President Obama offered a compelling narrative at tonight’s State of the Union. He did not mince words when discussing the challenges that we face today: joblessness, division, and crumbling infrastructure. America can no longer take for granted our economic stature. If we fail to out-innovate and out-perform, globally mobile workforce and labor-demand will continue to deemphasize the United States. Add in radical environmental change, crushing debts, and unmentionable shifts in American demographics.
He called this our Sputnik moment. An apt allusion. America could have crumbled at the challenge presented by the terrifying object launched on 4 October ’57. Instead, the Federal Government created DARPA, the agency that brought us the Internet and GPS.
The President called on the Congress and the American People to face our present challenge with the same conviction and commitment that enabled our grandparents to radically transform the world.
His speech reminded me of his campaign.
Representative Paul Ryan‘s response invoked a different vision of government. According to him, governmental involvement hamstrings private enterprise and only serves to increase the massive debt that my generation will have to pay. Instead we should embrace individual responsibility and pull ourselves up by the bootstrap — it is the American Way.
Both speakers sought to distance themselves from the divisive rhetoric of recent memory. Toning down purely partisan revelry and vindictive sniping did not mean they sought ideological common ground. Sure, it is there: America is in crisis and if we don’t do something, things will get really bad. And they both agree that part of the solution is to cut federal spending.
That’s about it. Try passing that bill through a closely divided Senate, tightly-controlled House whip counts, and a President who has promised to veto anything with earmarks. The sort of bills that pass muster in this environment name Post Offices after President Ronald Reagan. Unfortunately, such bills are not even revenue neutral, let alone revenue generating.
Tonight portends a year of logjam and frustrated purpose. The G.O.P. won’t get the smaller government it claims to want (yet always fails to achieve when fully vested on both ends of Pennsylvania Ave.); the President won’t translate his soaring rhetoric into ambitious legislation.
Still, we might get more reasoned debate on the floors of Congress. Not that such talk merits air time in our conflict-driven (sponsor-based) media, but it’s a start.
