For those looking for instant reactions to the President’s State of the Union address I would suggest checking out my Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/bryanmyrick) until a broader post is available some time tomorrow. In the meantime I will offer my comment on one of the more shameful displays by a public official in response to this speech of great magnitude.

This time it doesn’t have anything to do with Rep. Joe Wilson, who sat and listened without even a facial twitch while the President attempted with his rhetoric to slap a “Kick Me!” sign on the backs of every Republican and Tea Partier in the country.

(That elected officials are able to tolerate having the President wag his finger, chasten them to stop being so attached to their ideological principles, and then inform them that he will continue to clutch his — thank you very much — because he told the people he wouldn’t give up, is truly an example of grace under torture.)

No, this time the shame emanated from the live tweets of my very own King County Executive Dow Constantine (@kcexec). Constantine was selected to participate in a joint “cross-continental discussion of President Obama’s State of the Union address” organized by The Seattle Times, The Kansas City Star, and Florida’s Scripps Treasure Coast newspapers. His 140 character or fewer bursts of unbridled ecstasy ran the gamut from inane and slightly self-serving to mancrush-grade creepy.

Starting out slow, just before the House began to fill with the audience for the speech, Constantine took the opportunity to preemptively hop on Obama’s coattails, not realizing they had been torn off when the door slammed on Obama as he exited the State of Massachusetts last week.

I’m curious to see how closely the President’s proposed reforms will parallel those we’re undertaking in King County. #OPEDSOTU

Constantine could have cut through the obfuscating language by typing, “You know, I’m important, too. Really, I’m just like the President of King County. #SOTC.” The exhibition of his angst gave way to statements of predictable left-wing sentiment.

Constantine is, if nothing else, a skilled political tactician. When Obama’s clean energy equals jobs argument began to roll down the tracks, he shrewdly jumped on the opportunity.

We’re better positioned than most to capitalize on clean energy – like Bio Energy WA, converting landfill gases to usable nat. gas #OPEDSOTU

In all seriousness, the flawed economic formula of converting to clean energy yielding net job growth in our economy is likely to be one of the three or four nationwide campaign messages the Democrats will be spinning during the midterms. It is one that carries particular weight among the green-friendly and technologically-minded voters of Washington State. Republican candidates will need a batch of counter-arguments to strike back against this potent meme. Better yet, Republicans should be hard at work developing their own green dialogue in advance of — not in reaction to — the all-out assault as a swarm of PR and ad campaigns heat up in the fall.

Finally and with climactic energy, Dow’s man crush on the President (Obama was referred to by name during Constantine’s campaign only slightly less often than that of the candidate himself) was revealed for all of Twitterdom to behold:

It is still a little jarring to hear a President who is this smart and sincere. (Jay Inslee sighting! Thanks for all your help!!) #OPEDSOTU

President seemed more Presidential after a year – Leadership. Character. Looking to the future. #OPEDSOTU

Oooh! Isn’t that Obama dreamy?! And Jay Inslee? Hawt!

Oy vey. We don’t expect our elected officials to be impartial, we just expect them to be dignified.

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