State of the Union

Obama Believes American Exceptionalism Begins with Government
By David Limbaugh | January 30, 2011 | 8:17 PM EST

Obama's latest watchword, "investments," is not, as I originally assumed, simply a euphemism for government spending. It captures his entire economic philosophy — a philosophy that is permanently engrained in the core of his being and disastrous for America's "future."

President Bill Clinton shrewdly used the word as a more palatable substitute for income tax rate increases, saying taxpayers needed to "invest" more of their hard-earned dollars in America. But Obama's use of the term was different in two important ways. First, for him, "investments" would apply to the spending side of the fiscal equation. He would ask our support in his plan to "invest" more government money in infrastructure and education.

Secondly, and more significantly, Obama used the term to candy-coat his fundamental lack of confidence in the private sector and free market, as well as his commitment to faith in government as the primary engine for economic growth.

Kurtz: MSNBC Complains About CNN Airing Bachmann's SOTU Response Then Spends Days Talking About Her
By Noel Sheppard | January 30, 2011 | 4:52 PM EST

Howard Kurtz on Sunday pointed out a delicious irony involving MSNBC and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.).

After complaining about CNN's decision to air the Congresswoman's response to President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday, MSNBC spent the next several days giving far more attention to her than to the official GOP respondent (video follows with transcript and commentary):

SNL Trashes Michele Bachmann, Imagines 'Second Attempt' at SOTU Speech
By Noel Sheppard | January 30, 2011 | 11:06 AM EST

Predictably joining the media attacks on Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), NBC's "Saturday Night Live" began its most recent installment mocking her response to the President's State of the Union address last Tuesday.

Actress Kristen Wiig playing the Congresswoman explained that as a result of technical difficulties in her first attempt, CNN gave her a second try at it. What followed was gaffe after gaffe in another segment by SNL designed to totally trash a conservative woman (video follows with transcript and commentary):

MRC's Bozell Blasts Media Coverage of Obama SOTU on Friday's 'Fox & Friends'
By NB Staff | January 28, 2011 | 5:46 PM EST

When Republican presidents in years past delivered their State of the Union addresses, NewsBusters publisher Brent Bozell noted this morning, "no sooner had the words, 'God bless America,' left their lips than the analysts were there... just pouncing on them, pointing out any discrepancy, pointing out any controversy, ridiculing any mistake."

Now "along comes Barack Obama, and the same outlets, now they have this national, maybe international fainting spell," Bozell complained to Fox News Channel's Steve Doocy on Friday's "Fox & Friends."

For the video of the full segment, watch the embed below the page break. To listen to the MP3 audio, click here.

What Lies Beneath the Surface of Obama's State of the Union
By Cal Thomas | January 28, 2011 | 4:40 PM EST

In his State of the Union address, President Obama at times sounded like he was channeling Ronald Reagan: cutting the deficit, hailing private enterprise and individual initiative, talking about the future. But for all his eloquence, the president wrapped his liberal ideology in conservative sheep's clothing.

On the surface, the president said many things with which conservatives might agree, but words can mean something, or they can mask true intentions.

There was no indication the president plans to retreat on his far-left agenda of the last two years. Why should he? That would require denying who he is.

Absent the glamorous rhetoric, let's examine the major subjects on which the president touched.

Bozell, Hannity Address MSM's Makeover of Obama as Centrist and Reaganesque, Continued War on Tea Party Movement
By NB Staff | January 28, 2011 | 11:05 AM EST

"Can you hear the White House communications department giggling right now? Because they're saying this has succeeded beyond our wildest dreams."

That's how NewsBusters publisher and Media Reseearch Center (MRC) founder Brent Bozell responded on Thursday night's "Hannity" to a montage of mainstream media analysts insisting President Obama is shifting to the center politically.

[Embedded video attached after the page break; Click here for MP3 audio]

SOTU: Couric Crushed Obama Didn't Raise Gun Control
By Mark Finkelstein | January 28, 2011 | 6:29 AM EST

Given the chance to interview Katie Couric, I wouldn't ask her what newspapers she reads.  I'd want to know how she understands her role as anchor, and why she thinks it's appropriate to express opinions on controversial issues of the day.

For that's just what she's done on the subject of gun control, expressing disappointment that Pres. Obama didn't raise it in his SOTU.

Describing her dissatisfaction in her "Notebook" yesterday,  Couric asserted that PBO's failure to raise gun control put a "cloud" over the SOTU.

View video after the jump.

NPR Cries Factual Foul on Paul Ryan for Saying 'Failed Stimulus' in SOTU Response
By Tim Graham | January 27, 2011 | 10:42 AM EST

Beware when the liberal media starts a "fact check" story on political speeches. Their "facts" often come directly from liberal policy wonks. On Wednesday's Morning Edition, NPR ran through a series of Obama claims without really saying he mangled a fact. Reporter Elisabeth Shogren suggested he was too optimistic about getting electric cars on the road with "this Congress" (ahem, not progressive enough).  But reporter John Ydstie suggested Paul Ryan was wrong to suggest the stimulus failed, citing that "economists of both persuasions" agree Ryan was incorrect:

RENEE MONTAGNE, anchor: And the president also spoke of infrastructure projects, such as high-speed rail and expanding to most of the population high-speed Internet. John Ydstie, let's bring you back in. Investment was a big theme of this State of the Union speech. In the official Republican rebuttal, Congressman Paul Ryan had this to say about that.

Politico Sees 'Jobs-centric' Obama Opposed by Ideological Republicans
By Ken Shepherd | January 26, 2011 | 3:02 PM EST

"[F]or all the surface civility [of the State of the Union], Obama wants to pick a fight, or at least draw a stark contrast, between his jobs-centric philosophy and the GOP’s determination to cut government first and ask questions later."

That's how Politico's Glenn Thrush and Carrie Budoff Brown described the main difference between the president and his Republican congressional opposition in a story filed early Wednesday morning.

Of course, Obama's State of the Union address carried a fresh call for soaking the nation's richest taxpayers and plowing millions into white elephant spending projects such as high-speed rail, but it apparently didn't occur to Thrush and Budoff Brown that Obama's prescription may be to "grow government first and ignore questions later" given the failure of the first stimulus package of his administration.

Obama, Democrats and Media Steal SOTU Defeat From the Jaws of Victory
By Noel Sheppard | January 26, 2011 | 2:48 PM EST

Prior to calls for civility and what turned out to be a disastrous "date night" for the Democrats, Barack Obama was nicely set up to catapult himself into a fabulous 2011 approaching next year's reelection campaign with an enviable head of steam.

Having been all but considered dead - am I allowed to say that post-Tucson? - after his shellacking at the polls in November, the President eked out win after win in the lame duck session, and did a very admirable job with his memorial speech.

Even conservatives like syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer were singing his praises.

The nation was also getting a proverbial thrill back up its collective leg according to polls making the coincidence of all these stars aligning so perfectly right before the State of the Union address almost Capraesque.

Wolf Blitzer Makes a Fool of Bill Maher for Complaining About CNN Airing Tea Party's SOTU Response
By Noel Sheppard | January 26, 2011 | 10:02 AM EST

NewsBusters for years has chronicled the staggering idiocy of comedian Bill Maher.

On Tuesday's "Situation Room," we got a hand from Wolf Blitzer when he marvelously countered Maher's complaint that CNN's decision to air Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's (R-Minn.) Tea Party response to the President's State of the Union address was depriving Democrats of equal time (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Amanpour Hails Obama as ‘Reaganesque’ But Contended Tea Party Too ‘Extreme’ for Reagan
By Brent Baker | January 26, 2011 | 9:27 AM EST

ABC’s Christiane Amanpour hailed President Obama’s State of the Union address as “very Reaganesque,” but in October, holding herself up as some kind of protector of Reagan’s legacy, she discovered “a long and venerable tradition of conservatism in this country” exemplified by Ronald Reagan and William F. Buckley and “all of that sort of intellectual conservatism,” yet now, she feigned distress, “people are looking at the Tea Party and saying this is not conservatism as we knew it but it's extreme.”

Asked for her “take” on Obama’s address, Amanpour trumpeted his “Sputnik moment” as “remarkable,” heralding Tuesday night on ABC: