Last night, President Barack Obama delivered his 2012 State of the Union address; one which, if the GOP gets its way in November, could very well have been the President’s final say for the path of America’s future.

Filled with stinging assertiveness in the face of Right wing obstructionism and false rhetoric, Obama seemed to call out his detractors – systematically punching out virtually every skewed criticism – while evoking his campaign fervor of 2008.

The President laid out plans for the furthering of America’s economic recovery, energy security and commitment to education as a means-all for the uplifting of the working class while passionately denouncing the incessant, anti-American propaganda coming out of the Right.

“The state of our Union is getting stronger. And we’ve come too far to turn back now. As long as I’m President, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum. But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place.” – President Barack Obama, State of the Union, January 24, 2012

He alluded back to post-depression America as well as WWII; times in recent history when a country came together to restore the nation through hard work, sacrifice and national determination. He placed appropriate yet long-overdue value that immigrants – legal and illegal – can and should bring to this country.

He commended the bravery of our military – gay and straight – by suggesting that the government should use its model of comradery and willingness to act as examples of how to conduct itself. He conceded to the temporary use of fossil fuels while strengthening a national pledge for renewable energy.

He laid out positive support for a needful national infrastructure as a means to grow our economy exponentially while strengthening our national pride. He rallied for working class taxpayers who have for far-too-long carried the burden of the country’s recovery.

“Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules every day deserve a Government and a financial system that do the same. It’s time to apply the same rules from top to bottom: No bailouts, no handouts, and no cop-outs. An America built to last insists on responsibility from everybody.” – President Barack Obama, State of the Union, January 24, 2012

All in all, it was a strong – if not inspiring – show of what a President should be, say and do. It made Obama supporters and critics alike remember why this man was elected against all odds in the first place.

But ever the whining sort, the GOP’s official response to what should have been seen as a rally cry for unity was nothing short of irresponsible pandering to an already misinformed population.

Delivering the response was Governor Mitch Daniels (R – Indiana); once a nominee-hopeful for the Republican primary, Daniels incredulously criticized the President for apparently promoting a “pro-poverty extremism” and perpetuating a “constant effort to divide us.”

“On these evenings, presidents naturally seek to find the sunny side of our national condition,” said Daniels. “But when President Obama claims that the state of our union is anything but grave, he must know in his heart that this is not true.”

Apparently, Daniels did not bother to actually listen to Obama’s speech. Instead, he chose to convey the typical anti-progressive, fear-mongering marching orders that have infested the Right since the days of G.W. Bush (whom Daniels served under as Budget Director, helping lead the nation to one of the worst economic crises in its history).

“No feature of the Obama presidency has been sadder than its constant efforts to divide us,” he continued, “to curry favor with some Americans by castigating others. As in previous moments of national danger, we Americans are all in the same boat.”

Ah yes, divide and conquer. That has been the socialist Kenyan’s mission all along! How silly of us to be fooled by the undeniable facts outlining the course of progress the country has taken since 2009.

“The routes back to an America of promise – and to a solvent America that can pay its bills and protect its vulnerable – start in the same place,” added Daniels. “The only way up for those suffering tonight, and the only way out of the dead end of debt into which we have driven, is a private economy that begins to grow and create jobs, real jobs, at a much faster rate than today.”

Mitch Daniels delivers the official Republican Response for SOTU 2012

By Daniels’ rationale, we can get out of the economic mess by placing our trust and literal livelihoods in the hands of the private interests that f–ked it up in the first place. Right, got it.

Representative of a political party that obviously has no allegiance whatsoever to middle class America or anyone not white and/or Christian, Daniels echoes his party’s sentiments that working citizens, students, workers, consumers, patients and policy holders hold far too much sway in Washington as it is, yet corporations backed by “the 1%” do not have enough influence with our bought and paid for legislators.

His party has played the most divisive social and economic strategies to the hilt over the last 50+ years; engaging in regressive racism, blatant homophobia, income disparity-pushing and religious demonization that have each done nothing but separate Americans while perpetuating the downward spiral of our collective cultures.

His suggestion of letting private interests basically run the country is nothing short of disturbing; a passive divisiveness that has lured too many Americans with its promise of ambiguous, apathetic citizenry – as if the corporations, lobbyists and foreign interests have said “Don’t worry, America. We got this.”

In his response, it is quite obvious why Daniels ultimately decided not to run for his party’s nomination so many months ago. Wrought with obsequious pandering to the same interests that crippled our national pride, divided our communities and enthusiastically created so much economic misery for so many people, it’s easy to see how he’d get destroyed in the general election by a campaign rife with facts to back itself up.

To his benefit, he was at least bright enough (or selfish enough) to see it before stepping into the circus ring of what is now the Republican primary race and embarrassing himself and his party even further than what it has already become.

But even still, I am certain that the vast majority of Right wing supporters will view Daniels and his apparent “level-headedness” as a potential “great white hope” against the Obama anomaly.