A State-of-the-Union Play-by-Play

BY BARTON BUND

9pm - Switched my tv to PBS; the most boring, and therefore the most objective.

9:01 - Before President Obama enters, Jim Lehrer debates to himself whether the speech will cover the 800-pound gorilla, or the elephant, in the room. 

9:02 - Obama is still nowhere to be seen. Lehrer crafts some sort of filler joke which makes him sound all the more doddering.

9:03 -  Obama enters. Personable and smiling, the beloved Obama we first fell in love with. I have long held that he would be much more popular if he spoke publicly more often.

9:04 - All that hugging and kissing is a good way to pass germs around. If you think about it, at this moment, Obama's palm is a petri dish of untold bacteria.

9:05 - Nancy Pelosi looks terrific in that color.

9:06 - Is he signing an autograph?

9:07 - The sheer number of old, grumpy white guys in that room is enough to give me chills.

9:08 - A brief history lesson on previous State of the Union Addresses. Obama uses historical references to craft a uniting message to both sides.

9:09 - "It's not really my fault".

9:10 - Obama claims that "the worst of the storm has passed." And "These struggles are the reasons I ran for President." Damn, he's really good!

9:11 - The word "Change" returns, and the "Main street/Wall street" dichotomy. The word "Hope" is also being used. This speech is being framed in familiar tones, campaign messages.

9:13 - "I have never been more hopeful about America than I am tonight." A double standing ovation, on both sides. A uniting message.

9:14 - "Our most urgent task" - the economy. "We all hated the bank bailout." Democrats stand and applaud, Republicans stay put, only a few polite, self-conscious claps.

9:15: Transparency and accountability mentioned as key aspects of bank recovery. Now we got some ethics stuff going.

9:16 - The Supreme Court looks like as ominous as the Nazgul, the Black Riders from "The Lord of the Rings."

9:17 - "I thought I'd get some applause on that one." A fun, spontaneous moment while lingering on the subject of tax cuts. Harry Reid stifles a yawn.

9:19 - The Recovery Act, or the Stimulus Bill, gets no love from the Right. Obama calls for a New Jobs Bill! This may mean more shitty jobs for more Americans. Stimulus proposed for small businesses. Small businesses are called the engine of the economy, yet the banks have them over a barrel.

9:22 - $30 Billion proposed to give to small businesses!, plus $1B tax credit. Tax incentives for al businesses to invest in new plants and equipment.

9:24 - A call to bring manufacturing jobs back to America. The Right won't have it, judging by their reaction. Clean Energy Jobs. Tax breaks for keeping jobs here at home. The House has approved a Jobs bill, and he wants the Senate to come together on it.

9:25 - The Bea Arthur look is really in right now, judging by the fashions on the floor.

9:27 - "How long should America put its future on hold?" "I do not accept second place for the United States of America." Unanimous applause. "It's time to get serious about the problems that are hampering our growth."

9:29 - The word "innovation" is used for the first time in State of the Union history. "Safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country." Still no mention of where the toxic waste goes. Clean Energy Bill was passed by the House, and Obama says he is "eager to help" the Senate come to the same conclusion. "The Nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy, and America needs to be that nation."

9:33 - "We will double our exports over the next two years".

9:35 - National competition to improve schools. "We only invest in reform." "The best anti-poverty program around is a world-class education".

9:37 - A $10K tax credit for college tuition, increase Pell Grants. All debt forgiven after 10 years for civil service workers. 20 years for everyone else.

9:39 - Health insurance reform comes up for the first time all night. He has built up a lot of good will by now. Points out the economic benefits of implementing the plan. Reduces defecit by $1 Trillion over 20 years, he says. Asks for bipartisan agreement that brings down premiums, protects the uninsured, brings down the defecit.

9:47 - "Starting in 2011, we are prepared to freeze government spending for three years."

9:49 - A bipartisan fiscal commission. "I refuse to pass this problem on to another generation of Americans". A call to restore the "pay as you go law".

9:50 - The plan won't start for a year. "That's how budgeting works", he says, to gales of laughter.

9:52 - "Let's try common sense. A novel concept." "We need to do our work openly. To give the people the government they deserve." Lobbying reform ideas are met with grumbling. A call to impose limits on corporate election spending. A call for congress to publish all earmark reforms to one website.

9:56 - A philosphical proposition about politics. A call for reasonable bipartisan cooperation. A call to Democrats to be brave and use their majority power. A call to Republicans to take responsibility to politics, not parties. A call to play ball, to participate in politics, not in furthering our own ambitions.

10:00 - "We've prohibited torture." A reminder that in 2011, there is a proposed exit from the war in the Middle East. All combat troops out of Iraq by August. "This war is ending and all of our troops are coming home."

10:03 - Thunderous applause over proposed support for veterans. Click here for our podcast on veterans affairs.

10:06 - A quick overview of key issues that were not mentioned in the first hour: climate change, disaster relief, disease control. Arguably, these are the biggest issues. Why are they stuck in the final lap of the speech? Haitian special guest prominently featured on camera. "America must always stand on the side of freedom and human dignity."

10:10 - "In the end, it's our ideals, our values, that forged America." Here we are getting an overview of the moral brand of the Obama identity. Hope, communication, justice, optimism, reform. He cites our big institutions, our media, government, and corporations, that have led to moral degradation. Lobbyists, CEO's, TV Pundits all blamed for widespread cynicism, disappointment.

10:15 - "We are strong, we are resilient, we are American." Speaks of a young boy who sent his allowance and asked our President to send it to Haiti. "We don't quit! I don't quit!"

10:12 - "I never suggested that change would be easy. Or that I could do it alone."