One of the advantages that presidents are said to have over Congress is the ability to effectively take a message to the public and frame the debate around issues so that his proposals are advantaged over those of his opponents. That is effectively what last night's speech was about. The question will be whether his efforts are effective.
Here are links to additional info about the speech and some of the commentary surrounding it:
- video of the speech.
- video of the Republican response.
- NYT: An Attempt to Reignite Obama's Presidency.
- Gallup Poll page on health care.
