Project 21

WASHINGTON -  Black conservatives with the Project 21 leadership network have low expectations regarding the State of the Union Address.

While Project 21 members see a nation looking for reassurance that the government is acting in its best interest and focusing on the key issues of economic stability and job creation, they do not expect more than rhetoric from President Obama.

"When the polite applause and the partisan demonstrations of loyalty cease in the wake of tonight's address, will we have seen anything more than the same campaign-style rhetoric we have come to expect from this president? I don't think so," said Project 21 Chairman Mychal Massie. "Despite his get-tough talk of late on spending and his alleged epiphany on regulations, there is no getting around the fact that Barack Obama's spending leaves George W. Bush's disregard for the taxpayers' burden in the dust. There is no getting around the fact that Obama's heavy-handed regulatory agenda is set up to continue his agenda where the peoples' new representatives are being told to hold the line. What I expect is a deceptively stylish speech from a desperate man who hopes to convince a very worried nation that he possesses the leadership they need. Unfortunately, he does not."

Project 21's Kevin Martin added: "I don't believe President Obama's speech tonight will do much more than instill a short-term aura of confidence in his leadership. And, even then, there are fewer and fewer left who are likely to believe him. I expect the address to be long on new ideas and policies, but short on how they can be funded without further contributing to our exploding national debt. Furthermore, Obama will likely ignore his vote against increasing the debt ceiling from when he was a senator, instead asking for a blank check to tackle our economic woes in the only way he seems to know how -- more spending. Supporters hope Obama's speech will set a course for the remainder of his term. Before he can do that, however, Obama must actually take control of the currently rudderless ship of state."

Project 21 full-time fellow Deneen Borelli added: "President Obama should end his war on fossil fuels by having the EPA immediately cease his plan to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and ease drilling restrictions in the Gulf of Mexico. These actions would eliminate the air of uncertainty surrounding businesses who are hesitant to invest in manufacturing facilities and stimulate job creation through exploration of our natural resources. By now, Obama should realize his pledge to make energy prices "skyrocket" is bad for business investment and job creation."

Project 21, a leading voice of black conservatives since 1992, is sponsored by the National Center for Public Policy Research.