Carol Anne Costa: Obama 2.0 - Sweetness, Swagger & Swat

Carol Anne Costa: Obama 2.0 - Sweetness, Swagger & Swat

He may be grayer, his face careworn, his battle scars more visible, and yet six years into a Presidential journey, where days, weeks, months, and years were often filled with confronting a belligerent and stagnant Congress, the POTUS delivered the State of the Union Address (SOTU) and he brought his charm, strut, pulpit, mighty pen, and a whole new attitude. Sounds like the GOP with their recent majorities in both houses are about to get exactly what they wished for, a fight six years in the making.

West Wing Story

The Jets and the Sharks have nothing on these next two years, as the lines are drawn. Oh I can hear it now, Speaker Boehner reliving Riff's feelings of solidarity crooning, "When you're a Jet~ You're a Jet all the way~ From your first cigarette to your last dyin' day." Fitting, I must say, as the tan and scowling Speaker gazed with envy at the President's brand new bully pulpit, which came equipped with the style, fight and the passion of the “Sharks.” I think he was expecting a lame duck and instead Bernardo swaggered in, and he spurred his ranks, “vamonos, Dems!”  His ability to charm the public and swat the politicians on both sides of the aisle remains unmatched.

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Ok, so maybe it’s not a gang fight of West Side Story proportions, but the stoic faces of the GOP as President Obama checked off the litany of economic progress including, lowering deficits, a booming stock market, and job growth elicited a Presidential ad lib and wink reminding the placid Republicans, “This is good news, people.” As a Democrat, I was buoyed by the speech, as Obama 2.0 set the table for 2016 and empowered us to be proud of our platform and reaffirm our commitment to the middle class. It is in our party’s history that we find successes built on core beliefs which endure; civil rights, voting rights, workplace safety, child labor laws, Medicare, unemployment insurance, Social Security, health care reform, family leave, and  marriage equality are all among them. Many of these programs born out of troubled times and economic challenges all had a direct and uplifting impact on the American middle class family. So, it behooves the Democratic party to follow the Obama 2.0 lead and return to these core values, as he reminded the GOP of his political prowess with a piercing ad lib, “I know, because I won both of them,” referring to his two Presidential victories, as Mitch “one term President” McConnell could be seen wincing in pain.  And, the ears of liberals and progressives listened carefully.

Get Off My Lawn

The mean people showed up too.  Steve “Cantaloupe Calves” King was in the house apparently looking for Justice Alito, frankly, he should have stayed outside the chamber until he found him. Alito was a no show. King, the Iowa Republican attacked a 20 year old Dreamer,  Ana Zamora, guest of the First Lady, via a Tweet calling her, “a deportable”. Keep it classy, Senator.  The Tweet: “#Obama perverts "prosecutorial discretion" by inviting a deportable to sit in place of honor at#SOTU w/1st Lady. I should sit with Alito. True conservatives and level headed Republicans should bristle at this, as 2016 is getting closer and large voting blocks moving farther away.

Liberals, Come Home!

With a new vigor, the President pushed for the progression of science, technology, and a free and open internet to benefit every classroom in the nation. And, his launch of a medicine initiative is also very exciting, “I want the country that eliminated polio and mapped the human genome to lead a new era of medicine – one that delivers the right treatment at the right time. In some patients with cystic fibrosis, this approach has reversed a disease once thought unstoppable. Tonight, I’m launching a new Precision Medicine Initiative to bring us closer to curing diseases like cancer and diabetes – and to give all of us access to the personalized information we need to keep ourselves and our families healthier.” This is what makes Democrats, Democrats. Obama 2.0 demonstrated in SOTU that pushing back against our Democratic values is counterproductive. I certainly hope Democrats everywhere heard the call to action.  

Speaking of a call to action, I close with a tribute to a passionate Rhode Islander who always stayed faithful to her core values, she gave voice to the voiceless, and constantly moved, fought and pushed on  behalf of the less fortunate; Sister Ann Keefe, SSJ. Sister lived the charge, “if you want peace, work for justice, and she did.  She was a teacher, social worker, counselor, and friend to all she happily served. May her model, values, passion, and drive live on in the world and through all she touched.  

Carol Costa is a public relations and community outreach specialist; she has experience in both the public and private sectors. She is the Chairwoman of the Scituate Democratic Town Committee and has extensive community affairs and public relations experience. She previously served in the Rhode Island Judiciary for nearly 17 years. Carol also enjoyed a successful development stint at the Diocese of Providence as Associate Director for Catholic Education and is currently the Executive Director of the Warren Housing Authority. Her work has been published in several local outlets including GoLocal, Valley Breeze, The Rhode Island Catholic, and Currents Magazine.