Coming Out of the Woodwork

Last evening President Obama gave his first State of the Union address to Congress and the nation last night and though I'll leave it to political pundits to dissect as to whether the speech was successful or not, I think it was refreshing after 8 years to see someone who gave a speech that seemed to come from the heart rather than the telepromter screens. The speech went pretty much as all such speeches go with a clear division at times between Democrats and Republicans but I must say that in comparison to State of the Union addresses from the past eight years, the divide didn't strike me as being quite so deep. I think this was evidenced by the fact that both parties of Congress stood up together whenever the President made a point that all could agree on. And in comparison to the recent past, they did it a lot more often.

If anything, I think the election of President Obama has sent a signal to Congressional leaders and politicians that the standards of the past are changing and the face of American politics is also ripe for change. I think the attitude across the nation (or at least across major parts of it) has shown that the American people are not ready to simply listen to the rhetoric coming from speeches and sound bites but in listening to leaders and determining for themselves whether the people they elect will do what needs to be done or whether they will do what serves their self interests. President Obama may be a lot of things to a lot of people, but to me he is also a catalyst for change and I don't think that's any more evident then in some of the moves that the opposition Republican Party have been making since the announcement of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate last fall.

If you'll recall, the announcement of Obama as the Democratic candidate came relatively late in the game and shortly thereafter it was announced that he would not be taking Hilary Clinton as his VP but rather Joe Biden. When McCain followed that up with the announcement that Sarah Palin would be his running mate, call it cynicism or call it a cleverly calculated move, but many people couldn't help but think that Palin was selected more for her folksy nature and beauty pageant appeal rather than her political prowess. I couldn't help but think also that she was likely selected on the assumption that women voters would want a woman, any woman, serving as either President or VP.

Well perhaps I was being too cynical then, but what about the announcement of Michael Steele (an African-American) as the new Chairman of the Republican National Committee? For years the Republicans had been run by older white men (call that a racist statement but it's largely the truth isn't it?) and on the heels of Obama's election suddenly Michael Steele is deemed worthy of being head of a party that has often been so adamant to change that donkey's seem less stubborn in comparison. But then again perhaps I'm being too harsh or overly critical. If there are any Republicans reading this blog I'm sure they may be foaming at the mouth or angrily getting ready to send off a furious e-mail. But I ask then about how suddenly a guy like Bobby Jindal can be the voice of the Republican response after yesterday's State of the Union address.

Now I'm no political junkie or political science major but typically doesn't the ranking member of the Republican party in Congress provide the response? I know there's no rule that says that's the way it should be but again it may be my cynical nature when it comes to politics that leads me to question whether Jindal was asked to speak more because of the color of his skin and his ability to speak to the masses more than anything else. I can honestly say that I found Jindal's response to be somewhat refreshing and a good follow-on to what Obama spoke on in his speech (which was equally engaging) but I can't help but wonder if this is just a way for Republicans to jump up and say, "Hey look! We're a diverse party too!" I would hope that that's not the case but with the way the partisan divide has been going in recent years, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if that's what the real reason was. But perhaps I shouldn't be quite so cynical, perhaps it is truly a sign that the Republican Party (and therefore the Democratic Party too) wants to instill change and show the people that they are ready to shift with the times. One can only hope.