVATIVES!!! You lot really need to do some self-reflection. Nearly every crticism you make of the libs can be more accurately applied to YOU. You've let your love of your own ideology blind you to reality.

[suzc]

YOU must be joking! Do you REALLY believe Dems in Congress are any more, or less, corrupt, greedy, power-mad frauds, cheats and liars than the Repubs in Congress? If you do, then I've got a phantom bridge I'd like to sell you.

[RIConservative]

That's odd...75%? The Gallop poll has him under 60% in one of the fastest declines for incoming presidents.

Epitaph? That's it people..I love the overconfidence..it reminds me of:

"There is no way Al Gore can lose"
"There is no way John Kerry can lose"

we all know how that turned out...lol

[checkitout]

Yeah - unfortunately that ignorant, smirking fratboy and his sociopathic VP you voted for got in and and damn near destroyed the country. We all know how that turned out.

[RRG64]

Yep. They call it election fraud.

[hairyhuman]

Whatever makes you feel better. There's 8 years you'll never get back.

[jcollell]

Yeah, we all know how it turned out. This country got screwed up the culo. I love how people gloat on Bush's presidency like it is a good thing. Maybe if you are psychopath on crack.

http://www.youspar.com/

[hairyhuman]

How specifically? Did Bush cause the mortgage crash and cause the banks to offer interest only mortgages causing Lehman Bros to file for bancruptcy?

[Matt Plegge]

Well, now it's slightly above 60%
and it was Bush who holds the record for fastest declines of a incoming president. A record which will never be beaten.

[TrueBlue1112]

From a RILiberal: Your post is nothing but wishful thinking. Good luck to you.

[AgnesBankhead]

jacob,

here's a suggestion for the title of the updated paperback :

They Thought They Were Right: the Rise and Fall of the Neocons

[bigironal25]

If our unemployment rate starts to go down this summer and keep edging down ,the republicans can kiss their collective careers goodbye and I might add, it can't come fast enough for the rest of us!Don't they realize it doesn't matter if nothing else happens, as long as unemployment drops, that will be all we need to see, in order to run these jerks right out of Washington!

[RIConservative]

it certainly can't go up any more than it has under Obama....

[RRG64]

LOL- In a month? Get real. This is the Republican economy unwinding,just like their crumbling empires.

[CherokeeGirl]

are you serious? gimme a break! That may have worked 20 years ago, but
this isn't the 20th century anymore and people no longer buy these lies.

[LeftRight]

Um.... Are you perhaps referring to the numbers that came out in January (right around the inauguration, but BEFORE it!) which showed that the DECEMBER numbers brought us up?????

[Pema]

it was an address to congress, it was not a state of the union address...

[HIPPOHAY]

Check out a liveblog of the Obama's smackdown speech: http://hayleyscomment.squarespace.com/index/dvr-blogging-barrys-wet-n-wild-mardi-gras-celebration.html

[danielet]

I knew CONS while incubating to become Cannibalus Rovericus adults. CONS had no philosophy. Once you joined, you were wedged into a vertical CON bureaucracy where there was always someone sitting on your face. To get ahead, like a python, you had to learn to dislocate your jaws so you could swallow whole, ass first, the guy sitting on your face. That's all these snakes thought about; getting older, they also wanted money and power. In contrast, the neocons used the Leninist tactic: POLARIZE TO MOBILIZE trick exhibited in their Kill Obama Obama Chimp cartoon: turn blacks on Jews so Jews have nowhere to go but to the Right. But the neocons never felt accepted by CONS and so the neocons, like mosquitoes, parasitically drank the blood of these Right Wing cannibals eating each other. Thant's why Rove and CONS were so anemic in presence of neocons. By the time Rove cleaned out neocons, they had already become the "mensch" pushing the US into their Mideast World War IV. Stuck in power with responsibility, the CONS screwed up but didn't know how to strategize without neocon guidance. So they went from eating each other to get ahead, to leaking on each other so they don't end up sharing a cell with Abramov. By now CON anaerobes have been exposed to air and light so are in their political death-throws screaming: NO! But it is over for they have been found out: Jesus DOES NOT love them!

[alkamm]

Nice diatribe! I love mixed metaphors because they are like so many sour grapes going over the bridge or something. Yes, they need no oxygen, can't take it in fact, and are in their death throes. Only Jesus, however, could love them. Or the Dalai lama.