The president proposed the most assertive government in American history. It also jolted Republicans back to attention. Others in the GOP talked openly of taking a hatchet again to federal spending and letting workers keep their money. Not since the Reagan era have Republicans talked so openly or eloquently about the importance of placing fetters on Uncle Sam. This is the kind of partisanship we desperately need.
Politicians come and go, and so do disputes over what kind of people they are.
But at the heart of any democracy lies the challenge of performing good deeds without stripping people of their money and freedom. This year's State of the Union Address, with its applause lines and eye-popping promises, put that debate back at the center of our political life.