Editor's Note: With the president’s first State of the Union speech slated for this evening, Wednesday’s American Morning audience debated the results of Mr. Obama’s first year in office.
- Marilyn: The American people, like those in Youngstown and Pittsburgh that you referenced this morning, keep waiting for manufacturing jobs to return to our country because they recognize that those industries provide jobs that have made our country strong and vibrant. When our so-called leaders provide American based companies with tax breaks and other incentives to move their manufacturing to other countries it was the beginning of the end. President Obama addressed this issue during his campaign and promised to change this situation. That hasn't happened, as we well know. I consider what these American based businesses have done as treasonous. That their executives benefit financially from gross profits made at our expense is also treasonous and until Obama addresses this issue, which is at the root of our employment problem, I can only classify anything he says as lip service.
- Donald: Where is the change, Pelosi and Reid are still "dealing". Congress voted itself an increase and no veto. Seniors on SSA were "froze" and all we got was excuses. Where are the vetoes?
- Henry: The president may as well figure losing more seats. First of all Pelosi and Reid need to go; they are a disgrace to our country. […] It's not good to have one party rule the whole thing. The President said he gets the message; we’ll see. […] I'm tired of giving our work to other countries; what about us. […]. There is absolutely no excuse to pay these people [ politicians] and get treated like this. […]
- RP: OMG! Saying "Obama...and...fiscal responsibility" in the same sentence?.....That's got too make you choke on every syllable? Hey you tell Obama if he wants to impress me and the Nation try "Entitlement cuts" and start with that smug sense of "entitlement" all federal employees seem to possess....freeze their wages, benefits, COLA entitlements, travel, private use of military jets........In other words.....I'm sick of all the appearances and lip-service! Show Me Your Teeth...sissy!
- Dear CNN, Do you really believe that the general public has forgotten how we got here?? To listen to your political spin, (not news), one would think that Obama's election lost all the jobs, and is responsible for the present state of our economy. Wrong. What we are now experiencing is a "domino effect", an "aftershock" of 8 long miserable years of incompetence and mismanagement. The fact that no mere mortal (the president) could possibly reverse ALL these problems, and fix health care in one year is not important to those now busily engaged in "framing" the Democratic agenda. As far as the "waste", and voter "anger" that you tout daily....there is no mention of all the billions of our precious dollars that went missing, down a "black hole" in Iraq. No mention of the fact that Bush/Cheney handed Obama the worst economy since the stone age, and "wasted" the surplus they inherited from 8 years under a Democratic president. Start telling it like it is, not like your corporate bosses would like it to seem. Perhaps we can begin to respect journalism again.
How do you feel about the president’s first year? What do you want to hear from the president in his first State of the Union address tonight?