Obama Speech Roundup

Our president has been all over the place in recent days, trying to rustle up support for the critical health care overhaul, as fear and madness have begun to take over, and Obama's poll numbers have sagged. I was starting to wonder myself where our leader was in all this. It began to seem as though he was taking punches and retreating to the corner to lick his wounds. I, like so many other left leaning, progressive people, have not given up on reform. It is vital, it is humane, it is economically necessary - no matter what scare tactics the naysayers try to use. So it is with great pride that I have watched my elected leader come out swinging again in the last week.

1. Obama's Labor Day Address at the AFL-CIO Picnic

Alright, in fairness, this was a friendly crowd. No one seems to love Obama more than organized labor, and that comfort level was reflected in his casual-Friday like speech. But like a football coach boosting his losing team with a halftime, locker room pep talk, I think this message was needed. Don't give up yet. The time is now. I for one felt "fired up" and "ready to go" after watching this energetic address! We're still in the game.

2. The President's Message to School Children

This speech was a detour from a full court press of the President's ideology, in an attempt to bolster the nation's youngest citizens. American students are woefully behind many other countries in critical, 21st century areas like math and science. Obama sought to inspire the children with the story of his own unlikely rise, and teach them the necessity of owning their path. How wonderful.

Naturally, the response from the right was a measured dose of...condemnation. WTF? Seriously? Obama was disingenously accused of indoctrination by certain conservative crazies. As Tom Friedman said on last Sunday's edition of Meet the Press: sometimes it's on us to stand up and point out when something is "stupid," to scream when partisan bickering has crossed the line of sanity. What could be more ridiculous than finding a first day of school address to our youngest Americans controversial? Is it just me or are some of Obama's critics really grasping at straws?

3. Tonight's Address to Congress

Are you ready to rumble??!!! The interesting thing about tonight's speech is that Obama has to try and verbally slap members of both parties on the Hill. No fault of his own of course, but Obama pledged a decrease in partisan politics when he ran for office. This health care debate has instead brought out the absolute extremes in party posturing. Dems like Nancy Pelosi have been every bit as dogmatic, power hungry and unreasonable as some of their Republican counterparts. Tonight is the night when Obama has to smack some bitches up on both sides of the aisle and make it clear we need to get things done. Enough talk.