No thoughts on the State of the Union speech, it was pretty much the same as last year, but guns. Of all the ambiguous ideas proposed, raising the minimum wage would have the biggest impact on the economy, with mortgage rate adjustments coming in second. For the states where the federal minimum wage would end up higher than what the state has, it would be something close to federally mandated private stimulus spending -- which is exactly what the economy needs right now.

Given the huge piles of cash that we know the private sector has been sitting on for the past three years, it shouldn't harm their bottom lines at all. The higher the minimum wage, the more states it would apply to, the bigger the economic gain.

Marco Rubio's speech was bad news for any conservatives that want to stop losing elections. Rubio's "response" was boiler plate through and through. ObamaCare is causing job loss and insurance coverage loss, even though 99% of it won't even begin to be implemented for another year. Drill, drill, drill to solve our energy problems, cut public school spending to redirect that to expensive private schools, cut Medicare and Social Security (if you don't believe that, rewind CNN and listen to Paul Ryan's interview).

It was Mitt Romney's and Paul Ryan's 2012 platform. It was the 2012 Congressional GOP's platform.

You remember what happened to them, right?

Like it, hate it, love it, despise it -- that agenda has lost the Republican Party the 1992, 1996, 2000 (popular vote loss), 2008, and 2012 Presidential elections, and the 2006, 2008, and 2012 Congressional elections. It'll probably lose them the 2016 and 2020 Presidential elections as well, if Hillary Clinton runs. Post-Hillary, America could have seen the White House controlled by Democrats for 24 of the past 32 years and 16 straight.

If you think I'm dreaming here, go talk to an employed GOP operative. Better yet, talk to one that got fired after 2012.

Texas could be blue by the time Republicans have another real shot at the White House, do they really want to waste time on a 1990s agenda that's failed 75% of the time? That's their prerogative, but if I were a conservative, I'd be very concerned right now. The Rubio response told me that the agenda that's lost 3-in-4 elections in recent years is one that the GOP isn't anywhere close to reforming, much less changing.

It doesn't matter if I, as a liberal and Democrat, want them to change it. It matters that as the Hispanic population grows, this country is only going to get more Democratic. Hold on to your traditions, values, and policies, GOP. If you've decided that it's better to stay true to your policies and become a permanent minority because America has moved on from your ideas, than it is to adjust your platform to one that's more favored by a majority of Americans and win, there's little anyone can do or say to change that.

President Obama and Senator Rubio played their parts and tried to sell their agenda to the people. The difference is the public just bought stock in Obama's vision about two months ago. Other than 2010, it's been quite a while since America bought stock in the Republican Party.