1) The President is still focused on growing government. He made a few minor concessions to businesses that seemed to be directed at Republicans but he didn’t bother to even clarify any specifics to the American people. I assume one of his comments about reducing a burden to businesses refers to a part of the legislation that would require a massive amount of 1099 requirements. He did not give any clarification.

2) He referred to a trillion dollar cost to America if the health care reform law were to be repealed. Again, very vague and lacked any information on what he based this accusation on. For example, was his calculation based on an assumption that no legislation would replace the repealed legislation? The president made strong assertions that Health Care reform was largely about bending the cost curve. Now he seems content with an argument that it’s about getting more Americans insured. Interestingly, you don’t hear him or any other strong supporters of Obamacare pointing to other countries as evidence that they are a better model. He certainly isn’t pointing at Massachusetts, as the very recent research shows that this model, which is the primary model used to create Obamacare, reports higher costs on average than the rest of the country. To be fair, the real discussion (not a speech with a few sound bites and general statements) should determine what the cost (or cost savings) would be if the plan were repealed and certain elements and strategies were implemented in its place. This might produce a real picture for legislators and the individuals they serve with the needed transparency to participate in a real debate. Once again, the president alluded in his speech that he is open to listening to other ideas. However, he clearly held himself in a way that, in my observation, is a message to America that it’s either Obamacare or no plan at all. Over the coming months, now that there is more of a balance of Democrats and Republicans the American people will learn that there are in-fact other ways to reform health care and a real debate will begin.

3) The president stated that the economy is on the way back and pointed to the fact that the market is up. We need our president to give us a clear picture of where we are and not a sales presentation to make the picture look better than it is. Not one state is experiencing an increase in employment and some continue to experience a decline. Squarely, most of the energy of our President and our government has to be on getting people back to work. Most importantly, the president needs to avoid the moniker of being “anti-business.” The president must believe and must show that public that he believes the well being of American business is synonymous with the well being of Americans. American businesses may be showing increases in their stock prices, but this is largely because of sales from their foreign based operations and because they have cut costs in their US production. Their profitability has little or nothing to do with the number and quality of jobs here in the U.S. The only way to improve the number (and equally important–the quality) of jobs in the US is to build the productivity of American workers. The president did highlight the importance of education. Believing in American business means more than this. It means putting a lot more money into infrastructure. It most importantly it means sending out a real strong message that our President and our government recognizes and supports American business.

There are plenty of Americans who will spew hateful disdain about the President simply due to party affiliation.

Not surprising given the relentless assault provided by Fox News and the numerous Right Wing talk radio shows across America. No matter what this president says or does, there will be vitriolic nay sayers attacking his every word in an effort to diminish his political power. But to what ultimate end? and does any of that help America?

“Stay abreast” is apt, but not possible if you only use media sources that report on conjecture, opinion and strategic misinformation for a political purpose.

If you watched Sean Hannity last week, he and some other Fox stooges kept defending their right to be as negative and vitriolic as they wanted against their liberal opposition…in the name of free speech, regardless of what happened in Arizona…they do not want to lose the strongest tool in the arsenal: peddling hate and fear, and demonizing the left…in favor of sanity and reason. Where’s the divisive entertainment value in that?

Speaking of reason…

The President’s SotU speech was fair, and it was right for the time we find ourselves in and it directed attention towards issues that require unbiased reason and political will to overcome the choke hold corporate influence has in America’s halls of power. Restructuring tax laws to eliminate billion dollar loop holes for big oil and other corporate giants in order to reduce tax burdens on small business was fantastic. So was the call to make transparent the meetings between lobbyist and our elected leaders…as was the call to all American’s to hold themselves accountable in the academic success of their children and to upend the education system that has allowed substandard teachers to exist within the system…

The political games of “we’re always right, they’re always wrong” have little place in a serious push to build a stronger collective future for this country. Last night, President Obama underscored this theme and our times deserve this.

Anti-science tea party trolls – and freshly-elected Republicans – who don’t understand this are not contributing to the right dialog – they’re dragging us all down in the long run.