On Tuesday, President Obama convened both houses of Congress and delivered a bold outline for the future of America. Amid a deepening economic crisis, Obama's address sought to respond to critics who accused him of displaying an overly pessimistic attitude about the economy, and to polls that show large percentages of Americans who believe the economy is on the wrong track.
Obama's vision, delivered with his usual oratory brilliance, harkened back to a Reaganesque sense of optimism, promising that "we will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before." Obama also went on to lambast conservatives for enacting short-sighted policies meant to maximize "wealth to the wealthy" and minimize regulation "for the sake of a quick profit at the expense of a healthy market." Obama, drawing on language echoing Reagan, invoked traditional values - hard work, responsibility and thriftiness - to essentially propose a complete transformation of the American economic system. He outlined this agenda by touching on a short list of topics. He began by defending and explaining the necessity of his stimulus package. He then spent the rest of his speech putting forth an expansive "blueprint for the future" that would focus on 3 of America's most vital long-term interests: 1. energy, 2. healthcare and 3. education.
[My thoughts]:
I thought the address was powerful for a variety of reasons. First, I thought Obama explained the credit crisis very coherently and re-framed the discussion of the stimulus bill, explaining why helping irresponsible banks is crucial for reviving the American economy. He underscored the need to impose accountability on banks receiving federal funds, but he emphasized repeatedly that this was not a reward, but a measure meant to get banks lending money more freely again which would allow people to start spending, make payments and investing. In stressing this point he said, the stimulus package was "not about helping banks [but] about helping people." This has been a major misunderstanding of the stimulus package and has led to a lot of popular resistance.
Secondly, I liked the ambitious agenda Obama put forth. All 3 of his topics - education, energy and healthcare - are absolutely fundamental for America's survival and advancement in the coming years. These items have been ignored and passed over (with the exception of No Child Left Behind) during the entire Bush administration, with potentially ruinous effects. It is time we as a nation face the reality that these issues must be confronted head-on, in an honest, creative and intelligent fashion if we are to maintain our position as the most powerful (but not imperious or agressive) nation in the world.
Lastly, I think Obama displayed the sense of strength, confidence and passion that critics and supporters alike (myself included) have wanted to see for some time. There were many times during this address that Obama spoke forcefully and vowed to guide America through this time of crisis. So much of a nation's ability to respond to crisis depends on the public's perception and level of confidence in their commander-in-chief. This Obama's audacious plan, reminiscent of FDR, LBJ and other historic leaders confronted by unprecedented challenges, conveyed precisely the type of swagger and leadership people have been expecting from Obama in this moment and went a long way towards reassuring the public that America will recover and be rebuilt stronger than ever.
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