The State of Our Union Rendered in a Fractured Bizarro Lens

Bryan Preston at PJ Tatler 

conservativedailynews

"Obama called for the federal government to “redesign high schools.” Does he not know that schools are creatures of local and state, not the federal, governments? Does he care? Does he see no limits at all on the things that should occupy a president’s time?

"And again, on what basis does the president who cannot even submit a budget make the claim that he is qualified to redesign high schools?

"It’s all absurd. Barack Obama is the absurd president. He makes no attempt to make any sense, yet the media will pretend that he is a visionary.

"The reality is, Barack Obama is just a very powerful crank."

Emphasis added. Via Lucianne

Did ANYONE notice Rubio's effective rebuttal to Obama's policies?

Let's get this Rubio thing out of the way first. The transcript of his rebuttal will be so much more effective than the video.
UPDATE: Read Rubio's rebuttal transcript here before you get to anything that MSNBC has said.
"The Office of Speaker Boehner released a transcript of Marco Rubio's State of the Union speech (as prepared for delivery). Read the full text of the rebuttal below:"....Excerpt here:
....And more government isn’t going to inspire new ideas, new businesses and new private sector jobs. It’s going to create uncertainty.
Because more government breeds complicated rules and laws that a small business can’t afford to follow.
Because more government raises taxes on employers who then pass the costs on to their employees through fewer hours, lower pay and even layoffs....

Rubio's Strong, Accessible Rebuttal  "Responding to a presidential State of the Union speech is often a thankless task. Following the president's act, which oozes prestige and historic significance, almost always makes the next guy seem small and trivial by comparison.... Sen. Marco Rubio broke the mold last night.  He delivered a substantive, relatable and cheerful response, and did so with a natural and effective ease:" I wish. But Rubio did go straight for Obama and his polemics.

It is doubtful many will remember much of the content of Marco Rubio's Republican response to the State of the Union, but many will recall his untimely thirst.  "As was the case with Mitt Romney's "binders full of women comment," the blogosphere was abuzz following the akward incident.
From political aggregator Philip Bump:

Posted by Sen. Rubio

"Let's analyze why Rubio's lunge was awkward.

1. He hasn't finished his sentence. Finish your sentence first!
2. Commit to the water. Stop. Drink. When you're done, say excuse me and continue.
3. Do not look at the camera while reaching for/replacing the bottle. It makes you look very nervous.
4. And absolutely no matter what, do not look at the camera while drinking. Do not do that.

"Hope that helps, future presidents."
This same writer also said of Obama:

"Of all of his State of the Union addresses, this may be the president’s most informative and instructive, providing a summary of what he has already accomplished, and listing what he needs to do."

Politico - which Rush considers an online version of MSNBC - had this on Rubio's drink:  "Twitter exploded during Sen. Marco Rubio’s Republican response to the State of the Union, as the Florida senator appeared a little sweaty and dry-mouthed at mid-speech, taking an awkward swig from a bottle of water that had been placed off-camera. Rubio handled the hullabaloo with some humor, later tweeting a picture of the water bottle."

Neal Boortz: Excuse me, but I wasn't paying attention.  "Back then we realized what a great potential for American leadership rested in
Marco Rubio.  Last night he showed it in his response to The Destroyer.  Here’s a link to Rubio’s response.  Read it.
"This man – this Marco Rubio – may be America’s best – and last – hope."

Updates follow:
Chris Matthews Bashes Rubio's Response to State of the Union As ‘Primitive’

Marco Rubio Schools Obama Shill George Stephanopoulos, Reminds Host That Sequester Was President's Idea   "Good Morning America's George Stephanopoulos was in full Obama talking points mode, Wednesday, grilling Marco Rubio on why he won't support the President's agenda."

 

This cartoonist dislikes Republicans intensely, but appears to be getting a bit less enamored of Obama as well

http://wpcomics.washingtonpost.com/client/wpc/po/2013/02/07/

Reading list on last night's SOTU. Be sure to read the Victor Davis Hanson commentary here.

CNS: Not a Long, Nor a Long-Lasting Speech "President Obama carefully said that: "In 2011, Congress passed a law saying that if both parties couldn't agree on a plan to reach our deficit goal, about a trillion dollars' worth of budget cuts would automatically go into effect."
"The Congress didn't "pass a law." It passed a bill. The bill they passed went to the White House for President Obama's signature. Only after he signed it did it become "law.""  Emphasis added

CNS: 57 Vacation Days Since Vowing He 'Will Not Rest Until Anyone' Can Find A GOOD Job   "But 1,245 days later, including at least 57 days off, millions of Americans are still out of work with unemployment at 7.9 percent, 0.1 percent higher than when he took office."

The Great Man Speaks "Who has the time or the inclination to listen to our President?  So I have prepared a synopsis of his speech.  You could read this or basically, just listen to any other of his speeches."   Read more:

Three conservative justices absent themselves from SOTU

A short note on Speaker Boehner's expression  "In Boehner's face, I saw a man pushed too far. Is he ready to say no to a big spending bully? Let's hope."

Obama blind to his own irony  "But the very Chicago-style tactician who once cracked wise about "bringing a knife to a gunfight" seeks to make sure that Americans never have more than a knife to bring to a gunfight."

From the editors of NRO: The Broke, Retreating State of Our Union 

"The president’s confrontational, hectoring, and highly ideological speech ought to be a wake-up call to the country. The Republican majority in the House is the only real check on his power. Supplementing that check with a Republican majority in the Senate is imperative. Even through all of President Obama’s obfuscations, that much is clear."

Isn't even Obama's sycophantic media getting at least a little bit tired of this petulant juvenile and his in-your-face hubris?

The President’s Miracle-Gro Government  "Just add taxes. Spend. Repeat."

Victor Davis Hanson; Déjà Vu — You Think?  "Five years ago, the well-delivered script caused fainting, now it should earn mostly yawns: Fault the well off; invest more borrowed money in more federal programs that have no demonstrable record of success; blame the bad news on others; ignore the $1 trillion-plus annual borrowing; threaten to use more executive orders; demonize the opposition; take bad news abroad and declare it good, and fluff everything up with the hope-and-change cadences that address the trivial and avoid the fundamental." 

Predictable, Forgettable The speech "will be long forgotten in a few short weeks. And that’s certainly good news for the State of the Union"

By the Republican-despising Pat Oliphant

Obama’s Most Audacious SOTU Lie  "Obamacare is slowing the growth of health care costs?"  The hope of audacity.

Obama’s Most Dishonest State of the Union Address  ...."Obama claimed that spending was under control, the national debt was no longer a problem, the war in Afghanistan had been won, the economic recovery was here, unemployment was fading and Al Qaeda was a shadow of its former self."

...."While Obama lost the War in Afghanistan to the Taliban and will “complete the mission” by retreating and letting them have the country, Al Qaeda has spread across North Africa and came within a hair of taking over Mali."

 

I could keep going with all of this, you know. NBC won't say these things, so somebody has to.  The Tunnel Dweller

Obama Says, ‘Nothing I’m Proposing Tonight Should Increase Our Deficit by a Single Dime’—Then Offers 29 New Programs

Oh, No! Not that "not one dime" shtick again!

CNS News "In fiscal year 2008, the year before Obama took office, federal spending was $2.98 trillion, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget. In fiscal 2013, the current year, OMB estimates that federal spending will be $3.80 trillion---an increase of 37.5 percent.

"Here, in Obama’s words, are 29 new programs he proposed in his State of the Union, while asserting he would not increase the federal deficit by a "single dime":"...

The Darwin Awards: In Search Of Smart.

Darwin Awards  HONORABLE MENTION, DOUBLE DOWN  "Smoking a cigarette is risky enough without adding fuel to the fire. For reasons that have yet to be explained, two 24-year-olds (identified as a man and a woman) invaded the property of an oil drilling company located 75 miles east of Dallas. Four oil/water storage units located on the property seemed, to the trespassers, to be ideal platforms for a 3-AM cigarette break. In the wee hours of the morning, the disaster-ly duo climbed up and lit up, thereby setting the tank and themselves on fire.
"Courageous firefighters saved the lives of these nicotine nutballs, and prevented worse tragedy by throwing large foam blankets over the remaining three oil/water tanks. Ms. Disaster landed in the hospital on life support, while Mr. Disaster was treated for severe burns on face, back, and arms. Survivors of their own bad judgment, we award the "Lucky Strikes" an Honorable Mention. Perhaps this episode will motivate them to quit. quit.(Ref 1, Ref 2) Comments: "In Capitalist America cigarette smokes you!" "

 "Next step: Sue the oil company--no warning was posted on top of the tank!"
Hat tip to Ed Jenkins

5 Things to Expect at the State of the Union Address

PJ Media   "Regardless of whether members want to pretend they like each other, Obama will not be eager to craft any illusions that he wants to meet the GOP halfway. He’s going to raise a fuss if it becomes apparent by tomorrow night — after tomorrow’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing for Chuck Hagel — that his nominees won’t have smooth sailing through Congress. He’s going to accuse the GOP of stonewalling, obfuscating, and being extremist. He’s going to try to get an eye roll on camera, another Wilson yell, a middle finger from Nugent, something he can milk for everything it’s worth in his quest to paint his opponents as opposite of American consensus. And he knows that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is giving the Republican rebuttal — and that should get a good number of viewers — so he’s going to try to prebut the rebut by studying American-dream messages and administration criticisms in Rubio’s past speeches.

‘Centrist’ Meme Abandoned, Lapdog Media Encouraging Obama to Head to the Left for SOTU    "We're not waking up from this nightmare. Get ready kids, four more years really starts with tonight’s State of the Union address.

A little drone humor

Below: my personal favorite because it says so much about Obama and his criminalizing actions of the Bush Administration for their interrogation methods used on terrorists.

 

Problems with a Tesla model S

The electric car mistake  "The Obama administration’s electric-car fantasy finally may have died on the road between Newark, Del., and Milford, Conn.
The New York Times’s John M. Broder reported Friday that the Tesla Model S
 electric car he was test-driving repeatedly ran out of juice, partly because cold weather reduces the battery’s range by about 10 percent."
More here: Weekly Standard; Hit and Run Blog; Boing Boing

NYT reviewer takes Tesla on road trip, "wasn't smiling." Elon Musk: NYT review is "fake."

Price ranges of Tesla cars. The first article mentioned a price of $101,000.
That price is not among those listed here.

The Prius is the PC car in Hollywood  "Over 70 Hollywood celebrities own a Prius. Stars seen driving their green machines including Matt Damon, David Duchovny, Zachary Quinto, Cameron Diaz, Robin Williams, Ewan McGregor, Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts, Rachel Bilson, Leonardo di Caprio, Miley Cyrus, Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks, Jennifer Aniston, Selma Hayek, and Sarah Michelle Geller just to name a few."  Plus any number driven by the good guys in TV shows.

Obama nixes Nork's Nukes. If Obama says, "Let me be clear", we will know he is serious about this.

goupstate.com

China joins U.S., Japan in condemning North Korea nuclear test  "North Korea conducted its third nuclear test on Tuesday in defiance of existing U.N. resolutions, drawing condemnation from around the world, including from its only major ally, China, which summoned the North Korean ambassador to protest."

defenceforumindia

North Korea warns it will take stronger action unless US hostility ends " "It was confirmed that the nuclear test that was carried out at a high level in a safe and perfect manner using a miniaturised and lighter nuclear device with greater explosive force than previously did not pose any negative impact on the surrounding ecological environment," the KCNA announced."
...."Analysts said the test had embarrassed China, the North's only ally and its biggest aid donor. "The test is hugely insulting to China, which now can be expected to follow through with threats to impose sanctions,"...."

Hey, Hollywood, it's not like the US was, like, fracking or drilling for oil!

toonpool.com 

SOTU; What excuses will O give and who will he blame? Do you have to ask?

Hmmm. Let me think: On whom will the president blame the negative-growth economy?  "This is the Obama economy — a shrinking private sector drowning in regulations, a voracious public sector always in search of new ways to waste money (wind cars! solar stethoscopes!), and the inexorable ticking, louder every passing day, of the debt bomb." Mona Charen

Hope n' Change sizes up tonight's SOTU  (Linked to in the post below as well) "The emphasis of his speech is said to be on jobs and the economy, although it's unknown what new he'll have to say since we already know he's against both of them. And to save Hope n' Change readers a bit of time (spoiler alert!) we'll tell you what Barry will say is the only way to restore our nation's employment levels: higher taxes. Surprise!"

Modern Healthcare;  What he should say; Healthcare leaders offer suggestions for State of the Union   "At least 20 states will not create a state insurance exchange, and most of the others face great difficulties in making it work. They need more time, and so does the federal government. A delay, allowing states to move at their own pace, is the only responsible action—but one that will be especially difficult for this president." Via American Enterprise Institute

Think back; WAS Obama lying as Joe Wilson, um, remarked?

Joe Wilson, we remember you fondly, even though the NY Times doesn't.

In an angry and very audible outburst, Representative Joe Wilson, Republican of South Carolina, interrupted President Obama’s speech Wednesday night with a shout of “You lie!” .

 How dare Wilson accuse Obama of lying?
 

NYT: Even Some Supporters Fear Obama’s Hubris
On Tuesday night, the president will address the nation and Congress on the state of the union. But many will watch as well for signs of the state of Barack Obama.
Inside the White House and out, advisers and associates have noted subtle but palpable changes in Mr. Obama since his re-election. “He even carries himself a little bit differently,” said one confidant who, like others, asked not to be identified discussing the president. He is relaxed, more voluble and even more confident than usual, these people say, freer to drop profanities or dismiss others’ ideas — enough that even some supporters fear the potential for hubris*…
*Hubris: exaggerated pride or self-confidence. (From the Obama voter's dictionary; the two-syllable volume)

Fate of the Union 

"Looking into our crystal ball, we can also tell you that the president will demonize Republicans by pretending that they (rather then he) are behind the upcoming sequester budget cuts, and he will invoke the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary to disarm Americans (Democrats are inviting victims of gun violence to the speech, although how they can fit in the entire population of Chicago remains to be seen)."