My previous post shared the CtW perspective on yesterday's State of the Union address. But how's it being received in the progressive world at large?  Let's start by checking out some reactions from around the CtW-sphere...

UFCW -- State of the Union Ignores the Real Needs of America's Workers:

In spite of his lofty rhetoric, the president was unable to gloss over his dismal seven-year legacy of failed economic policies that have favored the wealthy few, while workers and their families continue to struggle with rising heath care costs, the collapse of the housing market, stagnant wages, crumbling job security and the decline of workers’ rights. The president’s address further underlined the irrefutable fact that this administration’s fiscal folly will affect the next generation of Americans who may never realize the American Dream.

LIUNA -- America Needs Sustainable Economic Stimulus (PDF):

We need comprehensive and sustainable economic stimulus that primes the economy, creates jobs and builds our country. One piece of that must be a commitment to rebuild America’s crumbling infrastructure.

For every billion dollars in federal infrastructure spending, 48,000 good jobs are created. The need for jobs is clear, as is the need for investing in America: 27 percent of America’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete; the number of unsafe dams has risen by more than 33 percent in the last ten years; 34 percent of our major roads are in a less than satisfactory condition; and traffic congestion costs American drivers $63.2 billion a year in wasted time and fuel costs.

SEIU -- The Best Thing About Bush's State of the Union Address is That It is His Last:

Once again President Bush has turned a tin ear toward what is needed in America. By offering facile remedies and tired platitudes, he has glossed over the pain felt every day by working families who struggle to pay their bills, who are drowning in debt, who are terrified they might lose their homes, and who are deathly afraid of getting sick because the cost of healthcare is too high.

Teamsters -- More Free Trade Deals Will Worsen U.S. Economy:

Now that we’re looking at hard times, the last thing we need to do is to send more good jobs to other countries.

It is especially unconscionable to support a trade deal with the Colombian government, which killed 72 trade union leaders in 2006. Union leaders in that country are routinely subject to armed harassment, arbitrary detention and forcible displacement.

And here's a sampling of reaction from the broader progressive blogosphere as well:

Drum Major Institute:

Despite the praise-worthy components of President Bush’s address tonight – his signing of the Energy Independence and Security Act, his cooperation with Congress to pass a stimulus reform that would include millions of low-income Americans he initially intended to exclude, his newfound interest in supporting military families – his approach reflected a commitment to ideology, as opposed to willingness to see how that ideology has actually impacted current and aspiring middle-class Americans.  

After years of insisting that the economy was doing great as middle-class families were squeezed by stagnant wages and a rising cost of living, it takes weak corporate profits to make the President recognize that times are tough.  

Think Progress:

Bush said: “In the long run, Americans can be confident about our economic growth.”

FACT — NUMBER OF AMERICANS LIVING IN POVERTY HAS INCREASED: In 2006, the latest year for which Census Bureau figures are available, 12.3 percent of Americans were living in poverty, compared with 11.7 percent in 2001, the year of the last recession. 36.5 million people were in poverty [Reuters, 1/23/08, Census]

FACT — HOURLY AND WEEKLY WAGES FELL IN 2007: Both hourly and weekly earnings fell in 2007, a sharp reversal from the gains in 2006. After growing by about 2% in 2006, both hourly and weekly earnings fell, after adjusting for inflation, by about 1% last year. [EPI, 1/16/08]

Ezra Klein:

I thought the speech a normal Bush State of the Union: A bunch of fluffy rhetoric about unity that gets quickly defined as total subjugation to a hard conservative agenda leavened by some nice sounding stuff on foreign aid that Bush won't actually follow through on. And then, just when you think it'll never end, a weird historical digression and... toodles!

Workday Minnesota:

By nearly every measure, working class people are in worse shape today than they were seven years ago, the speakers said at a roundtable discussion Monday at the state Capitol.

"President Bush has described the economy as inherently strong," said Chris Stinson of ACORN, the leading organization working to address the foreclosure crisis. "That's not how it looks in Minnesota neighborhoods."

Added Donald McFarland of the advocacy group Americans United for Change: "By all accounts we are on the verge of a recession, if not already in one."

AMERICAblog:

Look ma, no legacy! As far as I can tell, the big goals for this year are (1) reducing earmarks, and (2) scaring people. On the one hand, it's not very ambitious. On the other, he might actually be able to handle those goals.

So what did you think of the speech? Sound off in the comments.