State of our union? Depends on how well we work together

As Obama spoke these words the cameras panned across Democratic and Republican legislators, their eyes fixed on the President. No one looked away. No one was twittering on his Blackberry. Because they all knew the President was speaking truth to power. And that is a rarity in the halls of Congress.

clipped from tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com State of the Union I thought Barack gave an incredible speech. During the closing section, it felt like you could hear a pin drop in the chamber. Unfortunately, too many of our citizens have lost faith that our biggest institutions - our corporations, our media, and yes, our government - still reflect these same values. Each of these institutions are full of honorable men and women doing important work that helps our country prosper. But each time a CEO rewards himself for failure, or a banker puts the rest of us at risk for his own selfish gain, people's doubts grow. Each time lobbyists game the system or politicians tear each other down instead of lifting this country up, we lose faith. The more that TV pundits reduce serious debates into silly arguments, and big issues into sound bites, our citizens turn away. No wonder there's so much cynicism out there. No wonder there's so much disappointment.