Feb 1, 2014 2 min read

President Obama proclaimed in his State of the Union Address that 2014 can be a year of action and accomplishment, that he and Congress can build on the cooperation that was demonstrated when bipartisan legislation was signed into law which will enable our country to avoid a government shutdown until at least next year. I wonder if he believes his optimistic words.

Although partisan daggers were set aside for an evening and concepts illustrated by the president received a polite reception, the devil is in the details of his proposals and in the fact that the vision of the Republicans at this time is not to come together with Obama in bringing legislation to fruition, but to use his fledgling and troubled health care plan against him in the upcoming congressional elections in an effort to shift control of the Senate to the GOP.

The president does not help matters when he signals that if those on the opposite side of the aisle do not see things his way, that he will begin signing executive orders, doing what in the eyes of some is an end-run around the Constitution.

I envision political strife, grandstanding, and hyperpartisanship not only to continue, but to intensify as November nears. If an unpopular president who is on the ropes expects the Republicans to set aside rancor and compromise their tenets, he is going to be in for a disappointment.

Oren Spiegler

Upper St. Clair