Obama, Please Don't Dumb It Down

Pundits see president's speech as a populist offensive

(NEWSER) - President Obama delivered a feisty, populist State of the Union address last night ( excerpts here , pictures here ), and naturally pundits are dissecting and grading it today. Here's what they're saying:

• "Obama had a simple message for Republicans: Game on," writes Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post . What on the surface was a typical post-partisan Obama speech was actually full of populist challenges to Republicans. "This is Obama version 2.0: Harder, more cynical but perhaps also more effective."

'Fire-breathing' Obama was impressive, writes Tom Shales

(NEWSER) - It wasn't quite "No More Mr. Nice Obama," but America did see a tougher President Obama than usual in last night's speech, writes Tom Shales. The president was "breathing fire" before the House and Senate members, acknowledging mistakes and disappointments over the last year, but refusing to "whimper or express regret," Shales notes in the Washington Post. More»

'Educator-in-chief's' address worked sometimes

(NEWSER) - President Obama delivered some highly effective moments and some fizzles in his uneven State of the Union address, writes Tom Schaller. His pledge to mend Washington works is fine if it's merely rhetoric to put Republicans on their heels, but he should know by now that "making nice" won't get things done, Schaller writes at FiveThirtyEight. More»

President says restoring American dream our 'defining issue'

(NEWSER) - President Obama delivered his third State of the Union address tonight, with a focus as expected on economic inequality and the need for all Americans to get a "fair shot" at success, reports CNN . In fact, Obama called keeping the promise of the American dream alive the "defining issue of our time." (That includes revamping the tax code, he said. Details on his Buffett rule pitch here .) More»

State of the Union speech to hit on fairness, income inequality

(NEWSER) - It's no great surprise given that Warren Buffett's secretary will be a guest, but President Obama will hit on the theme of income inequality in his State of the Union speech tonight. The White House released excerpts ahead of the 9pm speech, notes CNN . (Also, the phrase "built to last" looks to be a theme; it's in there twice.)

• "We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules. What's at stake are not Democratic values or Republican values, but American values."
• "As long as I'm president, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum. But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place."