In response to MattyScornD's comment:

Reaction to the reactions:

If POTUS is indeed incompetent, then CONGRESS is committing malpractice.

And the latter is far and away a bigger drag on the economy, jobs, energy, education, social progress...you name it.  Their dithering and fecklessness create a vacuum of ideas and/or logic. 

By holding up cabinet, judicial and executive nominees at such an unprecedented level, they are severely restricting the government from doing the job that the people want it to do - even the normal business that everyone takes for such granted.

Both are guilty.

Obama will never be able to lead unless he truly comes to the table to move forward on common ground issues.  If they move forward on common ground issues then they can talk about the disagreements.  This goes for his complete agenda.

His real disengenuos act was to end his speech with his gun control crescendo on bringing it to a vote.  Why didn't he say lets enact what we agree on; background checks for criminal and mental health screening, close the gun show loophole and then debate gun type restrictions.  No he wants to create a division and diversion to avoid the difficult economic discussion and solutions.

Rubio was very good except for his awkward drink of water, next time a podium would work so he could comfortably take a drink.

In response to massmoderateJoe's comment:

In response to MattyScornD's comment:

Reaction to the reactions:

If POTUS is indeed incompetent, then CONGRESS is committing malpractice.

And the latter is far and away a bigger drag on the economy, jobs, energy, education, social progress...you name it.  Their dithering and fecklessness create a vacuum of ideas and/or logic. 

By holding up cabinet, judicial and executive nominees at such an unprecedented level, they are severely restricting the government from doing the job that the people want it to do - even the normal business that everyone takes for such granted.

Both are guilty.

Obama will never be able to lead unless he truly comes to the table to move forward on common ground issues.  If they move forward on common ground issues then they can talk about the disagreements.  This goes for his complete agenda.

His real disengenuos act was to end his speech with his gun control crescendo on bringing it to a vote.  Why didn't he say lets enact what we agree on; background checks for criminal and mental health screening, close the gun show loophole and then debate gun type restrictions.  No he wants to create a division and diversion to avoid the difficult economic discussion and solutions.

Rubio was very good except for his awkward drink of water, next time a podium would work so he could comfortably take a drink.

You can't get much more of common ground than universal background checks.  Gop won't touch them.

Your idea of "leadership" is fuzzy.  Congress does not want to be led.  If they're "both guilty", then what is congress' responsibility in all this.

POTUS is doing the right thing by taking the issues to the people in person and gaining public consensus which many in congress choose to ignore.

Rubio was out of his element.

The tee partee response was embarrassing and unnecessary.  If I was a goper, I would be ashamed for my party not presenting a united front.  How can anything get done when one of the two major parties - including the majority in the house - can't even get it's own act together and coherent...??

To be honest, I'm surprised Obama has got as much as he has with the whole carnival of freaks on capitol hill.

In response to skeeter20's comment:

In response to andiejen's comment:

In response to ComingLiberalCrackup's comment:

The President's claim that his new ideas for federal programs wont raise the deficit, has the same credibility as his promise to halve the deficit in his first term...

The liberal media will no doubt ignore the substance of Marco Rubio's speech and obsess over his getting a drink of water...

CLC,

Rubio buried the headline.

The Republicans just launched a new attack on Social Security.

Marco Rubio's response to the President's State of the Union absolutely buried the headline: Republicans want to make devastating cuts to Social Security benefits. Maybe you missed it because Rubio awkwardly took a sip of water...sorry but he did... and then tried to sell those cuts to the American people as a plan to reduce the deficit and "save" Social Security.

The Republican plan to "save" Social Security? It's just another scheme to push down working families and prop up subsidies for big corporations.

Really?  Republicans launched an attack on social security?

You are a fool if you beleive that.  You are a bigger fool if you think Obama is doing anythign to "save" social security.

Look, the problem is plain and simple.  We are spending over a trillion dollars more than we take in.  This wil lcroak everything, not only social security.  It is already croaking your savings as the real value of the dollar is slipping.

Oh skeeter,

And I have always been so civil to you. Never attacking you personally nor ever calling you names and here you start by calling me a "fool" and a " bigger fool". Oh well.

First, watch Rubio's speech again. Try and filter out how much he is trying to be the anti-Romney and really listen.

Second, one of the most agressive parts of Obama's speech regarding fiscal matters was pretty easy to understand. He talked about why is deficit reduction so important now that Congress is talking about cuts in Social Security.

Administration officials couldn’t believe that House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) ruled out raising revenue from wealthier taxpayers — while floating proposals last week for replacing the $1.2 trillion sequester that would cut benefits for Medicare and Medicaid recipients.

To the White House, it fit too easily into the president’s long-standing critique of Republicans as protectors of the rich and out of touch with the middle class. Obama, his aides, his Cabinet and his allies on the Hill have gone on the attack, pushing this message at every turn.

The section on the sequester was among the most confrontational of his speech, the latest in his administration’s effort to sell the public on his approach of cuts and tax increases.

He challenged Republicans in a pointed tone, saying “we can’t ask senior citizens and working families to shoulder the entire burden of deficit reduction while asking nothing more from the wealthiest and most powerful.”

In response to andiejen's comment:

In response to skeeter20's comment:

In response to andiejen's comment:

In response to ComingLiberalCrackup's comment:

The President's claim that his new ideas for federal programs wont raise the deficit, has the same credibility as his promise to halve the deficit in his first term...

The liberal media will no doubt ignore the substance of Marco Rubio's speech and obsess over his getting a drink of water...

CLC,

Rubio buried the headline.

The Republicans just launched a new attack on Social Security.

Marco Rubio's response to the President's State of the Union absolutely buried the headline: Republicans want to make devastating cuts to Social Security benefits. Maybe you missed it because Rubio awkwardly took a sip of water...sorry but he did... and then tried to sell those cuts to the American people as a plan to reduce the deficit and "save" Social Security.

The Republican plan to "save" Social Security? It's just another scheme to push down working families and prop up subsidies for big corporations.

Really?  Republicans launched an attack on social security?

You are a fool if you beleive that.  You are a bigger fool if you think Obama is doing anythign to "save" social security.

Look, the problem is plain and simple.  We are spending over a trillion dollars more than we take in.  This wil lcroak everything, not only social security.  It is already croaking your savings as the real value of the dollar is slipping.

Oh skeeter,

And I have always been so civil to you. Never attacking you personally nor ever calling you names and here you start by calling me a "fool" and a " bigger fool". Oh well.

First, watch Rubio's speech again. Try and filter out how much he is trying to be the anti-Romney and really listen.

Second, one of the most agressive parts of Obama's speech regarding fiscal matters was pretty easy to understand. He talked about why is deficit reduction so important now that Congress is talking about cuts in Social Security.

Administration officials couldn’t believe that House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) ruled out raising revenue from wealthier taxpayers — while floating proposals last week for replacing the $1.2 trillion sequester that would cut benefits for Medicare and Medicaid recipients.

To the White House, it fit too easily into the president’s long-standing critique of Republicans as protectors of the rich and out of touch with the middle class. Obama, his aides, his Cabinet and his allies on the Hill have gone on the attack, pushing this message at every turn.

The section on the sequester was among the most confrontational of his speech, the latest in his administration’s effort to sell the public on his approach of cuts and tax increases.

He challenged Republicans in a pointed tone, saying “we can’t ask senior citizens and working families to shoulder the entire burden of deficit reduction while asking nothing more from the wealthiest and most powerful.”

Sorry if the fool comment offended.  I guess I was just taken with your willingness to buy off on the Obama agenda, which at this point, I find a very irrational thing to do..

I don't need to listen to Rubio's speech again.  I'm off the reservation with both Republicans and Democrats.  They are both part of the problem. 

The solution to the social security insolvency will not be solved by borrowing more money.  It is a faulty concept.  there is no lock box.  money coming into social security goes right back out to current recipients.  It is in every sense of the word, a ponzi scheme.

So there is no fixing it, it will fail.  It should have never been started in the first place.

As far as the weathly, and Obama's OBSESSION with taking more from the rich.  That is nothing more than class warfare.  Rich peoople already pay most of the taxes.  IT has been shown to be so time and time agan.  Yet, somehow, they are not paying their fair share.  How about the 50% that don't pay  any income tax?  By definition they are not paying their fair share, and need to pony up.  not everyone is entitled to a cellphone, cable TV, big screen TV's., particularly ahead of paying their fair shae in taxes.

In response to chiefhowie's comment:

Still waiting for America to come home.

It's gonna be a long wait, because your version of America is never coming back.

Deal with it.