Via Steve Benen, reactions to the SOTU address from a Denver focus group:

The President generated strong responses on energy, education and foreign policy, but most important, he made impressive gains on a range of economic measures. These swing voters, even the Republicans, responded enthusiastically to his call for a “Buffett Rule” that would require the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share. As one participant put it, “I agree with his tax reform – the 1 percent should shoulder more of the burden than the other 99 percent. He [Obama] talked about being all for one, one for all – that really resonated for me.” These dial focus groups make it very clear that defending further tax cuts for those at the top of the economic spectrum puts Republicans in Congress and on the Presidential campaign trail well outside of the American mainstream.

The Republican response, by and large, has been to attack the President’s character and intentions rather than his proposals.

Politifact, the same crew whose “lie of the year” wasn’t a lie at all, has struck again. They’ve called out a statement from the SOTU as a half-truth that is, in fact, true.

Krugman: “The criterion, according to Politifact, seems to be that a fact isn’t a fact if it helps a Democratic narrative.”