RETREAT! RETREAT!

I'm interested to see this editorial by Joe Trippi on the FoxNews website. It's pretty obvious advice but we're at the point where the base may not allow the change in strategy. Trippi keys off the reaction to the SOTU speech.

Sadly, and not surprisingly, reaction in the Capitol was one sided to even the most agreeable statements. Speaker John Boehner couldn't even get to his feet in agreement when Obama said that "everyone gets a fair shot, everyone pays their fair share, and everyone plays by the rules." And Republicans mystifyingly didn't rise in applause when Obama basically agreed with one of the pillars of their political strategy in saying, "it's time to apply the same rules from top to bottom: no bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts."

...Some may not have liked seeing the president fire such a salvo on an opponent in such a setting. But that's politics.

And that's the way things are in Washington with just 286 days until the general election. With Romney and Newt Gingrich brawling in primary states, the president did an effective job of setting himself apart from that type of politics. Can he be brought down? Not likely if the GOP demonstrates the stoic and blind opposition we saw Tuesday night.

Look, I'm not trying to minimize damage to Republicans. If I thought anyone read my opinions, let alone agreed with 'em, I'd have kept quiet about this. But honestly how many of their own ideas can the Republicans call socialism before they lose a generation of voters? Not many more, I'm betting.

Incidentally, about Boehner: I didn't watch the whole speech but I hear that the only time he appeared to smile was when he said he had the great honor of introducing the President of the United States. What the hell kind of messaging is that? Pro-Obama, anti-fairness? Good luck in November, amigos.