...and embrace the Tea Party. The LA Times is even more perplexed than Gallup is, but they at least report the story straight:
An earlier post-speech Gallup Poll found the president's assertion that the troubled economy is "poised for progress" was rejected by a majority of Americans, who say the economy is actually still worsening....
Although historically relatively little of State of the Union speeches actually come to fruition, Gallup found widespread doubts about some other assertions by the Democrat:
Contrary to the Obama administration's offshore drilling moratoriums, two-thirds of Americans favor a new energy bill to expand domestic exploration and drilling.
The president outlined a vast new program to rebuild what he called a "crumbling" infrastructure. Americans oppose more stimulus spending and think reducing the deficit is much more important.
Americans oppose giving existing illegal immigrants "a path to legal status" and prefer halting the flow of illegal immigrants before addressing the problems of those already here.
And on Obama's proudest achievement, his signature healthcare legislation, only 13% like the idea of keeping it as is. Everyone else favors minor changes, major changes or tossing out the entire thing.
Other than that though, the president's 62-minute speech seems to have gone over really well.
And even 50% of Democrats agree - It's time for Tea:
A new Gallup Poll out this morning finds that 71% of Americans, even many who do not think highly of the "tea party," say it's important that Republicans should take the its positions into account.
Gallup appears puzzled by its findings: While only 6% of Democrats call themselves "tea party" supporters and only 11% hold a favorable view of it, more than half of Democrats still....
... think it's important the GOP work the movement's views into Republican programs. Perhaps some hope the tea party will help weaken the GOP, despite increasing support for the tea party's fiscal conservatism as deficit fears mount.
Yeah. The Tea Party hurt the Republicans so much in November that they were limited to a takeover of only 63 seats in the House and a half-dozen in the Senate, a historic landslide. Not to mention the tremendous flip of statehouses from Left to Right...
The LA Times does offer a propohecy of sorts:
Developing support for tea party positions as well as listening could augur large trouble for Obama's reelect next year.
Not to mention blinking helplessness in the face of a revolution in Egypt that can change the face of the Middle East for generations, and not necessarily in a positive way.
But as far as listening goes, Barack Obama doesn't seem to be doing much of that - either to the American people, the new Republican majority, or the few fiscal hawks in his own party:
President Barack Obama will send a multitrillion budget to Congress on Feb. 14, administration spokesman Kenneth Baer said, setting up a conflict over spending that may dominate a divided Congress for the rest of the year.
The budget for fiscal 2012 is a political document that will put into precise language the administration’s priorities for increasing economic growth and creating jobs...
Just what the American people want. Looks like Obama's first serving of Tea will be piping hot...