"We do big things." - President Obama

While I truly feel passionate about the issues, I really don't feel up to breaking down the State of the Union address in detail. Also I do genuinely want to keep this blog as free of politics as I possibly can, that being said I feel compelled to say a little something on the rare night that a President's speech bumps out whatever bunkum is usually on the big channels and Joe Schmo sits on his Dorito stained couch, in a flyover state somewhere, and acts like he gives a damn the other 364 days of the year.

I must start off by saying I remember back in high school the teachers would assign us to tune into the event and take notes on it. Back then I was somewhat of a lackadaisical jackass, to put it mildly, and couldn't care less about what some schmuck in a suit and tie was babbling about to other more wrinkly schmucks sitting and standing, sitting and standing, clapping, booing. It didn't belong to my tiny little universe I created for myself so I discarded it as nothing more then a fancier version of a worksheet.

The first one I tuned into on my own accord was Bush's after 9/11. I wanted him to assure me that even if Cobra was waiting in my walk in closet that he, along with the greatest military in the world, were going to make a very bad day for evil doers everywhere. Of course that shtick wore off in a year for me and roughly 6 or 7 years later for the more impressionable, scared people all across the country, but I digress.

Tonight was about looking forward, and if we are just going to "discuss the music" as MSNBC'S perpetually genius Chris Matthews says, and "not the lyrics" then I must say (and early reports show that most others are saying) that this speech tonight was a huge success for not one particular party but America.

It was the first genuinely "cool" President, a younger guy in good shape, that has Jay-Z in his ipod, bigging up Google and Facebook and envisioning a country where a fireman could get the dimensions of a burning building on his cell. President Obama dished out a storyline tonight that threw it back to the "glory days" of this country, a time when big thinkers did "big things" and weaved it together with a true visionary's take on the future. A future with high speed railways, better teachers, affordable health care and a Government that is streamlined and makes sense.

Tonight we saw the obvious grand gestures of decency in the fact that members from both parties sat together and dialed down the booing and growling. And also caught little moments, like a sincerely touched John Boehner when Obama mentioned that he started out as a boy sweeping the floor of his old man's bar. Boehner, a man I loathe on most days, a man that I feel sometimes cries for no other reason then to draw sympathy, actually appeared legitimately human for the first time tonight, outside of having the skin complexion of the Human Torch of course.

Perhaps it's with help from a great tragedy but Barack Obama seems to be slowly bringing people together, it shows in the recent surge of his approval ratings. In the face this country's huge struggles and a right wing destined to disagree at every turn and see him fail, he was never folded in his attempt to be a leader that must rise above the negativity.

In the end, after all the talk of civility in the face of recent events and a new approach to bipartisan politics, the official Republican response was by someone almost as dull as Bobby Jindal, who disappeared after the last State of the Union quicker then you can say "voodoo witch doctor" and another response by bat shit crazy Tea Bagger queen Michele Bachmann, who just today enlightened everyone on the fact that the founding fathers had a hand in ending slavery. I shit you not. My three year old God Son is literally smarter than these people. Both "responses" weren't responses at all, but predictable attacks on the President and not an alternative idea on a single issue. Needless to say things were already back to normal as soon as Obama wrapped things up.

President Obama stated that America is a country that "does big things", Americans are people that do big things. I agree. So why not we give our President the platform to do the same. Tonight he gave us the blueprint, let's see if we're smart enough to build.