Two readers make the same point:
To use a sports analogy that applies to coaches who no longer have the authority, respect and attention of his players, I thought Obama was very close to "losing the locker room" this week. He won back that locker room of the American people tonite.
Another cites the Pacino speech above:
After Obama's speech, it's impossible to watch Al Pacino's halftime cri de coeur from Any Given Sunday and not think of the half hour that just passed in the halls of Congress. Pacino's rising and falling tempo, the invocation of team, the equation that the sum is greater than the parts, is reflected in Obama's words. And the challenge to the team ("Now I can't make you do it." "Either we heal as a team or we die as individuals." "Now what are you going to do.") echoes the direct challenge to Congress.
I always tear up watching this scene. Sporting bombast does that to me. But juxtaposing the spirit of the two speeches with the hurt in America right now was a body blow.
Another:
See, here's the point at which he can tap that reservoir of goodwill and rapport that he enjoys with the public, raise the temperature in the room, start calling bullshit (on all sides) and indeed making threats that he's fully capable of backibg up on the pavement –and all of that without coming off as a pleading whiner, a cornered thug, an anarchist/ABM or, for want of another way of saying it, a failed President (I mean, can you imagine Jimmy Carter even trying to pull that off?). In other words, now's the time for fighting –welcome to Campaign 2012.
The Dish 