After a month of partisan bickering over economic solutions and constant reminders from the White House of how deep our country's financial cracks run, Barack Obama reminded Americans on Tuesday why he was elected president.
Obama's first address to Congress was full of hope, optimism, bold initiatives and appeals to common grounds between Republicans and Democrats. Its tone was pitch perfect to a nation lacking in the confidence and unity it needs to meet the challenges ahead. And Obama's speech was a reminder to his Democratic Party that he intends to deliver on his campaign promises, regardless of the severity of the economic crisis.
The president drew applause from both sides of the aisle on the following tenets:
• That health care reform is necessary this year.
• That climate change legislation must be advanced quickly.
• That the federal deficit must be halved by the end of his first term.
• That wasteful spending must be eliminated from the budget.
• That improving the performance of our nation's public schools and students is imperative.
• That a long-term fix to Social Security must be found.
Meeting those goals, of course, will be easier said than done. But for Tuesday's speech, gaining bipartisan approval of those objectives was a victory for Obama. Most important was his acknowledgment that all people in the room love America, even if they disagree on the solutions to its problems. Obama would do well to constantly remind the folks in Washington and elsewhere that all debates should start and end with that realization. That, too, is easier said than done.
Aside from being a motivational speech and an inspired attempt to rein in partisan politics, Tuesday's address also set high bars by which to judge the effectiveness of the Obama presidency. He essentially promised the American people that he will deliver on health care reform in the first 12 months of his presidency - a tall task, indeed, as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton can confirm. He also committed to doubling the nation's renewable energy production, passing measures including a carbon tax to begin addressing global warming, increasing funding to military members and their families, adding accountability along with funding to our nation's schools and removing our troops and the costs involved from Iraq.
That all sounds good, of course. It sounded good on the campaign trail, too. But there had been much speculation that a number of those election promises would have to be put on hold because of the economic crisis. Obama's confident message on Tuesday was that it's full speed ahead.
Obama's first address to Congress was full of hope, optimism, bold initiatives and appeals to common grounds between Republicans and Democrats. Its tone was pitch perfect to a nation lacking in the confidence and unity it needs to meet the challenges ahead. And Obama's speech was a reminder to his Democratic Party that he intends to deliver on his campaign promises, regardless of the severity of the economic crisis.
The president drew applause from both sides of the aisle on the following tenets:
• That health care reform is necessary this year.
• That climate change legislation must be advanced quickly.
• That the federal deficit must be halved by the end of his first term.
• That wasteful spending must be eliminated from the budget.
• That improving the performance of our nation's public schools and students is imperative.
• That a long-term fix to Social Security must be found.
Meeting those goals, of course, will be easier said than done. But for Tuesday's speech, gaining bipartisan approval of those objectives was a victory for Obama. Most important was his acknowledgment that all people in the room love America, even if they disagree on the solutions to its problems. Obama would do well to constantly remind the folks in Washington and elsewhere that all debates should start and end with that realization. That, too, is easier said than done.
Aside from being a motivational speech and an inspired attempt to rein in partisan politics, Tuesday's address also set high bars by which to judge the effectiveness of the Obama presidency. He essentially promised the American people that he will deliver on health care reform in the first 12 months of his presidency - a tall task, indeed, as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton can confirm. He also committed to doubling the nation's renewable energy production, passing measures including a carbon tax to begin addressing global warming, increasing funding to military members and their families, adding accountability along with funding to our nation's schools and removing our troops and the costs involved from Iraq.
That all sounds good, of course. It sounded good on the campaign trail, too. But there had been much speculation that a number of those election promises would have to be put on hold because of the economic crisis. Obama's confident message on Tuesday was that it's full speed ahead.
