Even as Mr. Obama reached out again and again, tilting his policies toward the Republican minority in both Houses of Congress, liberal, grassroots organizations and Democratic members gave him generally high marks after his speech, while Republicans for the most part simply scowled and “sat on their hands.”
“One year ago, I took office amid two wars, an economy rocked by a severe recession, a financial system on the verge of collapse and a government deeply in debt,” said Mr. Obama as he began his 71 minute address. “Experts from across the political spectrum warned that if we did not act, we might face a second depression.
“So we acted—immediately and aggressively. And one year later the worst of the storm has passed,” he said. And despite a slow, mostly a “non-recovery” for those who have been the worst off in the society, those at the bottom of the economic and social ladder, Mr. Obama's optimistic mood seems to have carried the day.
A full two-thirds of the President's address was devoted to the economy, the central theme of which was job creation. Mr. Obama outlined a series of steps his administration hopes to take to aid middle-class families and spur job growth.
While some Democratic members of Congress confessed they did not expect, in advance to agree with the president about everything, the areas of concern were often Mr. Obama's promise to expand funding for nuclear energy, and his proposed domestic spending freeze—not necessarily items considered most important to Black people.
There was specific mention of ending “don't ask, don't tell” for gays in the military and talk of suffering on Main St., and in Elkhart, Ind., where the president sought White votes. However, there was no specific mention of suffering in Harlem, South Central Los Angeles or on Martin Luther King Drive—where Black voters supported the president in overwhelming numbers.
Studies have shown Blacks enduring disproportionate pain with higher unemployment, less income, more home losses to foreclosure and receiving little if any money from the federal bailout funds approved by Mr. Obama. But that particular pain found no mention in the State of the Union address to the dissatisfaction of some and was a move defended by others.
Some felt the speech was a solid challenge to the GOP to get beyond just saying no and move legislation, while others felt the president had neglected a major constituency.
“It was a core Democratic speech, to be sure, but he called out both sides,” Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) told The Final Call, shortly after Mr. Obama's speech. “Democrats: ‘Govern. You've got the biggest majority in decades.' Republicans: ‘Obstruction is not governing either,'” Mrs. Norton continued.
“He gave a speech far more devoted to domestic policy, when you consider that he is the Commander-in-Chief and there are two wars. He recognized that people wanted to hear what he's going to do for those who are out here suffering. His focus on jobs, on money from the banks, small business to make jobs, that's what people want to hear,” Ms. Norton said.
Several members of the Congressional Black Caucus gave Mr. Obama similar high marks immediately after the address. “I think the President laid out both where we've been and now where we need to go,” Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) said, “especially around job creation and making sure we can get the American economy really flowing the way that it needs to. And I think he also said ‘I'm not going to quit on the big stuff,' things like health care, and I was glad to hear that message.
“We heard great news, about continuing the fight to rebuild our schools. We heard great news about continuing the struggle to rebuild the Department of Justice and its ability to enforce our civil rights laws and our Constitution, and about making job creation job one,” Benjamin Jealous, president of the NAACP told The Final Call. “So his call for leadership from both parties—pushing his own party not to run for the hills, saying he will continue to fight, but also telling the Republicans to stop being ‘The Party of No' and bring some ideas to the plate—is critical.
“Because the reality is we're about 10 million jobs short in this country. And right now, if you take his ideas, and Congress's ideas and it doesn't even get us half way. We cannot, we cannot talk about rebuilding Main Street in this country until we talk about rescuing Back Street.”
Analyst: Shameful neglect of Black supporters
“I think that it's shameful that the president has neglected African American people, and the constituencies of Black America and it's even more tragic that Black people won't be critical of him and won't demand, out of self respect and dignity of their individual and collective identities, for this president to respond to their call of responsibility,” said Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, a scholar, author, early supporter and Obama surrogate speaker.
