Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, left, celebrated Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell's victory in Richmond in November. (Photo by Scott K. Brown / AP)
by Mark Silva
In his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, President Barack Obama will speak of his persisting vision of health-care reform.
He will speak of the need for financial regulation, to regain stability in a banking community whose riskiest practices cast the nation into a deep economic crisis.
He will speak of the impact of a special election in Massachusetts that is depriving his party of a filibuster-proof super-majority in the Senate.
He will speak of more. The speech is in the writing.
It's a good bet, too, that the Republican delivering the GOP's response to the president's address will talk about jobs, jobs and jobs.
The chosen spokesman for the GOP is one of its newest state leaders, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, whose election last fall -- along with a Republican victory in New Jersey -- offered the first indication that independent voters who had supported Obama, handing the president the electoral votes of the commonwealth in the 2008 election, were turning elsewhere now. The vote in Massachusetts this week for Sen.-elect Scott Brown secured that trend.
House Minority Leader John Boehner -- who hewed to a refrain of 'where are the jobs'' throughout the debate over the economic stimulus act and health-care debate of 2009 -- said today that, "as the American people continue to ask, 'Where are the jobs?' Gov. McDonnell has offered common-sense economic policies in stark contrast to Washington Democrats' job-killing agenda. ''
McDonnell, who was the state's attorney general and a state lawmaker before his election as governor, also served as a prosecutor in the Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney's office. He served 21 years in the Army, in both active duty and reserves, and retired as a Lt. Colonel in 1997. His oldest daughter, Jeanine, an Army veteran, served a tour of duty in Iraq.
Comments
Ahhhh...One of the many "next" republican presidents. I guess it doesn't take much anymore!
Posted by: bill r. | January 21, 2010 4:19 PM
KEEP LAUGHING BILLO . . . CHANGE IT'S A COMIN'!!!!!
Posted by: Bobby Mobbie | January 21, 2010 7:32 PM
Gov McDonnell vs President "Me, Myself, and I". Over/Under on the use of "Me, Myself, Mine, and I" in the state of the union is now and 180.5. Place your bets.
Posted by: Terry | January 21, 2010 7:33 PM
BUH BYE HEALTH CARE "REFORM"!!!! THE ADULTS WILL BE TAKING IT FROM HERE.
*
Pelosi: House lacks votes to OK Senate health bill
*
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9DCATFO0&show_article=1
Posted by: Bobby Mobbie | January 21, 2010 7:36 PM
OK LOONY LEFTIES, CHEW ON THIS ONE!!!
*
10 reasons why George W. Bush was a smarter world leader than Barack Obama
*
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100022714/10-reasons-why-george-w-bush-was-a-smarter-world-leader-than-barack-obama/
Posted by: Bobby Mobbie | January 21, 2010 7:40 PM
Time to sell all my stocks. With 41 Republicans. . .nothing will get done! More stonewaling. Forget renewable energy. . .forget health care reform. Let those people who stayed home and didn't come out to vote starve! i won't shed a tear when they show up on TV and complain about how they can't get access to affordable health care!
Posted by: HmongRodneyKing | January 21, 2010 7:42 PM
What happened to the Massachusetts voters? Didn't the Kennedys give that state enough? They go out and besmirch their public servants memories by voting for a ventriloquist's dummy, who knows the runway, as well as any model !! Another Republican-Libertarian mouthpiece, in a long line of mouthpieces, from Nixon to Reagan to the Bushie boys, with Cheney throw in, because nobody wants him . The Republican-Libertarians can't sell their product, that selfish, narrow-minded Republican-Libertarian agenda, so they go out and get a model to sell it for them. If he succeeds, then they have it made and they continue to pull his strings. It is a tired, old ruse that the American voters should be tired of, by now, but, once again, they tell their lies often enough and some people begin to believe the same old lies, all over again. No wonder your ilk, the Bush&Cheney fringe, sank our nation's economy, they didn't have a clue as to what they were doing. Their ignorance was a signal for all their buddies to do their best, to steal, to cheat, and to con as much ill-gotten gains as they could get away with and they sure did a job on our nation's economy !! As tired of this history lesson, the Republican-Libertarians might be, covering the incompetence and malfeasance of the Bush&Cheney administrations, it is a story that will be repeated, ad infinitum, until America gets it.
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, IL | January 22, 2010 2:36 AM
Yes Don, the Kennedy's certainly gave the commonwealth of Massachusetts a lot.
Why just ask Mary Jo Kopechne.
You know, your posts ought to come with a disclaimer. Something like: Brilliant Political Analysis to Follow.
Posted by: Chris | January 22, 2010 11:15 AM
" Chris " you are a real riot. You and Georgie Boy aught to take that show on the road. You could call it, " Mission Accomplished ". That's a catchy phrase, don't you think !!
As for Ms Kopechne, is sad that you have to dredge up her memory, every time you want to take a cheap shot, make a cheap point, against the Kennedys. It only shows your stupidity in stark terms.
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, IL | January 22, 2010 12:07 PM
Obama has failed on every front. Eight million more jobs lost under his watch; hundreds of billions more in debt; an increase in terrorist attacks coupled by a coddling of terrorists who are caught; his new assault on banks with a resultant plunge in the stock market; an economy in chaos;
a passing out of favors to unions and radical groups; secret drafted legislation; further decline in edudation; increased dependence on Arab oil billionaires. The State of the Obama-run unon? Chaos, chaos, chaos.
Posted by: Monroe | January 22, 2010 12:20 PM
further decline in edudation;
Posted by: Monroe | January 22, 2010 12:20 PM
;
Oh the irony! Ignorant TeaBagger can't even spell eduCation when he's trying to make a weird contorted argument that somehow the country's children have become dumber magically since 01/20/2009. Ignorant TeaBagger have you no shame? Please go back to admiring the gay porn centerfold shoot of your party's latest hero, the junior Senator from MA.
Posted by: sensible | January 22, 2010 12:58 PM
LOL, first Massachusetts gives Ozero a kick in the Crotch by electing a Republican to the Democrats "Kennedy" senate seat and now let McDonnell, who won the Viginia govenorship Thanks to Obama campaigning heavilly there. I don't think i have been this happy in the last year, since tuesday night.
Posted by: Dave | January 22, 2010 1:07 PM
No Don,
What's sad is that Ted Kennedy, that liberal lion whom you hold in such high regard, KILLED A YOUNG WOMAN! Further, Teddy hid behind the Kennedy fortune to make the tragedy go away.
Apparently wealth can buy a lot of things, but class and principles are not among them.
Posted by: Chris | January 22, 2010 1:48 PM
I don't know what planet you are on, but I hope you stay there. President Obama only failed in convincing the Republican-Libertarians to join him, in bringing America back from the Bush&Cheney Brink !! We are no longer facing a possible Depression, but we are fighting our way out of the Bush&Cheney Great Recession. It is too bad that you, Republican-Libertarians are so blinded by your stupidity, hate and of course, your silly agenda. Enjoy last Tuesday's pyrrhic victory, I don't think you will see that again, not until you quit your lying to, and scaring, your fellow American !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, IL | January 22, 2010 1:53 PM
FITZ,
maybe the citizens of Mass did not gifts from their gov't with a price tag that bankrupts the country.
Nixon by the way was no where near a libertarian. His economic policies, think wage and price controls, has liberal big gov't written all over it.
We were never facing a depression a year ago - another media myth. This economy was no worse than the recession of 1982-83.
Have to ask - now that Air America is off the air, where are you goingto get your talking points?
Posted by: Terry | January 22, 2010 6:34 PM