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December 6, 2009

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Obama speech draws varied responses from Nevada delegation

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WASHINGTON — From both sides of the aisle tonight, Nevada’s lawmakers found something to like in President Barack Obama’s first address to a joint session of Congress.

From the ebullient: “I loved everything he was saying,” said Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley. “The renewable energy part of his speech was wonderful. Health care – I’ve been saying for years we have a health care crisis.”

To the loyal opposition: “I’m encouraged by President Obama’s efforts to work in a bipartisan manner to truly help our country climb out of this downturn,” said Sen. John Ensign, chairman of the Republican Policy Committee.

To the sober assessment of the road ahead: “I was encouraged by the President’s words tonight and I look forward to working with him to confront the challenges facing Nevada and the nation,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Inside the House chamber, there were definitely a few tense moments during the president’s serious but uplifting address on the state of the country’s affairs.

Several times, only one side of the chamber jumped to their feet in applause. As Democrats cheered, Republicans sat in stony silence.

Republicans got in a few digs of their own. They hissed as Obama talked about having done more for health care reform in the past 30 days than had been done in a decade. They hollered in sarcasm when he said the just-passed stimulus package was free of earmarks. (Republicans believe the bill was loaded with excessive spending.)

But, all in all, say those who have watched State of the Union addresses going back several administrations, Obama’s first address to a joint session of Congress seemed to bring more comity than usual.

Perhaps the new bipartisan era the president keeps pushing isn’t too far behind?

“I know that we haven’t agreed on every issue thus far,” he said toward the end of his talk.

Chuckles filtered through the seats.

“But I also know that every American who is sitting here tonight loves this country and wants it to succeed.”

Discussion: 10 comments so far...

  1. Isn't it interesting how the Republicans are a bunch of bullies when they are in power, but when they are in the minority, suddenly, amazingly, they remember the importance of being "bi-partisan"(until they take the majority back) - HA!

    The true nature of the elite, mean, rude, nasty, selfish, sociopathic, rotten-to-the-core Republican Party leadership is reflected in theirr obvious lack of good manners and etiquette!

    We shall see just how long the Republicans whine, snivel, complain and continue their campaign of obstructionism - and the longer they do this the more and more Americans will know just how corrupt to the core the Republican Party has become!

  2. "To the sober assessment of the road ahead: "I was encouraged by the President's words tonight and I look forward to working with him to confront the challenges facing Nevada and the nation," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid."

    Wait a minute, Harry actually listened to a President instead of behaving like a spoiled brat as noted here:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/19/washin...

    "WASHINGTON -- Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, has called President Bush a loser and a liar and has referred to him derisively as King George. Mr. Reid has also apologized -- but only, he likes to point out, for the "loser" line."

    More from that "conservative bastion" known as the NY Times (same article)

    "Washington, of course, can be a blustery, hot-tempered town. But not since 1919, when Henry Cabot Lodge called Woodrow Wilson "the most sinister figure that ever crossed the country's path," has a Senate majority leader appeared to harbor such deep and utter disdain, even loathing, for a president, as Mr. Reid does for Mr. Bush."

    Hmmm Johnathan, I guess Reid's behavior wasn't elite, mean, rude, nasty, selfish, sociopathic, or rotten-to-the-core, right? After all that is just "speaking truth to power", eh?

    "Republicans got in a few digs of their own. They hissed as Obama talked about having done more for health care reform in the past 30 days than had been done in a decade. They hollered in sarcasm when he said the just-passed stimulus package was free of earmarks. (Republicans believe the bill was loaded with excessive spending.)"

    Wow I genuinely thank President Obama for shepherding through the boondoggle prescription drug coverage for people on medicare. After his doing that in his first 30 days in office is better than what Bush did...

    Errr the prescription drug give away happened within the last decade, right? And there has been nothing on the health front except for a Daschle withdrawing his nomination for HHS secretary because he didn't pay his taxes.... But BO said he had done more in 30 days than had happened in the last decade.

  3. Harry's comments on Bush were fact and needed no apology. If there is a spoiled brat here it is the unaccomplished loser Bush. Thanks Bandar Bush for the fine mess we are in now.

  4. I was just very relieved to see President Obama finally make it out of the exit aisle without Harry Reid's nose becoming firmly lodged up the President's ass.

    Which would be a complete shift in position for Reid since he usually has his head up his own ass all the time....

  5. The battle has just began for the American Worker as powerful forces, including the US chamber of Commerce and businesses, don't want E-Verify mandated. Stopping Illegal aliens from stealing jobs from millions of unemployed citizens and legal residents should be their first priority, instead some politicians and other elected officials are in collusion with special interest lobbyists.

    Politicians such as Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), Sen.Gutierrez, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and others, killed E-verify in the Stimulus bill and will be remembered in coming elections. This simply means we need State governors, mayors, judges and anti-illegal immigrant, pro-sovereignty politicians not advocates for corporate welfare. Starting with Walter Moore, as a new Mayor elect of Los Angeles, who would rescind the 'Sanctuary city' policies in the county.

    Laws to halt the influx of illegal immigrants have been manipulated, so they never reached the courts. Pro-illegal alien mayors like Antonio Villaraigosa in Los Angeles, Galvin Newsom of San Francisco have brought upon this state a 47 billion dollar budget crash, which now they expect the taxpayers to bail them out.

    A powerful tool to halt foreign nationals taking jobs of American workers. 40 million illegal aliens have occupied our country, according to the Heritage Foundation. Not 13 million pushed by the liberal media Different administrations have allowed this, in favor of the business community and it's likely to get worse as foreign country economies suffer. The stimulus bill promotes upgrading roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

    Whistle-blowers should report contractors to ICE, who violate immigration laws.

    Do not stop calling the Washington switchboard demanding reinstating E-verify.at (202) 224-3121 This is also your contact with President Obama to stop hundreds of billions of dollars that support illegal immigration.

    No lies! Just the real truth at JUDICALWATCH, NUMBERSUSA, AMERICANPATROL, CAPSWEB, AMERICANWORKERS.ORG

  6. Bush is unaccomplished but he is also gone. Conservatives didn't like his policies anyway and don't have a leader to speak of currently. So shut up about Bush, we don't care about the man and his bad tenure Homer. Conservatism isn't about the man, it is about ideas. So facts and stats on Bush and other corrupt Republicans have no meaning to us, we don't claim them.

    What we should be doing is thinking about our "hopeful" future with Obama Bin Laden and not about past mistakes that zombie and narrow minded liberals want to completely blame on the last administration. How long will it take into this recession before Hussein and the demons takes any responsibility? 2 years? 4? 6? How about NOW! They're just as responsible for the spending during the last 8 years that created our huge deficit as the Republicans are. If you know anything about voting in congress, you'd know that it takes more than just one party to pass bills.

    Do you really think that after the world, particularly Europe, has tried socialism over and over and failed over and over that it is going to work here? You problably have no idea, all you liberal commies know is that your Captain Um Stutter got elected and that your aweful liberal policies take effect. Your knees are so weak for this guy that you'll ignore even the fact that this moronic minority package costs more now that THE ENTIRE IRAQ WAR in which you complained so heavily about! And that doesn't even include the interest that Americans will pay over the next several years.

    How ironic the first idiot to post here talked about Republicans whining, complaining, etc...and the liberal democrat way is to scream, bitch, bully, intimidate and violate with their unions and activists of all kinds as they picket, set up demonstrations, walk-out, march and call anyone who opposes them with any idea of opposition, self righteous.

    Well, you know what Johnathan and Homer, you don't intimidate me with your anti-god and (unbeknownst to you) anti-American rhetoric. So you remember that, as you continue to fight, claw and scratch your way through the system trying to get your way, which is, shredding the constitution. We won't join you. And we will never join you because you are the opposition to all that is loving and good.

  7. I think it is funny that Democrats whine and complain about cheap goods that flood into the market and hurt American jobs but they just love love the cheap labor that crosses the border and hurt American jobs.

    I wonder what is the difference.

    Perhaps one gives them power and the other does not?????

  8. Cannon,
    Your spin on the facts is dubious.
    First if you are trying to say socialism was tried and failed in Europe, then why do they still have socialized medicine? Why do no real European conservatives want to even touch that? I mean really if you're argument was even close to correct (it isn't)then wouldn't Iron Lady Thatcher have scuttled the whole socialized medicine thing in Europe?
    Also almost any one is grasping at straws labelling the other side as anti-American. That is just a petulant tantrum instead of a real argument. Both sides have tried it, and it didn't work for either side.
    And Cannon, if it isn't about the man, then why did republicans repeatedly support the man and his policies. Sounds like hindsight is 20/20 on that one.

  9. "Casca" if you weren't so pathetic and stupid your assumptions about me, and Democrats, would be hilarious!

    "narrow minded liberals?" Liberal Arts Degrees are known for being very broad in the real world!

    Just so you know I'm conservative on many issues, moderate on most, and only liberal when it comes to privacy and personal issues!

    "liberal commies?" Dude, I was hunting down and killing communists when I was 18 - and I ended up serving honorably in the U. S. Army for over 22 years!

    "Your knees are so weak for this guy that you'll ignore even the fact that this moronic minority package costs more now that THE ENTIRE IRAQ WAR in which you complained so heavily about!"

    The current estimate for the entire (unethical, immoral, unnecessary, illegal, Unjust) Iraq War is at THREE TRILLION DOLLARS - not counting the value of the lives lost and the suffering that our disabled vets will go through for the rest of their natural, fore-shortened, lives!

    Then you call someone you know nothing about an "idiot" (when I've been fortunate to get a pretty good post-secondary education) and "anti-god" (when I've been a person of faith all of my life) and "anti-American" (when I honorably served America for most of my adult life)?

    This is exactly what we're talking about when we try and explain that the Republican Party is in TOTAL DENIAL OF THE FACTS! Get into therapy dude - and you might consider going back to school and learning how to objectively think based on deductive logic and facts!

    You are delusional!

  10. For an educated person...you don't read so well. I told you, I'm not a Republican and a good portion of conservatives (including me) don't claim them. I am a social and fiscal conservative. We are not party line guys, both parties are aweful.

    You criticize me for calling you an idiot when I don't know you but in the same breath you do the same thing by assuming I don't have "a post-secondary education". Typical Obamanation to think that you HAVE to have a higher education to be able to think and speak properly based on "deductive logic". LIBERALS HAVE NO LOGIC. WE'RE IN DEBT, LET'S SPEND OUR WAY OUT!!! GENIUS!! I think what you mean to say is that I need to attend one of you fruity liberal higher education institutions such as Berkley or NYU. Only then.....could I be as educated as the "war hero" that "killed commies when he was 18". In the real world, I've never heard someone brag about killing anybody. With my large experience with the military, no one wants to talk about such things but you seem to be just fine with it. So either your a liar and a fraud or....your a mentally disturbed and insecure man who has to speak of very vein and morbid experiences in an attemp to throw his weight around. Pathetic if either of those scenarios are true. At any rate, I don't care who you have fought for! It doesn't give you a free pass on every American issue without disagreement. YOU HAVE SPEWED NO FACTS!! You have given your once again weak liberal version of American politics.

    Note to you: Even your own kind (liberal commies) have stated that the Iraq war was at 600billion. If you don't like that number, take up with Hussein, it came from his mouth.

    Socialized medicine does not work! Just because Canada and Europe still do it doesn't mean that it works. They have an absolute ton of social programs incorporated into their society that still don't and will never work. And you say that I don't know the facts! Just ask any Canadien how well socialized medicine has worked for them.

    A man of faith who has "liberal personal and private views", yeah....I can just see it now, you kneeling down for prayer thanking God for all your blessing just after supporting one: stealing money from some to feed lazy others and two: same sex marriage. Your right, the two go hand in hand. I'm sure that when you meet your maker that he'll tell you that he has no problems with either of those.

    That you are liberal, automatically sends you into the delusional category and a basic denial of not only facts but of all life and it's workings, no matter who you have fought for.

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