The State of Our Union: The Carrot and the Stick

"And during the few moments that we have left, we want to talk right down to earth, in a language that everybody here, can easily understand -- "

The pundits may say that when all is said and done, the State of the Union address is an American ritual; nothing more, nothing less. Some have inferred that Presidents in the past have promised much in state of the union addresses but delivered little. On January 27th our 44th President of the United States, Barrack Obama made his first State of the Union Address one year after his election. It has been a tumultuous year for our President. He won a Nobel Peace Prize, appointed a Supreme Court Justice and lifted a bans on stem cell research and for travelers with AIDS. He has also tried to deal with the jobless/economic situation with mixed results; his ambitious foray into healthcare has divided the nation and at times his cool and calm demeanor has been interpreted as indifference at best and frustration at worst. So tonight was the night of President Obama's first State of the Union address. Many feel that the last thing the American people want is another speech from an orator who may have lost touch with his constituents. Obama, as he is prone to do, spoke eloquently and articulately but he also showed the American people the many sides, facets and emotions he has. Our President has, at times to his own peril, tried to use the carrot to get everyone to like him and work with him. By the end of the speech it was clear that the days of using the carrot are over. It is now time to use the stick.

During the speech President Obama emotionally bobbed and weaved through the issues that have affected Americans the most, since his election. He made jobs and the economy the center piece of his speech. He apologized for the mistakes he and his administration have made. He again pleaded for unity between Democrats and Republicans and he even asked for unity within the factions of his own party. He did however chastise the Republicans for their stance with regards to his policies. Obama was right; voting no on EVERYTHING is not democracy at work. It is indeed government at a standstill. He admonished the Supreme Court ruling that seems to have opened the floodgates to corporate money in American elections. And in a bold declaration Obama made the promise that he would not walk away from healthcare, that our troops in Iraq would be on their way home soon and that the "don't ask, don't tell" ban on Gays in the military would be repealed this year. In a Regan like manner, Obama spoke of the resiliency of the American people and vowed that he and his administration would not quit because Americans don't quit. He did this in a plain no-nonsense manner. He did it in a language that everyone could easily understand. We saw the frustration and (dare I say) hope in one fatal swoop. In essence it was the speech that Obama had to give but again the question remains, will he get these things done? The answers are a bit more complex.

Obama has now set forth a new set of mandates for his administration and I am sure the American people are reluctant to believe these goals will come to fruition. This is why after making these mandates the President needs to get to work. He needs to hit the road not as the campaigner but as the "doer", with a number of tasks to be completed. The day after the speech the President hit the ground running, again not as a campaigner but as a man with an agenda to fulfill and complete. He want to Florida and to Baltimore to outline his plans for jobs and in Baltimore he faced his GOP critics in a stirring 90 minute give and take, perry and thrust exchange of ideas, accusations and explanations. This is the Obama we need to see this year. With some issues there will be no room for compromise. For some issues the carrot will have to be set aside on the table and the stick will have to be swung. The American people don't mind if you try and fail and point out why you failed. What we can't have is a President who compromises before he even shows us what he wants or what he believes. That can at times, seem like not trying at all. It's time Mr. Obama. You proved yourself to be a resilient fighter during the campaign. Now you have to be a resilient "doer". It's time to make plain your agenda. As stated before, it's time now for less saying and more doing with the caveat being you will indeed get some things done, some agenda items will be blocked but in the end there will be more doing than saying. Use the carrot when it can be used Mr. President but when it comes to getting jobs, overturning a divisive military policy or keeping the American populous safe, feel free when necessary to use the stick. The pundits maybe right. The state of the union may be just a ritual but at this moment what it is, is a restart to an administration that needs to make things happen for the American people. It was a chance for Obama to reconnect with his constituency. It was a chance for our President to let Americans know he won't quit because Americans don't quit, and he did it, in a language everyone in the country, could easily understand.