Obama’s Edsel Moment?

Early leaks of Obama’s main talking points from the SOTU message include the already piloted “Sputnik Moment” line trotted out earlier in one of his speeches:

But we have never measured progress by these yardsticks alone. We measure progress by the success of our people. By the jobs they can find and the quality of life those jobs offer. By the prospects of a small business owner who dreams of turning a good idea into a thriving enterprise. By the opportunities for a better life that we pass on to our children. That’s the project the American people want us to work on. Together…

Half a century ago, when the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik¸ we had no idea how we’d beat them to the moon. The science wasn’t there yet. NASA didn’t even exist.

But after investing in better research and education, we didn’t just surpass the Soviets; we unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs.

This is our generation’s Sputnik moment.”

Count how many times Obama uses the word ‘investment’ in tonight’s speech. I expect it to be a lot. That’s the code for “spend a lot more”. But is this our Sputnik Moment or Obama’s Edsel Moment?

As in the Edsel.  The wrong car at the wrong time. Muddled marketing, screwy pricing, some innovations but shoddy styling. A product the people didn’t particularly want or need.

This speech, from what has leaked out, appears to show that Obama does not get the message that was sent in the elections. At all.

I’m guessing Edsel, not Sputnik. (The press is pre-slobbering already, of course. That won’t change the voters minds this time, I think/hope.)