I'm pacing the floor waiting for this speech.

[WilliamPitt]

Big knot in my stomach.

What are your expectations?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I have hopes......

And then I have expectations.

They are far, far apart, my dear Will.

If they come together, and that's a big IF......I will be over the moon.

I am afraid.

[bullwinkle428]

2. Long on generalities, short on specifics.

[Angry Dragon]

3. Depends on who shows up

the campaigner or the president

[merbex]

4. It will sound fine but in reality, he is waving the white flag of surrender to

Milton Friedman.

[Poboy]

5. I wonder if he will scold us for being ingrates and for wanting 'world peace' again.

[chemenger]

6. I expect to be asked to drop my pants and bend over.

:o ;(

[Skidmore]

7. Heard speculation on NPR this morning that the President will

be largely adopting the Bowles-Simpson commission recommendations.

[Poboy]

11. I heard that too. All hell will be breaking loose.

[Thunderstruck]

8. Hope and change like a muh-fucker!!!11! Series!!!1!

[Klukie]

9. That he stands up and does the right thing

[NotThisTime]

10. I expect a Republican speech.... and then no action.

[golddigger]

12. Ask not what your corporations can do for you, but

what you can do for your corporation. This will be the whole jest of his speech.

[Poboy]

13. very good.

[Horse with no Name]

14. I have no hopes about this

I'm glad someone is watching and reporting so that I don't have to.

[Tatiana]

15. Austerity measures for the poor and working class.

More celebration of the budget cuts as "historic."

More excuses as to why hundreds of thousands of Americans are going to suffer needlessly as a result of this budget.

More finger-wagging at the "professional left" (which seems to be growing by leaps and bounds of late)

I think, in the wake of a lot of outspoken derision, Social Security reform may be off the table. However I expect a mention of Medicare and Medicaid.

[Poll_Blind]

16. Bloomberg news is floating 500bln cuts to military- spread over next 12 years.

Can't find the link for that, we'll know in the next few minutes whether it's true or B.S. anyway.

PB

[Jazz Ambassador]

17. I have several expectations

1) Obama endorses Simpson-Bowles
2) The GOP characterizes Obama's position as a "starting point" and suggests that we now need to find "middle ground" between Simpson-Bowles and the Ryan proposal
3) Obama agrees and signs into law the most regressive budget ever seen by any American under the age of 80
4) Obama heralds new era of bipartisanship
5) Economy tanks
6) GOP insists it's because we didn't go far enough with the budget, submits new budget even closer to Ryan plan
7) Repeat steps 3-6 every year for the rest of the Obama presidency.

[Jazz Ambassador]

19. And I'm very happy

...that he's not meeting them!

[kentuck]

18. It's a critical point of his Presidency...

This speech could make or break him, in my opinion. He will either keep many Democrats on his side or he will lose them. He needs to stand up for Democratic principles.