Supporters of Barack Obama who want to cheer with like minded supporters can meet up in a couple of locations before tonight's speech at 9 p.m. (A helpful hint however; the speech is going to probably last an hour. Time your drinking accordingly).
Organizing for America, the offshoot of the Democratic Party that is all about getting Obama re-elected, is organizing several such get togethers in the Bay area. The go to place in Tampa will be at the Rock & Roll Sports Bar in Centro Ybor. In Pinellas County, you can go watch the speech at the Pinellas County Democratic Party headquarters at 2250 1st. Avenue North in St. Pete, and in Sarasota, you can get together with other liberals at on the first floor of the conference room of Bay Plaza, 1255 Gulfstream Avenue.
Lots of commentary in the news today about what Obama needs to do, none more salient than William Galston in the New Republic, who writes that the speech needs to be all about the economy. He writes:
Beyond the economy, there is an overriding political reality with which Obama must reckon: The people are sick of the political polarization that has intensified in recent decades. His post-November moves toward conciliation in tone and substance have been well received and have helped spark his surprising rise in public approval. Surely, he wants to continue the “president of all the people” stance that has served him well since the 2010 midterm election. But at the same time, he disagrees with Republicans about the best course for the economy. As we saw with the tax deal, a politics of conciliation means giving ground on fundamentals. So where will he draw the line between matters that can be compromised and those that can’t?
Bill Clinton faced this question in 1995. He found an answer that worked substantively for the economy and politically for himself. Now Obama’s choice is even more difficult—in part because the economy is in a much deeper hole, and in part because he is a more orthodox liberal than Clinton ever was. If he moves too far toward compromise, he’ll betray his core convictions and risk his credibility with core supporters; not far enough, and he’ll trigger two years of pitched partisan warfare that would leave economic policy stuck in neutral, and the electorate in a sour and volatile mood. This 2011 State of the Union address will show whether Obama can bring together policy and politics in the way that renews Americans’ faith in the future.
This article appears in Jan 20-26, 2011.