The State Of This Union

President Obama's State of the Union address was basically his 2012 "If I'm re-elected, here's what I'll do in 2013 if I have enough Democrats in Congress" speech.  The odds of getting any of the things he mentioned in the speech passed in 2012: removing tax breaks for outsourcing jobs, comprehensive immigration reform, a trade "enforcement unit" to check on China, fixing No Child Left Behind and increasing college student aid, fixing the banks and streamlining the executive branch all have about as much chance of passing this Republican House as I do spontaneously sprouting wings.

Everything you needed to know was delivered by Speaker John Boehner before the speech bashing it, and by Indiana GOP Gov. Mitch Daniels immediately after.  Boehner all but accused the President's message of being "un-American", while expecting him to offer Republicans the olive branch of giving him everything Orange Julius wants.  Daniels' GOP response to the President called him "an extremist" whose "constant efforts to divide us" gives rise to his "troubling contention" that "Americans can't cut it anymore."

Republicans in 2012 have no intention of working with the President, but working him over instead.  At this point, anything that isn't 100% GOP red meat dogma is "extremist".  Daniels showed the GOP hand with promises of massive budget cuts and more hostage situations in order to "save the safety net."  It's going to be a long, ugly year in Washington, and the only course that's going to improve anything in 2013 is getting the GOP out of power.