A State of Cooperation

True to expectations, President Barack Obama stressed bipartisan cooperation and economic recovery in his second State of the Union address Tuesday.

Obama began his speech to Congress and the country with acknowledgement of the Tucson, Ariz. shooting and a call for parties to work together.

“Tucson reminded us that no matter who we are or where we come from, each of us is a part of something greater – something more consequential than party or political preference,” he said.

He avoided politicizing the issue. Rather than taking it as an opportunity to advocate for gun control, he left it as a point for Congress to rally around. Any attempt to use the shooting to further any political viewpoint would have created a greater strain between parties and forced the spotlight away from the tragedy itself.

The president also spent considerable time on an issue at the forefront of many Americans’ minds: the economy. Obama recognized continuing concerns by calling for a government “that lives within its means” and said he would take a tough stance on spending in order to reduce the national debt.

“If a bill comes to my desk with earmarks inside, I will veto it,” Obama said. He also proposed a five-year freeze in non-security discretionary spending by the government.

Specific measures for economic revitalization were a smart inclusion by

Obama. The economic strain on many Americans remains far from over, and giving them

tangible remedies to look for and rely on will demonstrate he actually has solutions in mind for the current economic woes.

He was optimistic about he called a growing economy, but he acknowledged further revitalization would be necessary to maintain the state’s standing as a world superpower.

“This is our generation’s Sputnik moment,” Obama said, referring to

a surge in American innovation and growth triggered when the Soviet Union beat the US into space. He highlighted a plan for technological investment to bolster the nation’s economy. He said his upcoming budget would include spending on biomedical research and clean energy technology.

However, one statement from the president seems to be an overzealous statement. “For all the naysayers predicting our decline,” Obama said, “America still has the largest, most prosperous economy in the world.”

While it may be a true statement, the Americans who struggle to find jobs and pay their bills following the economic collapse may feel obliged to disagree.

Showing that it is never too early to think about re-election, Obama highlighted his successes of the past year. One of the biggest – and most controversial – achievements was the passage of the health care bill he said was “reform that finally prevents the health insurance industry from exploiting patients.” It’s a bill House Republicans are fighting to overturn, but it’s also a bill that can provide with its passage evidence that Obama is a president capable of keeping a promise to the American people.

Obama did attempt to appease Republican critics by acknowledging that the bill had flaws. He again called for Republicans and Democrats to work together to find compromise on controversial parts of the bill and asked Congress not to “walk away from reform.”

Obama was smart to acknowledge imperfections in his administration. He called some of its setbacks deserved. By doing so, Obama decreased backing for the recent “us vs. them” mentality between the two major parties, as he noted his own weaknesses.

Another promise met by Obama – and highlighted in his speech ­– was the repeal of the military policy Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

“No American will be forbidden from serving the country they love because of who they love,” Obama said in an emotional appeal. The bill had its critics, but emphasizing the human element is likely to help garner wider approval of the repeal.

Obama also addressed the US military presence in the Middle East, saying that it would soon be coming to a close. He said the war in Iraq would end this year, and troops would begin withdrawing from Afghanistan in July.

Withdrawal from the Middle East would likely boost his approval ratings. According to Gallup, about 73 percent of Americans in 2010 viewed engagement in Iraq unfavorably.

However, Americans may not believe this promise. Obama failed to deliver on a similar promise he made in his presidential campaign and reiterated in February 2009, when he said most troops would be out of Iraq by August 2010.

Obama’s speech was by no means perfect. On some issues, he avoided delving into specific plans of action, instead favoring platitudes and rhetoric. While pleasing on the surface, a lack of a roadmap for reaching certain outlined goals may lead citizens to lack faith in the president’s abilities to achieve them.

Yet such platitudes are commonplace in politics, and the true measure of the speech will come as the next year unfolds, when Americans will get to see if overall, the promises from their president are worth trusting.

The (Economic) State of the Union

The overarching theme that will take the spotlight in Tuesday evening’s State of the Union could be described by a Clinton 1992 campaign slogan: “It’s the economy, stupid.”

President Barack Obama delivers his second State of the Union address, and like his predecessor Bill Clinton, Obama faces the challenge of fixing a recession inherited from a Republican president named Bush.

Whether Clinton caused the early 2000s recession or contributed to the end of the early 1990s recession is an issue still at debate by many, and whether Obama will succeed in guiding the country out of the economic crisis remains to be seen and may not even be agreed upon soon.

But for now, most Americans likely could not care less about the partisan arguments. They simply want jobs and a chance to rebuild their financial standings. Obama will promise the country that the economy is the top priority, because a nation must have the support of citizens who can actually support it.

Obama leads the country during its worst economic standing since the Great Depression, and can only hope for the long-term approval (and election success) achieved by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Roosevelt united the country and guided it through an abysmal economic period. For Obama’s presidency to be a success (and be two terms), he must do the same, and he must begin by demonstrating the American people that he can and will bring the economic downturn to an end.

The economy now overshadows the current conflict in the Middle East, but the issue is still one of rightful concern for many Americans. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have been compared to the Vietnam War, but Obama is responsible for ensuring that the nation’s final opinion on this war and its outcome is not viewed with the same negativity. Obama cannot ignore his promises to withdraw from the Middle East.

President Lyndon B. Johnson faced the challenge of fighting an unpopular war. A bull-headed approach to a drawn-out conflict was the downfall of Johnson and his presidency, and if he does not withdraw the troops soon, Obama will face the same fate.

Obama is already overdue on one promise from last year’s State of the Union, which was to have all troops removed from Iraq by August 2010. Obama should acknowledge this and provide the country with a well-reasoned explanation and a withdrawal timetable they can trust.

However, after certain talking heads had already penciled in Obama as a definite one-term president, some of the promises of his campaign platform have begun to come to fruition. The country still stings from the pain of economic troubles and continues to have a presence in the Middle East, but Obama should remind citizens that he has made strides in accomplishing what they elected him to do.

In the time since his previous State of the Union address, Obama has signed into law his promised health care reform. He also successfully guided the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, a promise he made in his 2010 address.

His opponents may be against those achievements, but they speak to those whose original support has wavered, and they will help to guide former followers back to the flock.

Obama will acknowledge the Tucson shooting. Less than three weeks separate the speech from the shooting, and as one of the victims, Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords will be missing from the address’s audience.

He faces a challenge with this tragedy: he must find the delicate balance between expected call for unity and the political exploitation of a tragic event.

He is unlikely to linger on the subject, instead opting to ask his fellow countrymen to be guarded in their rhetoric, and for them to remember that we are united under one flag as Americans.

A united America is best for the country, but it is also best for Obama (unless, of course, it is one united against him). This time next year, the 2012 election campaigning will be in full force. For Obama to position himself as a re-electable president, he must send to the polls citizens who know their president’s promises are held.

Obama no longer needs the American people to believe in change. Obama needs the American people to believe in him.

Parthenon Errors in Capital Classic Coverage

In reviewing The Parthenon’s coverage of the Marshall basketball games against WVU, the first and most egregious error I noted was a simple lack of fact-checking.

In the women’s basketball story, the final graf referred to Marshall looking to hand WVU its fifth loss. However, WVU only had one loss, not four.

From my standpoint, no errors should be considered “acceptable.” However, while a lack of subject-verb agreement or a misspelled word constitutes poor writing, a factual error constitutes not only poor writing, but also lazy journalism. In my book, it’s an inexcusable mistake.

The writing also suffered in regards to time elements – a mistake I’ve admittedly been prone to. The men’s basketball story began with a time element. Christ isn’t back (to the best of my knowledge) and even if He was, it certainly isn’t the focus of this story. So, the time element should not be included in the lede. In addition, it is also separated from the verb.

Finally, I noted a basic capitalization error. In the headline of the women’s story, “Capital Classic” isn’t capitalized. It should be. It’s a proper noun, and therefore it should be capitalized.

All in all, The Parthenon’s coverage had errors that could have been caught with adequate proofreading. However, it was a very inexperienced team that produced the edition, and I’m sure they’re learning from their mistakes.

The Quad

As a follower of college sports, I was surprised I'd never come across this blog. Now, it's likely to take a prominent place in my browser's bookmarks bar.

I love this approach to sports; this blog can dig beyond the headlines and find different but interesting stories. Sometimes it's a different view of a popular subject such as the BCS Championship, other times it's a completely offbeat but fascinating (such as the post on Auburn's presence in outer space).

All in all, a great angle to take on the world of sports, where coverage lacks quality, not quantity.

City Room

I like this blog due to the variety of topics it covers. In recent posts, the focus has been on snow, but even that can be a surprisingly varied subject to cover, ranging from the disappointment of no snow day to the frustration of an unplowed road.

But the blog's coverage is vast; I found interesting posts from New York political scandals to self-guided audio tours.

All in all, it's a fascinating blog to persue, and it's one that makes me want to pack a bag and take the first mode of transporation I find up to the Big Apple.

The Lede

In addition to appreciating their spelling of "lede," I like the approach that this blog takes, highlighting the coverage by other bloggers of newsworthy events.

Blogging - especially when done by non-professionals - is a controversial issue among journalists, but I think this blog shows the best of blogging and how it can be used properly as a news tool.

In addition, the blog also gives its readers a different viewpoint on current events, which is always value when assessing what's really going on in the world.

Paul Krugman

On my personal list of "Subjects I Find Intersting," economics would fall just above the drying of paint.

Yet in the hands of Paul Krugman, I find it not only comprehendable, but also interesting.

Krugman strikes a balance between conversational and concise, compelling and informative. He gives the reader the ability to comprehend his subjects, even if they may seem complex at first glance.

In his recent column "Trouble with Trade," Krugman explores difficulties related to the world market. It's a concept that may seem both boring and incomprehensible, but he breaks down concepts and makes them understandable without being in any way condescending. Krugman writes in a way that respects his readers as intelligent human beings, albeit ones largely lacking in Economics degrees.

Of course, Krugman expands in his columns to subjects beyond economics; however, he brings his same analytical approach to his view of various subjects, and the reason for the popularity is certainly understandable.