Obama’s State Of The Union Speech Failed To Inspire

Paul Krugman: “Meh”  “We’re going to invest in the future — but we’re also going to freeze domestic spending. So mixed signals — and although there were no numbers, given the further assurance that the freeze won’t affect anything important, this has to mean that the investment plans are small change…I have no idea what the vision here was. We care about the future! But we don’t want to spend! Meh.” (Paul Krugman, “Meh” The New York Times’, “The Conscience Of A Liberal” Blog, 1/25/11)

The Washington Post: “He Disappointed.” “President Obama entered office promising to be a different kind of politician – one who would speak honestly with the American people about the hard choices they face and would help make those hard calls. Tuesday night’s State of the Union Address would have been the moment to make good on that promise. He disappointed.” (Editorial, “President Obama Needs To Lead Congress On The Path To Compromise,” The Washington Post, 1/25/11)

The Associated Press: “The ledger did not appear to be adding up Tuesday night when President Barack Obama urged more spending on one hand and a spending freeze on the other.”  (Calvin Woodward, “Fact Check: Obama Ledger Out Of Balance,” The Associated Press, 1/25/11)

• AP: “But Obama offered far more examples of where he would spend than where he would cut, and some of the areas he identified for savings are not certain to yield much if anything.” (Calvin Woodward, “Fact Check: Obama Ledger Out Of Balance,” The Associated Press, 1/25/11)

The Washington Post’s Ezra Klein: “[T]here weren’t enough specifics to really know where the president is going.” (Ezra Klein, “Lots Of Vision, But Few Policy Specifics,” The Washington Post, 1/25/11)

• Klein: “[I]t’s hard to say what the president really means when he talks about investment, because we don’t know how much investment he’s proposing that we do — nor where the money will come from.” (Ezra Klein, “Lots Of Vision, But Few Policy Specifics,” The Washington Post, 1/25/11)

CNN’s David Gergen On Deficits: “It Wasn’t A Serious Effort To Come To Grips With What Is A Towering Problem.” GERGEN: “I thought the failure in the speech came on the deficits.” COOPER: “Not enough about it?” GERGEN: “It wasn’t serious. It wasn’t serious — It wasn’t a serious effort to come to grips with what is a towering problem. He’s holding back. I don’t know why.” (CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” 1/25/11)

CNN’s Ed Henry: “It’s feeling like there was less on ‘jobs’ than expected.” (CNN’s Ed Henry Twitter, 1/25/11)

MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell: “Very soft language all the way through. Gene [Robinson] said his language transcended our previous political vocabulary – to me it transcended it so far, that I don’t know what it meant through most of it.” (MSNBC, 1/25/11)

• O’Donnell: “What does ‘out-innovate’ mean? There is no government program that’s being discussed there, so his intent is for us to not know what it means.” (MSNBC, 1/25/11)

The Washington Post’s Dan Balz: “Although the nation’s unemployment rate still stands at 9.4 percent, the president hardly dealt with short-term efforts to produce jobs – even though that may be the most important factor in determining whether he is reelected.” (Dan Balz, “Obama Challenges The Nation – And Republicans,” The Washington Post, 1/26/11)

The Dallas Morning News: “Unfortunately, he missed a prime-time opportunity last night to be as assertive and visionary in presenting a blueprint for tackling the country’s long-term fiscal challenges.”  (Editorial, “Editorial: Obama Long On Vision, Short On Debt Specifics,” The Dallas Morning News, 1/25/11)

• DMN: “The president should have laid down a clear marker for how this country should begin to reduce its massive debt, such as endorsing the key reforms of his own fiscal reform commission.” (Editorial, “Editorial: Obama Long On Vision, Short On Debt Specifics,” The Dallas Morning News, 1/25/11)
• DMN:  “Instead, he called for eliminating unnecessary or poorly operating federal programs and a five-year freeze on non-security discretionary spending. At best, these actions amount to a modest down payment on the debt.” (Editorial, “Editorial: Obama Long On Vision, Short On Debt Specifics,” The Dallas Morning News,1/25/11)

The Atlantic’s Megan Mcardle:  “So what do those CEOs do? They spend a lot of time talking about their company’s proud history, even if that history only stretches back a few years. They lavish extravagent (sic) praise on their awesome, dedicated workforce. And they deftly avoid talking about the big problems, for which they have no solutions, by talking about strategic areas for potential growth (‘green jobs’), and going over a laundry list of new initiatives that do nothing to solve any of the core problems.”  (Megan Mcardle, “The President As Micromanager,” The Atlantic, 1/25/11)

• The Atlantic’s Megan McArdle In A Mid-Speech Tweet: ”Obama sounds remarkably similar to the CEOs I used to listen to on earnings calls: the ones with mediocre EPS and a failing business model.”  (Megan Mcardle, “The President As Micromanager,” The Atlantic, 1/25/11)

USA Today: “In the 10% of the speech devoted to the deficit, Obama casually stated that he’s open to reforming the tax code for individuals, something clearly outlined in the deficit panel’s report and ‘something members of both parties have expressed interest in doing.’ Wait a second. Shouldn’t he be the one leading?” (Editorial, “State Of The Union Sets Big Objectives, Lacks Leadership On Debt,” USA Today, 1/25/11)

• USA Today: “[T]he actual details were lacking.” (Editorial, “State Of The Union Sets Big Objectives, Lacks Leadership On Debt,” USA Today, 1/25/11)