Barack Obama’s speech reminded me more than anything else of some of Bill Clinton’s State of the Union addresses. It was a little longer than I would have liked. It was more itemized than I would have preferred. I thought it was very effective even though it didn’t really speak to me. It wasn’t really aimed at winning the love of progressives and there was a bit of triangulating that I found grating. I can’t blame him for speaking to the middle, but it came at the cost of denying me the ability to dream big.
The part I really liked is when he gave his supporters credit for creating the progressive change he was able to deliver. I just wish he had done more to empower his supporters to help him. If you have been reading this site over the last four years, you know that I understand the constraints he’s been dealing with. My biggest regret is that he squandered much of the power of the grassroots movement he built.
That’s what makes me cynical.