Not a front row seat, but I had the good fortune to be in the Visitor’s Gallery for President Obama’s first State of the Union address. Regardless of one’s politics, it is a rush to be in the House Chamber to be a part of history and political pageantry.
The President spoke to the country in the shadow of the irony of the Massachusetts election. The irony isn’t what happened to the seat long held by Ted Kennedy but that the one state that has, and to all accounts appreciates, universal health care might block the rest of the country from gaining something similar.
The President took a share of the responsibility for a process that has been too partisan and pork laden for most of us. He challenged both Democrats and Republicans to stop making every day and every issue about the next election. For my part, it is clear that America does not like watching sausage being made. This doesn’t make us all vegetarians but he spoke for most of us when he said the people want fewer sound bites and more of the job getting done.
The President strongly believes in the ethical imperative of reform as well as believing it is a fundamental building block of having a strong economy and sustained job creation. Contrary to the pundits, it didn’t sound to me like he was backing away from health reform. He is not quitting.
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