My comment is that I watched every minute and saw no deer in the headlights look (at least not on Obama). I agree some of those well-mannered Republicans laughed at Obama’s comment about the freeze going into effect in 2011, which drew his quick, “that’s the way budgets work” comment. The only deer in headlights looks I saw were on the faces of Eric Cantor, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, when Obama listed all the tax cuts and mentioned nuclear power and offshore drilling. Anybody else here, besides Elwood, see Obama with a deer in the headlights look? I also saw a real deer in the headlights while driving on Danville Blvd. tonight. I’m pretty sure it was a Republican deer, but I avoided running over it anyway.

I don’t think the great Obama has ever been exposed to much of the latter.

Near the bottom? Matter of opinion. I thought it was great. Stuttering and stammering? I must have been wearing my stutter filter. Didn’t hear any of that. Teleprompter? What, he’s supposed to adlib the SOTU?

I loved the fact check parts of his speech. Bohener was looking a bit uncomfortable when Obama listed all the targeted middle class tax CUTS during the first year. People bust Obama’s chops for setting the record straight on what he inherited, but you can’t get a clear understanding of where we are now and how to dig out unless you understand how we got here and identify all the sources of the current deficit, not just bailouts supported by both the previous and current administrations and the stimulus. The big factor is the bottom falling out on tax revenue due to the recession, something you can hardly blame Obama for, given that the Depression-lite kicked into wildfire mode before Obama was even elected. The 2003 tax cuts are contributing to the red ink, just as was predicted by CBO when they were passed, which is why Congress covered it up by having the cuts expire in 2011. Medicare and SS have both gone cash negative (thanks both to demographics and the prescription drug program that was enacted with no way to pay for it). This deficit monster will continue doing so in exponentially growing amounts. Yet, only 16 Republicans voted for the deficit commission, something they previously supported. As Obama said (his best line, in my opinion), everyday is election day in D.C. We need to get real on Medicare and Social Security. If we fix those, all the other fiscal challenges combined are easy. If we don’t fix Medicare and SS, addressing all the other challenges won’t matter. Medicare will be flat broke in 2017. Incoming revenue from payroll taxes won’t come close to covering the cost; so something will have to give then, big time. We won’t have any choice.

That’s what Obama’s speech gave me.

I’ve not seen all 200 or so SOU speeches, but I’ve seen a bunch of them, and Obama’s has to rate near the bottom.

Did the teleprompter break? Is that why there was so much stuttering and stammering?

Unfortunately for him, he can’t tell the difference between laughing with him and laughing at him.

I guess not even he has the cojones to utter the traditional “The state of the union is good.”