SOTU and other guest appearances

The SOTU is not the place to announce personnel changes.

And often it is not the place to play gotcha politics either. But given the universal perception, among sentient being who are not caught up in the republican mass delusion, the politics of "no" deserved to be laid out in front of the American people much more strongly and explicitly than it was (i.e., if I recall, by innuendo and inference from the "if you require 60 votes to pass anything", with a sidelong glance to that part of the chamber. That's not confronting the chief procedural factor underlying the gridlock that Obama identified. It needed to be spelled out. Obama has nothing to lose but some kumbaya points.

Overall, I did not find the tone of the presentation serious enough. Still too much smirking and chuckling; too much congenially clubby nuance. (wink, wink, we all politicians/insiders, eh?) I'm aware that just being solemn can come across unnaturally heavy -- and that one should not try to act too far out of conformity with one's natural presence. However, the tone and presentation did not convey the truly dire state of things; it didn't even come up to matching the words as written.

I also understand Obama was ostensibly trying to start over again, in campaign mode. Up beat, can do, America the great, etc.

No can do. We are where we are, ad it's not something that can be airbrushed away.

I've already suggest that Obama fire some folks (notably Gaithner, Summers and Emmanuel) if he is really serious about change of direction and gaining some initiative.

I hasten to add, that I'm not sure Obama has it in him. Largely, I am beginning to believe, that even if Obama 1) is on 'our' side (you know, saving the republic) 2) recognizes the big shakeups, in personnel and personal mindset that is needed, he lacks the personality traits and is hampered by unresolved 'efficacy' issues to pull it off. (efficacy issues = sort of like getting past seeing himself as either more special or more inferior because he is, well you know . . .)

Including yesterdays televised 'interchange' with the Republicans at their Congressional get together, at which everyone seems to think Obama shone, rather than getting tough and playing hardball, he seems to have doubled down on the message of bipartisanship. While once again he may have won the day in rhetoric and speechifying, does it do anything more than indulge his own personal crusade to 'change the tone' as opposed to meeting the reality of the situation head on with appropriate tactics.? It's not in the Republican strategy to cooperate. And it's barely in the Democratic playbook either. Time to knock heads, not hold hands.