SOTU SETS OUR NATION'S COURSE FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS; OBAMA SENDS MIXED MESSAGE

Rochester, N.Y.-- Now that we have had a couple days to absorb what we heard on Tuesday night, let us share a couple thoughts with you about Obama's performance and language.

During the president's SOTU address, the battle lines in the key fight of the next two years became very clear. It will determine whether America goes back into a recession or the economy continues to recover. And, it appears to us that the labor movement and the progressives aren't yet geared up for the fight ahead.

In his speech, the President made the case for job-creating investments in innovation, education, and infrastructure. Republicans, speaking from a fantasy world where all our problems somehow are the government's fault, essentially scoffed at the President's ideas and promised deep, gouging cuts they say will magically get America moving again.

It appears that the GOP wants to store the peanut butter and jelly on the top shelf forever--- so the little people will never be able to reach it.

Obama and the GOP talked about huge budget cuts vs. investment and jobs. This will be the fight of the next two years. And our only chance is to expose what "cutting spending" really means: laying off teachers, nurses, librarians, firefighters and police officers by the millions, cutting unemployment benefits, slashing Social Security, and zeroing out everything from NPR, NEA to the EPA.

The truth is Republicans control the spending process. They've shown that they're willing to take hostages too. When that's happened, Democrats have basically rolled over. Worse, the president is sending mixed messages— he's calling for more investment, but also a spending freeze. What the hell does that mean?  Is this double-speak?  How can you accomplish both at the same time?  We at the Voice Reporter want to know exactly what he is talking about.

The labor community and its coalition partners need to speak up for progressive solutions to the economic crisis and make the case that the GOP vision will be devastating to our working families. This'll take smart media campaigns and lots and lots of grassroots organizing. We need a campaign led by workers and volunteers from across America but supported by organizers, researchers, ad-makers, and a whole lot of other backup.  Please bookmark this site so you can stay connected to upcoming campaigns originating from CSEA and AFSCME.

The GOP plan is just plain dangerous

What was most troubling about Tuesday night came across as plain dangerous: The plan released by Rep. Paul Ryan, who gave the GOP response to the State of the Union, would privatize Social Security and slash benefits; replace Medicare with vouchers; eliminate taxes paid by wealthy corporations; give millionaires a new tax cut; end middle class tax deductions; and cut overall spending so deeply that everything from college scholarships to national parks would shrink dramatically.

Think about how well negotiations have gone with the GOP over the last two years. Now imagine: If this is the GOP's starting position, and the president's opening position includes a multi-year spending freeze he announced the other night, we are in deep doo-doo.  Where will we eventually end up?

What should labor folks and working families advocate for?

We need massive investments in infrastructure and innovation to create jobs like Obama said. We need urgent aid to states that are laying off teachers, police, librarians, nurses and first responders by the thousands.

We need the banks we bailed out to write down millions of "underwater" mortgages. We need to rein in Wall Street firms that are still too big to fail and still control way too much of our economy.

We need the big corporations that are posting record profits to start creating jobs and stop outsourcing them. We need to take up President Obama's call to stop giving away billions of dollars in subsidies to the oil companies. And we need CEOs and hedge fund billionaires to pay their fair share.  We loved the fact that Obama actually took big oil and the rich to task during his speech.

Obama actually used language in the SOTU that occasionally crops up here on the Voice Reporter, which of course we love to hear.  President Obama correctly insisted that we cannot measure economic progress merely by corporate profits. He said, "We measure progress by the success of our people. By the jobs they can find and the quality of life those jobs offer. By the prospects of a small business owner who dreams of turning a good idea into a thriving enterprise. By the opportunities for a better life that we pass on to our children." 

And, labor advocates need to contrast our vision with the Republicans' dead-end nightmare. This won't be easy, and it won't happen overnight—conservatives have spent 30 years developing their message that government and working people are the problem. But if we're not forcefully articulating a progressive alternative, then the discussion in Washington and Albany will just be about how deep to cut, and where exactly. And our working families will disproportionally and ultimately pay the price.  Are you ready to join the fight now?