President Barack Obama walked into a joint session of Congress last Tuesday filled with bipartisan applause and a myriad of handshakes from members of both parties. The seating chart was not divided into blue and red. But rather a soothing purple was formed as Republicans and Democrats decided to sit by one another in order to signify one united country and left an empty seat for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
This was the stage in which President Barrack Obama gave his State of the Union Address. Sure, State of the Union addresses are usually optimistic, but it was particularly evident this time, for everything from its patriotism to its bad jokes. Despite all of the opposition he has been faced with, Obama, has a lot to be optimistic about in the years to come.
Obama called for an increase in investment in research and development as well as education. Although some are quick to say investment is a euphemism to support spending, the difference between spending and investment is that investment has hope of bringing return equal or greater than the initial spending.
Spending for education or research and development has the potential to pay for itself if it sparks innovation. Taxpayer money which the Defense Department spent on an internal computer network we know as the Internet surely paid for itself.
Obama can also feel optimistic that the worst of the recession is over and the end is in sight. Republicans criticized Obama’s methods of dealing with the recession by citing both the high unemployment rate and rising deficit. But upon further examination, these figures have more to do with the previous administration than his.
In 2008 under the Bush Administration, the unemployment rate grew from 5.00 to 7.70 in just one year, a 54 percent increase. In 2009 under the Obama administration, it went from 7.70 to 9.70 just a 26 percent increase. And in 2010 it started at 9.7 and ended at 9.4 all according to the Misery Index. What this shows is that Obama actually mitigated and then helped the unemployment rate.
And according to Congressional Budget Office, roughly 37 percent of the deficit is due to the recession of 2001 and the current recession. However, 53 percent stems from legislation and policies under the Bush Administration compared to the 10 percent stemming from the Obama Administration.
Republicans are right in saying that the deficit needs to be addressed, but saying that it is all Obama’s fault is almost as misleading as Former California State Sen. Roy Ashburn’s consistent voting in opposition of gay rights despite being openly gay.
The final thing Obama has to be optimistic about is what happened after his speech. Rep. Paul Ryan delivered the Republican response focusing on the deficit and accusing Obama of spending too much. But what followed that was a fiery speech delivered by Tea Party Rep. Michele Bachmann, who refused to wear the ribbon supporting Giffords. Bachmann’s speech was said to have angered many Republicans.
Speaker John Boehner and newly elected Republican National Committee Chairman, Reince Priebus could have problems trying to satisfy both the Republicans and the Tea Party movement, and it will only get harder. Maybe another fundraiser at a Las Vegas strip club will do the trick. The bottom line is if the Tea Party movement gains enough power to run a presidential candidate in 2012, it could force a huge split within the Republican Party, leaving a very happy Barrack Obama.
