by Thomas Whisenant | Jan 25, 2012 | News Slider, Opinion
After a day of school when I was younger, I would rush to my grandmother’s house for a bowl of chocolate ice cream. I would sit with her and play dominos for an hour, watch cartoons and try to recreate the moves I saw on Power Rangers every Saturday morning. I would pretend that I had no homework, no spelling tests, no grade sheets and no baths. The dream always ended. My mother would arrive and take me home to the reality of third-grade responsibility and icky vegetables. Regardless of how much I wanted to pretend that life was just like another day at grandmothers, I was always wrong. At some point I had to get to work. And now, Mommy has finally arrived to pick up Congress from grandma’s house. At first, the State of the Union address seemed to be nothing more than a campaign speech in a thousand dollar suit with a bow on top. Under the title “An America Built To Last”, the President unveiled a vision that included insourcing and creating new manufacturing jobs, providing workers with new skills, an increase in American energy production, and stressed a “renewal of American values”. He touted his success in eliminating bin Laden, ending the war in Iraq, cutting deficit spending, reviving the automotive industry and reforming the bureaucracy. He also dodged and sidestepped ‘third-rail’ political issues such as Social Security and Medicare, entitlement programs and debt reduction. While the speech might have been an election year surge, President Obama was not afraid to try to take on and challenge the political status quo. The President chose...
by Thomas Whisenant | Jan 26, 2011 | Opinion
Last night, Americans were given the opportunity to witness the President they voted for– a man who brought hope and the promise of a better future. Not the man who some claim brought contention and divided the nation into polar, unyielding political factions. Coming off of a speech in Arizona that experts claim revived his presidency and won the hearts of Americans, President Obama approached the nation a humbled man. Humbled not only by the monumental losses in the midterm elections, but also by the realization of his administration’s mistakes and disconnect with the American people. Like many State of the Union addresses, the things the President said were old news. All Americans understand the dire need for jobs. We get the issue of the national debt. Even though he danced around certain topics, we know the challenges the nation faces. It wasn’t the things the President said, but it was the way in which he said them. Watching the State of the Union last night showed an obvious shift in the president’s political stance. While he addressed hot button issues such as health care, immigration and the two wars, he kept talk on these issues relatively light. Instead, he focused more on the issues of job creation, reducing deficit spending and government reform. He urged bipartisanship with each issue. More importantly, he stated his willingness to work alongside Republicans to make the changes and tough decisions that need to be made. While liberal supporters of the president are upset about his shift towards the middle, the rest of the nation breathes a sigh of relief. America might be...
