The State of Obama’s Image
January 25, 2011
What will the president say in his State of the Union address tonight? Will it matter? Will he be serious when he talks about getting America's fiscal house in order? It depends what he means by "in order" and "serious."
No matter what President Obama says, he remains a hard-core leftist. We only have to read his works and recall his actions over the past two years. He's not about to pivot and become a centrist. Look at his remarks on the 38th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. He's not going to do anything about reducing abortions. It's just talk.
The president won't backtrack on nationalized health care. He'll call for more spending on infrastructure while nodding in the direction of cutting wasteful spending. But again, it depends on what he and the Democrats mean by wasteful.
This speech is all about improving his approval numbers. People who think image and tone are more important than substance and ideology will think it a wonderful speech. They'll applaud some Republican and Democrat members of Congress sitting together. But behind the imagery and rhetoric there remain serious policy differences. Don't forget that as you watch or listen to the State of the Union address tonight.
Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.
Originally published January 25, 2011.
