State of the Union

For some reason I feel obligated to do a post about tonight's State of the Union address.  Yes, I had it on tonight.  I probably watched about two thirds of it before it made its way to the background.  I'll be the first to admit I'm no Obama fan, but I wanted to watch the speech just because I figure it will be big news for a day or two, so I should probably see for myself what was said.

Now, before I get too into this, I will say that my political views lean pretty heavily republican.  That said, many of my best friends are dyed in the wool democrats, and I love a RATIONAL exchange of ideas with these people.  I'm not into overly generalizing about "the other side", and I respect a well thought out argument, even if I disagree with the conclusion.  I tend to keep my political views between myself and my closest friends that I know won't take what I say or think personally.   I know some people are very passionate about their views, and I'd rather not let opposing political views trash an otherwise great friendship.  I imagine I'll have more political posts in the future here, though.  Just realize...these are my thoughts.  If yours differ, that's cool.  I promise not to call you an elitist tree hugger if you promise not to call me a Palin loving, gun toting redneck.  Agreed?  Good. :) 

So, my take on the speech?  No opinion. :)  One thing that I've noticed in general recently is that Obama seems to be more open (in voice at least) to republican ideas since the last elections, and I have to give him credit for that.  He was elected in 2008 and seemed to think he could do no wrong, and over the course of two years, he has shown that yes indeed, he could do copious amounts of wrong.  But I notice a change in his attitude now.  Yes, I still disagree with much of what he stands for, but he seems more humbled now and seems to realize that he isn't going to get everything he wants.  Others must like what they are seeing, as his popularity is steadily climbing after being in the gutter for much of the past year.

The SOTU is hyped as a big, political pep rally, and I think that's true, but I think it also tends to make people take stock of what they stand for politically.  I imagine a lot of lawmakers tonight are very motivated either to help Obama keep his promises or to make a liar out of him.  Here's hoping that some succeed on both sides of the aisle.