You need more than a speech

During Tuesday’s State of the Union Address, President Obama mentioned his Italian friend, “Veto.”

That joke was bad and we feel bad for printing it. However, the President did mention the need for the White House and Congress to work together, then shortly thereafter mentioned threats to veto legislation that he doesn’t agree with.

These threats are important to highlight, considering the Republicans won the Senate majority in the November 2014 elections, while the House of Representatives has the largest Republican majority since WWII. The will of the American people was exercised at the polls, whether some like it or not. But the President backed up his threats with a talking point, avowing that he will not be a lame duck.

“I have no more campaigns to run…” said the President, and as the applause began from the Republican majority, he added, “…because I won both of them.”

While the line was touted as a “sick burn” by pundits, it seems to pander more to the smug liberal-elite “bubbleville” personality cult that feeds off Republican contempt; the “culture clash,” that Mike Huckabee failed to encapsulate in his Monday interview with the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart.

But what seemed strange about the speech is how the majority of it seemed to be perfectly packaged and written in blocks; quick tweet worthy quotes that packed a lot of punch, but this perception seemed to be without substance. He spoke well, but it’s going to take more than a snappy speech to keep the country going. We can only hope the President can demonstrate his promises, prove the cynics wrong and work with the Republicans in Congress.

This State of the Union also marked a change in tradition for the GOP. Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa opted not to respond to the speech,and instead chose to outline the priorities of the American people. She did, however, offer a brief civil and non-dismissive acknowledgment of the President’s words, which was a breath of fresh air that broke from years of sore-sport rebuttals.

“Even if we may not always agree, it’s important to hear different points of view in this great country.” Ernst said, “We appreciate the President sharing his.”