President Obama delivered his annual State of the Union address Tuesday evening.
Today, the Washington Examiner‘s Byron York rebutted many of Obama’s arguments in an article headlined: “Obama’s disconnected, out of touch, in denial State of the Union.” You can read Byron’s article here, and we’ve summarized its five key points below.
1. The elephant(s) in the room
What Obama said:
Byron York’s reality check:
In more than an hour of speaking, Obama never once acknowledged that there was a big election in November and that the leadership of the Senate has changed. Instead, the president’s most memorable line of the night was a bit of ad-lib bragging about his own election victories. When Obama said, “I have no more campaigns to run,” some Republicans snarkily began to applaud, whereupon the president shot back, “I know, because I won both of them.”
2. Veterans
What Obama said:
Byron York’s reality check:
A listener wouldn’t know it from Obama’s speech, but there has been a huge Veterans Affairs scandal since Obama’s last State of the Union; his secretary of Veterans Affairs had to resign because of it. Veterans died waiting for treatment. All Obama said Wednesday night was, “We’re slashing the backlog that had too many veterans waiting years to get the benefits they need.” By “benefits,” the president apparently meant “life-saving medical care.”
3. The Middle East
What Obama said:
Byron York’s reality check:
Of Obama’s description of a world in which the Islamic State is retreating, Afghanistan is on the road to peace and terrorists are on the run from South Asia to North Africa, NBC foreign correspondent Richard Engel concluded, “It sounded like the president was outlining a world that he wishes we were all living in.”
4. The ‘re-energized space program’
What Obama said:
Byron York’s reality check:
The remark surely led to some jaws dropping among laid-off National Aeronautics and Space Administration engineers who believe Obama has nearly killed the place.
5. The Economy
What Obama said:
Byron York’s reality check:
For some Americans, that is the case, although even for them, “bustling” might be a bit much. For other Americans, the news is still pretty bad. When a recent Fox News poll asked, “For you and your family, does it feel like the recession is over, or does it feel like the country is still in a recession?” 64 percent of respondents said it feels like there is still a recession. Indeed, it’s widely conceded that part of the reason the unemployment rate has fallen is because a core of discouraged workers dropped out of the job search altogether.
Which Of These 5 Obama Moments Was MOST Out of Touch? in Washington Examiner Polls on LockerDome
