The State of the Union: Words Mattered

Cross-posted from The Green Suits:

photo h/t whitehouse.gov

On the evening of January 25, 2011, President Obama appeared before a joint session of Congress to deliver his State of the Union Address.

Prior to the address, the pundits jabbered on about everything from “date night”–which Republicans in Congress sat with which Democrats–to the hue of Mr. Obama’s tie.

Frankly, I couldn’t be bothered. Like a lot of Americans, I wanted to hear what the Commander-in-Chief had to say.

After the roughly one-hour long address, I felt I had a pretty good handle on what he said. But I wasn’t sure how much he said. An un-scientific exercise–running the full text through Microsoft Word’s word-counter–helps answer the “how much” question:

The President’s speech was very heavy on education. In fact: “education” was mentioned eleven times; “schools” popped up ten times; “teachers” and “science” both made the list four times; “math” followed with three utterances; and “achievement” was heard twice.

Industrial terms appeared often throughout the text. “Energy,” “research,” and “technology” got nine mentions each; the words “challenge,” “clean,” “invent,” and responsibility” were spoken six times each; and “reinvent” showed up a respectable four times.

“The American Dream”–likely a staple of presidential speeches from 50 years ago–scored only two mentions. “Earth” got two mentions. So did “Sputnik.”

And “taxpayer” showed up twice in the speech. Likely, that is in contrast to SOTU addresses from years past where that word dominated speeches.

“Biofuel,” “economy,” “renewable,” and “skills” got one paltry mention each (which I thought was interesting). And gone from this year’s address: ”green,” “green jobs,” and “sustainable.” (For sure, the President and his staff re-framed issues for a radically changed Congress.)

Yet, we’re all worried about employment. That was THE THREAD running through the entirety of President Obama’s speech.

Thusly, the word “jobs” appeared in the President’s address twenty-five times.

Words mattered. And this year, the word “jobs” dominated the SOTU address.

High-Level Execs Urge President, Congress to Pass Energy, Climate Legislation

Cross-posted on The Green Suits:

We Can Lead, a business advocacy group led by senior executives from some of the U.S.’s most-recognizable brands, has called on President Obama and the 111th Congress to act swiftly on comprehensive energy and climate change legislation. The group believes such legislation when passed will bolster national security by making the U.S. more energy-independent, boost economic output, and create 1.7 million new jobs. From its January 21, 2010 Letter to the President:

“We need strong policies and clear market signals that support the transition to a low-carbon economy and reward companies that innovate. With certainty, clear rules of the road, and a level playing field, U.S. businesses will deploy capital, plan, build, innovate and compete successfully in the global marketplace.”

The group, whose membership includes Dow Corning, eBay, HP, Virgin America, and Stonyfield Farm, believes that the U.S. has fallen behind “in the global race to lead the new energy economy” and that the President and Congress need to act quicky to turn the tide.

Last last year, one We Can Lead group member – energy producer Exelon – famously surrendered its membership in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber has been, to say it mildly, highly critical of President Obama’s energy agenda.