And that's not just for this year. The Huffington Post reported, " Public Opinion And History Agree: The State Of The Union Won't Change Anything."
Their political analysts write, "The pattern of State of the Union addresses failing to make much of a dent in public opinion isn't new, or unique to Obama's presidency. It's held largely true for the past five presidents' addresses.
A new HuffPost/YouGov poll shows the State of the Union may be of minor importance to most Americans. Only 35 percent said that they watched last year's address, and even fewer -- 6 percent -- said that they could recall its contents "very well." Another 23 percent said they remembered it "somewhat well," while a combined 70 percent said they didn't remember it very well (28 percent) or didn't remember it well at all (42 percent)."
So much for the impact of this political uber-coverage!
And what of the speech itself? The New York Times was blistering in its assessment
"A man who entered the White House yearning for sweeping achievements finds himself five years later threatening an end run around gridlock on Capitol Hill by using executive orders, essentially acknowledging both the limits of his ability to push an agenda through Congress and the likelihood that future accomplishments would be narrow."
The National Journal was equally sarcastic, "I t was a good speech about a modest agenda delivered by a diminished leader, a man who famously promised to reject the politics of 'small things' and aim big--to change the culture of Washington, to restore the public's faith in government, and to tackle enduring national problems with bold solutions. " "
Was that was he was doing? Quite the opposite, writes Ron Fournier who began his report with a question, "Is that all there is?"
He added, "Tuesday night was no such moment. It was, instead, a moment in miniature: an executive order to raise the minimum wage for future federal contractors, and another to create 'starter' retirement accounts; summits on long-term unemployment and working families; and scores of promises to 'continue' existing administration programs."
William Deane, formerly of CBS and now editor of Our Missing News.com wrote: "I can't remember a State of the Union message--and I've heard or read about 50 of them-- that has declared a go-it-alone policy-if-you-Congress-don't-do-it-my-way "We understand President Obama's frustration over a "just say no," Congress, but the Congress has that right. The president's unprecedented: Come along with me or else I'll do it on my own is bound to anger the GOP majority and invite some form of retaliation."
T here was no love in media land either. Wrap, the Hollywood website reported that one Republican Congressman audibly threatened a reporter to knock him off the balcony. For all the show of unity, many in the audience were seething with disgust.
The Tea Party was in the end furious, not with Obama who is their perennial target, but House Speaker Boehner who they denounced in the speech's aftermath as a traitor and sell-out. They issued a declaration of war on the Speaker, claiming he is warring on them.,
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