This morning, Maria wrote a Mommyish post about Obama's initiative to increase the child tax credit. She stressed how embarrassing it is that it's taken the government this long to recognize how crucial child-care is for the nation and that, while notable, tripling the credit still is a drop-in-the-bucket for many struggling families.
...and how has this mentality persevered for this long.
So, that got me thinking about my next exercise. Those of you familiar with partisan politics may view child-care tax benefits as a liberal democratic idea, with conservative republicans sneering at yet another crutch-program that adds to our ballooning national deficit.
That was just a guess on my part - I don't uphold the conservative republican mindset by any stretch of the imagination. But I wanted to gain some more accuracy in my portrayal of a Republican and last night provided that opportunity.
During the President's speech, there are many breaks and pauses for applause. Also, not everyone claps for the same things. Logically, one could assume a person claps only for those things that they support, and conversely, withhold clapping for things they are against.
Also during the President's speech, there are many cameras focused on President Obama as well as the two politicians behind him, Vice-President Joe Biden, and Speaker of the House John Boehner. With this, I could identify the topics that Speaker Boehner did and did not clap for, giving me an overall picture of what a Republican mindset consists of.
Here are my findings. These were obtained by viewing an archived copy of the State of the Union Address on YouTube:
| Did clap | Did not clap | ||||||
| economy growing fastest since 1999 | kids graduating more than ever | ||||||
| free from foreign oil | more Americans insured than ever | ||||||
| state of union is strong | misison in Afghanistan over | ||||||
| generates chances for everyone who makes effort | alternative energies | ||||||
| businesses created 11million new jobs | CFPB and health coverage | ||||||
| salute military 9/11 generation | improved economy, deficit down 2/3 | ||||||
| families save approx 750 through lower gas prices | "I will veto it" | ||||||
| more kids finish college than ever | Everyone plays by the same set of rules | ||||||
| restore link between hard work and growth for every American | lowering taxes of middle class families | ||||||
| program by Michelle and Jill help vets and spouses get new jobs | we need high quality affordable child-care more than ever | ||||||
| "hire a veteran" | It is a national economic priority for ALL of us | ||||||
| we want the workers here in America | tax cut up up to 3000 per child per year | ||||||
| Protect American workers with new trade deals | paid sick days. Send me a bill. | ||||||
| right treatment at the right time - medicine | woman is paid the same as a man | ||||||
| access to medical information - stoppping disease | overtime pay for overtime work | ||||||
| space mission - year in space | raise minimum wage. "Try it" | ||||||
| hunt down terrorists that threaten us and our allies | strengthen unions - give workers a voice | ||||||
| Oppose Russian aggression | help americans upgrade their skills | ||||||
| Alan Gross - Cuba Prisoner released back to U.S. | lower cost of community college to zero | ||||||
| protecting companies from cyberterrorism | make it free proven in Tennessee ® and Chicago | ||||||
| protect children's information and prevent cyber attacks | US leads in job creation than all other nations combined | ||||||
| stopping the spread of ebola | infrastructure - more than just a pipeline | ||||||
| speak out against anti-semitism (one clap) | free and open internet | ||||||
| We are still one people | scientific breakthroughs - prosthetics | ||||||
| gotcha moments that have nothing to do with people's lives | close corporate tax loopholes | ||||||
| teen pregnancies and abortions are low - women's access to healthcare | overseas tax dodging | ||||||
| I will work with you to make this country strong | small business taxed by bank statement not by the number of accountants they can afford | ||||||
| we are the UNITED States of America | middle class getting a leg up in the new economy | ||||||
| coalition to degrade and dismantle ISIL | |||||||
| use of force against ISIL | |||||||
| America leads with persistent, steady resolve | |||||||
| Cuba | |||||||
| All the Cuba | |||||||
| veto any actions that degrade the controls placed on Iran | |||||||
| Climate change | |||||||
| Pentagon says climate poses a risk to our security | |||||||
| America drives international action regarding climate | |||||||
| prohibit torture. Constrain use of drones | |||||||
| fight discrimination against LGBT - ultimately makes us safer | |||||||
| closing Guantanamo | |||||||
| Gay marriage | |||||||
| The right to vote is sacred | |||||||
| make voting easier for every single American | |||||||
| reform the criminal justice system so it protects and serves all of us | |||||||
| every life matters - end statement |
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| N.B. The video does cut-away from the main camera, so there are instances of where applause or lack thereof is ambiguous. You are free to draw your own conclusions. |
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