tagged w/ state of the union
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By Sarah Laskow, Media Consortium Blogger
In his first State of the Union address, President Barack Obama touched on climate issues only briefly. He called on the Senate to pass a climate bill, but did not give Congress a deadline or promise to veto weak legislation. Nor did he mention the Copenhagen climate conference, where international negotiators struggled to produce an agreement on limiting global carbon emissions.
The Obama administration’s attitude towards climate change still represents a remarkable shift from the Bush years, when global warming was treated as little more than a fairy tale. But in the past year, Congressional squabbling has stalled climate legislation, and international negotiators nearly gridlocked in talks over carbon admissions at the multinational Copenhagen conference. Without strong leadership from the president, work to prevent this looming environmental crisis will stall.
Obama did address global warming skeptics, saying that they should support investment in clean energy, “because the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy.”
“And America must be that nation,” Obama said.
No push for climate bill
Despite his combative language, the president did not challenge Congress to push for real solutions to ballooning carbon emissions and energy consumption. As Forrest Wilder of The Texas Observer notes, Obama “uttered the phrase ‘climate change’ precisely once.”
The Senate has already wait-listed the climate bill: Health care came first. With health care reform now in line behind work on jobs and bank regulation, climate legislation has little chance of passing the Senate in the coming months, let alone making it to the president’s desk.
If Congress lets this work wait until after the midterm elections, the United States will show up at international negotiations in December 2010 as a leader in carbon emissions yet again, but with little in hand to show a way forward.
Clean energy, not renewable energy
When the president did bring up climate issues, he focused on their connection between climate reform and potential job creation. Obama highlighted areas for growth, not in renewable energy fields like wind or solar power, but in nuclear power, natural gas, and clean coal.
Yes, these fuel sources could decrease the country’s carbon emissions. But they are not solutions that will revolutionize energy production. Grist’s David Roberts was floored that the speech omitted renewable energy entirely and kowtowed to a more conservative litany of energy projects. “I suppose it was done to flatter conservative Senators that will have to vote for the bill Kerry, Lieberman, and Graham are working on,” he writes. (The three Senators are working on a version of the climate bill designed to appeal to Republicans.)
“But the SOTU is not a policy negotiation,” Roberts says. “It’s a bully pulpit, a chance to shape rather than respond to existing narratives.”
Roberts argues that progressive supporters would benefit from a stronger message. If activists knew that the White House stands behind a real shift in America’s energy policy, they could use that prompt to drive action on climate change.
What was missing
While touting the virtues of off-shore drilling, Obama overlooked other policies that could broker real change. Although he admonished Congress to pass a climate bill, he did not pressure the legislature on what he’d like that bill to include. He did not mention cap-and-trade, the mechanism the House bill relies on to tamp down emissions and dirty energy use.
President Obama did touch on transportation reforms that could decrease the country’s use of fossil fuels.
“There’s no reason Europe or China should have the fastest trains,” Obama said. He cited a high-speed rail project that broke ground on Tuesday in Tampa, FL, as evidence that America could best the rest of the world in creating new energy-efficient technology.
But one or two high-profilBy Sarah Laskow, Media Consortium Blogger
In his first State of the Union address,... more
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Whenever any host on MS-NBC refers to critics of Barack Obama as racist, just keep this link handy. Chris Matthews offers up this revealing non-sequitur as praise for Obama’s “appearance” of post-racial qualities in a manner that echoes Harry Reid’s strange praise revealed in the book Game Change. I’ve puzzled over this comment since I saw in on Twitter last night in the aftermath of the State of the Union address. Exactly what does it mean that Matthews “forgot he was black” in connection to his praise of Obama’s leadership?
Watch the Racist comments By Chris Matthews...VIDEO...http://ctpatriot1970.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/the-real-racist-msnbc%e2%80%99s-chris-matthews-%e2%80%98i-forgot-he-was-black-tonight%e2%80%99-video/Whenever any host on MS-NBC refers to critics of Barack Obama as racist, just keep... more
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In President Obama's STATE OF THE UNION address, many things were said. So many things that of course, the common man and woman needs "experts" to unravel it all and help them shape their opinions. In comes Wolf Douglas and the crack WHACKO-TV round table of political analysts to get it straight. Catch the award winning coverage you just can't get anywhere else.In President Obama's STATE OF THE UNION address, many things were said. So many... more
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A look at some of Obama’s claims in the State of the Union and how they compare with the facts…
WASHINGTON — President Obama, who once considered government spending freezes a hatchet job, told Americans on Wednesday it’s now part of his solution to the exploding deficit. He didn’t explain what had changed.
His State of the Union speech skipped over a variety of complex realities in laying out a “common-sense” call to action.
click here For A look at some of his claims and how they compare with the facts:http://ctpatriot1970.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/state-of-union-fact-check-obama-liar-liar-obamas-own-reality/A look at some of Obama’s claims in the State of the Union and how they compare... more
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With the Supreme Court Justices sitting right in front of him, President Barack Obama unloaded in his State of the Union address on this past week’s ruling qualifying corporations as having the rights of citizens and opening the “floodgates” to their political donations.
“Last week, the Supreme Court reversed a century of law to open the floodgates for special interests – including foreign corporations – to spend without limit in our elections,” Obama said. “Well I don’t think American elections should be bankrolled by America’s most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people, and that’s why I’m urging Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to right this wrong.”
VIDEO... Justice Alito can be seen shaking his head and mouthing words that seem to resemble “not true.”...VIDEO...http://ctpatriot1970.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/judge-samuel-alito-to-obama-at-state-of-the-union-thats-not-true-video/With the Supreme Court Justices sitting right in front of him, President Barack Obama... more
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Obama may have given the State of the Union speech, but Current's US Politics and Creative Writing groups are teaming up to ask YOU what the State of Obama is!
Using the speech as a jumping point, what do you think of Obama after his first year in office? Is it different than how you felt a year ago? Have you given up hope on the politician who made hope a campaign promise, or are you still optimistic?
Write up your answer in whatever form you want- persuasive essay, epic poem, Shakespearean sonnet, etc - and submit it to the Creative Writing and US Politics groups as a SEPARATE POST. (Creative Writing: http://current.com/groups/creative-writing/ US Politics: http://current.com/groups/us-politics/) Get feedback from the community and at the end of February, one writer will be dubbed champ and receive some free swag! (Ahem: this challenge is not "officially" endorsed by Current.com, Current TV, their affiliates or anyone else who might have some legal concerns. Swag is provided and privately funded by DeliaTheArtist, not the aforementioned parties. Word.)
We hope that the State of the Union address inspired you to have your voice heard and look forward to the entries for this political challenge!Obama may have given the State of the Union speech, but Current's US Politics and... more
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Following along with the State of the Union - post your reactions in the comments.
"We all hated the bank bailout...I hated i you hated it, it was about as popular as a root canal."Following along with the State of the Union - post your reactions in the comments.... more
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Health care is one of the main domestic issues President Obama faced in delivering his State of the Union address Tuesday night.Health care is one of the main domestic issues President Obama faced in delivering his... more
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The President's annual State of the Union address is meant to be a sort of check-in. The Commander-in-Chief takes a limo ride down to the Capitol Building and lets the legislative branch know what his branch has been up to. In practice it's become an opportunity for the President to lay out a laundry list of an agenda which gets insta-polled by lawmakers standing-or-not-standing-up-to-clap.
Tonight at 8pm ET will be Obama's very first State of the Union. There's a lot of conjecture about what he could say. There have been reports that he'll announce a non-military spending freeze. Or that he's going to throw a fistful of money at high speed rail. Heck maybe he'll take up Schwarzenegger on his plan to outsource prisoners to Mexico.
What are you hoping to hear from Obama today? Tough new banking regulations? A draw-down of troops overseas? Tell us your State of the Union wishlist.
Sources/Image: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/us/politics/27obama.htmlThe President's annual State of the Union address is meant to be a sort of... more
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Barack Obama is to respond to last week's shock Senate election defeat by using Wednesday's state of the union speech to scale back his ambitious legislative programme and instead focus on measures to help recession-hit families.
Obama opened his presidency last year at breakneck speed, with proposals to tackle the recession, climate change and health, as well as deal with two wars.
But the state of the union speech is shaping up as a much more modest affair, reflecting voter complaints – apparent in last week's Massachusetts election, in which Republican Scott Brown won a surprise victory – about his healthcare plan, the billions of dollars in federal spending and failure to tackle unemployment. Although the White House denied Obama was scaling back his plans, the tone will be more populist and tightly focused on jobs and the economy.
An official said that one of the themes would be "creating good jobs, addressing the deficit, changing Washington", and fighting for working-class familiesBarack Obama is to respond to last week's shock Senate election defeat by using... more
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Facing voter anger over mounting budget deficits, President Barack Obama will ask Congress to freeze spending for some domestic programs for three years beginning in 2011, administration officials said Monday. Separately, Obama unveiled plans to help a middle class "under assault" pay its bills, save for retirement and care for kids and aging parents.
The spending freeze would apply to a relatively small portion of the federal budget, affecting a $477 billion pot of money available for domestic agencies whose budgets are approved by Congress each year. Some of those agencies could get increases, others would have to face cuts; such programs got an almost 10 percent increase this year. The federal budget total was $3.5 trillion.Facing voter anger over mounting budget deficits, President Barack Obama will ask... more
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I really thought this was a joke. This shows without a doubt how vapid Americans really are. Granted the State of the Union is nothing but a show anyway, but really...I really thought this was a joke. This shows without a doubt how vapid Americans... more
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While this is a short compilation, it gives us another glimpse at how many times Bush lied and decieved us as he used this country as his own personal playground..While this is a short compilation, it gives us another glimpse at how many times Bush... more
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THIS DOCUMENTARY IS TOO IMPORTANT TO MISS! It completely contradicts almost everything our government and President are telling us about how things are going in Iraq and it is FROM THE SOURCE; an Iraqi Doctor on the front line. Even he was finally forced to stop filming and to leave the country and is now studying journalism on a Fulbright Scholarship here in America. In this movie, you will hear Iraqis themselves tell you about the state of affairs over there (and NOT inside the protected Green Zone where all our people report from, where they are protected and shielded from the reality). There is an injured woman in the film riding in the back of an ambulance and she is wailing "Bring back Saddam. It was not like this under him." This woman is a Shia....they HATED Saddam...and welcomed the invasion at first, thinking they would be freed from Sunni rule...but now even the Shia say things are worse, that now even brothers kill brothers, that the violence is CONSTANT, every day there are bombings and killings. We are being lied to, our soldiers are being used, and the human tragedy is incomprehensible.------------------------------------------If you missed the first two showings of this already, there are still three more. Don't know if folks here have satellite or cable so check the HBO lineup for your provider. For satellite viewers, the last three showings are 1/31 at 12:45am, then gain on Saturday at 5pm and 8pm. The channel changes for each so check your schedule. THIS DOCUMENTARY IS TOO IMPORTANT TO MISS! It completely contradicts almost everything... more
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Baghdad Hospital: Inside the Red Zone
Al-Yarmouk hospital, which has become a "field hospital in a civil war," is located in the most dangerous part of Baghdad and serves as the epicenter of hope and despair for thousands of wounded civilians and their families. Filmed by an Iraqi doctor, the new HBO documentary BAGHDAD HOSPITAL: INSIDE THE RED ZONE chronicles the chaos both inside the ER and on the streets of Baghdad. Premieres Tuesday, January 29 at 8:30.
Be sure to watch the HBO documentary tonight "Baghdad Hospital: Inside the Red Zone" and keep in mind while viewing it what the President said in his last State of the Union about how much the Iraqis love us being there, realize we are helping them, and want us to stay there until all the terroriists are gone and justice has prevailed.
Baghdad Hospital: Inside the Red Zone
Al-Yarmouk hospital, which has become a... more
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Monday marks a historic day in the American Presidency of George W. Bush. It will be the delivery day of his final State of the Union Address. How many of you will actually watch it? And is it even relevant going forward?Monday marks a historic day in the American Presidency of George W. Bush. It will be... more
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Bush will deliver his last State of the Union speech Monday. What do you think the State of the Union is? Bush will deliver his last State of the Union speech Monday. What do you think the... more
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As the campaign moves forward and the Democratic candidates go at each other, this video, which shows some of the many broken promises made by President Bush in his 2007 SOTU speech, contains some excellent talking points they may want use when they finally begin to focus on the mess our country is in and who is to blame for it ? namely, the Republican Party and their president. The current batch of GOP candidates have vowed to carry on Bush?s failed policies if elected and it would be nice to see the Democratic candidates driving these points home at every opportunity. Remember the REAL bad guys? -by Logan MurphyAs the campaign moves forward and the Democratic candidates go at each other, this... more
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