Personally, I think Obama did a terrific job, hitting just the right tone ~ I was very pleased to hear him say tax cuts on the wealthiest are not sustainable ~ I was happy he laid out the kind of infrastructure and other investments that top his list ~ I wish there had been more emphasis on early education and less on college, altho I understand the college/economy relationship ~ and I wish he had at least marginally waded into the guns issues ~ but, all in all, I think he did a very solid job ~ I also think John Boehner again/still appears to be congenitally constipated ~ he looked very uncomfortable ~ Sooz

INITIAL POLLS SHOW POSITIVE REACTIONS TO OBAMA'S SOTU.... The State of the Union address wrapped up about 11 hours ago, so it's too early to get a complete picture of how it resonated with the public. For that matter, not everyone watches these speeches -- and those who do are likely more inclined to agree with what President Obama has to say.

That said, there are some early reports pointing to positive public reactions to the speech. CBS News, for example, published these results over night.

A CNN poll, meanwhile, found a combined 85% of viewers having a positive reaction to the address.

There was also a focus group report published by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner overnight, which noted a group of swing voters who seemed very impressed with what they heard.

Immediate reactions can shift, of course, and Mark Blumenthal is right to note that "these sorts of positive responses rarely translate into meaningful, lasting changes in public opinion."

Still, the White House will likely be pleased with the positive early reactions -- they're far better than the alternative -- and try to build on this moving forward.

—Steve Benen 9:15 AM January 26, 2010

http://www.washingtonmont...idual/2011_01/027702.php

Maybe he's challenging the repugs to live up to THEIR promise.

I think all legislation should be "stand alone" only dealing with one major item and any peripheral items directly affected by the major item.

This may clog the process at the beginning with tons of bills, but it would soon make things very streamlined as legislators realize they can't sneak questionable legislation through, but will have to be transparent. The debate/disection of a bill will be shorter because it will be relatively simple. Quick through committees, quick to the vote and move on.

 They will then give up on many of their pet earmarks that are usually nothing more than money grabbing schemes anyway. I would imagine that earmarks account for a large part of the deficit.  A couple million here, a couple billion there for things like a bridge to nowhere add up quickly when multiplied by legislators from 50 states vying for $$$.