Obama speech
Obama speech
President Obama’s State of the Union address was one of the best in my lifetime. The last quarter of the speech was truly inspirational. Not just for its message that successful self-government requires “the goodness and the decency” of all.
It also confirmed his decision to turn the other cheek, rising above the petty rancor habitually voiced by critics. Many who accuse him of being divisive first embraced an inflexible resistance to the unfamiliar, whether the unfamiliar be name, race or political view.
In spite of opposition domestic and foreign, the president has accomplished many things. Not only in meeting immense challenges and executing policy, but in carrying the burdens of the job with dignity and grace — choices better than the current tough-guy bombast and fear-mongering of campaigners.
History will best judge how Obama will rank among his predecessors. In the meantime, I find comfort and take much pride that this man is in the Oval Office.
Jeff Horton, Granbury
After listening to President Obama’s last — thankfully — State of the Union speech, I agree that he is a master of soaring rhetoric.
Unfortunately, we have learned that his rhetoric is empty, his promises unfulfilled and his word not believable.
Our country is rife with unrest and dissatisfaction, and racial tension is at its highest since the civil rights era. This man, who held such promise for so many, has missed the mark.
His legacy will be as a great divider, not a uniter as was hoped. He is a perfect example of “All hat, no cattle.”
Connie Cranford,
Burleson
So the president wants to fix the politics in our country. Will he accomplish that with his pen?
Isn’t this the administration that pushed the Affordable Care Act through, even as Americans were against it by a margin of 65 percent to 35 percent?
The same president who penned immigration orders that are, again, wildly unpopular? The same president who said the Republicans could ride along, but in the back of the bus?
I could go on, but the president’s actions are speaking so loudly we can’t hear a word he’s saying.
James Parker,
Brownwood
This story was originally published January 15, 2016 at 6:03 PM with the headline "Obama speech."