But unfortunately 99% percent of the time the President of the United States talks about you you're either a terrorist, unemployed, or a sad little girl who sent him a letter about how the she didn't get a pony for Christmas because the economy was bad (people blame everything on the president), so it's not really that cool to get mentioned by the president.
I will say that although I feel the need to vote, watch the State of the Union, and skim the news I'm not really qualified to write about politics. I don't understand everything that's going on, I'm not afraid to admit it. So to paraphrase Mark Twain, better to stay quiet than to let everyone know you're a fucking idiot. I will, however, say this about the State of the Union, nothing political, more of a commentary on the speech.
I hate the cliché mentions of "a small business in Tuscaloosa" or "I received a letter from a homeless mother of 12 in Northern Alaska" during speeches. Obama is a great orator, and he didn't go to that old device very often, probably about eight times throughout the hour plus speech. Which is good, because I was already watching the Australian Open muted on my computer, so if the speech got tough to listen to I probably would have tuned out. I could understand presidents whose speaking skills are sub par using these simple examples often, because it's easy and effective. But Obama doesn't have to, and thankfully he didn't too often, because they're stupid and pointless to anyone who is smarter than an opossum (to be smarter than an opossum, you must be able to spell opossum, that's the only qualification).
Why are they stupid? Because when talking about a bad economy, or any other subject where these examples would be useful in a speech, do you really need specific individual examples? The proven numbers aren't enough? Their only purpose is to evoke emotion. They aren't going to change anyone's minds. Least of all anyone actually in attendance. No one is going to stand up and be like:
Congressman: Small business's have been adversely affected by the recession? I was at a taco stand today and the line was around the fucking corner! That's a small business! I think you're full of shit!
Obama: Well sir, it just so happens that I have a letter here from a florist in Minnesota who says that since the recession began her shop has cut its staff by 50% and her clientèle have declined for the last five months because "no one can afford her flower arrangements and everyone is all bummed anyway and doesn't want to look at pretty flowers".
Congressman: Well that's just one...
Obama: I have more! I have a letter here from an independent prosthetics supplier in New Mexico who says people are so afraid to spend money that paraplegics would rather walk around without limbs and look like freaks than purchase his prosthetic arms and legs.
Congressman: That's a pretty dramatic example, that doesn't even sound real.
Obama: Well sir then perhaps you'd care to take a glance at this picture little 6 year old Billy Johnson drew for me last month. A picture that depicts him chopping and selling firewood all day while his father drinks and beats his mother, due the stress of unemployment. There's even a little word bubble here where his father says, presumably screaming at his mother "I need a job! You don't think I'm a man!" and at the bottom it says "Please help Mr. Obama." Is that real enough for you? This problem is real! And I have the drawings to prove it!
*Note: It took me like an hour to draw this
But all in all I enjoyed Obama's speech tonight. What's better, I can go around tomorrow (assuming I get out of the house) and ask people what they thought about the speech, and if they say they didn't watch it I can act all smug and smart. If they did watch it I'll have to change the subject pretty quickly though, because after drawing that picture for an hour I forgot pretty much everything he said.
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