Post 2: State of the Union
Watch or read Obama's State of the Union Address from last week.
State of the Union Address
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTMrs9vpoqg
Full text: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/state-of-the-union-2010-full-text-transcript_n_439459.html
Answer the following questions in your post:
1. What are your impressions of his speech? What is your feedback? Was it motivational/persuasive?
2. What is your reaction to his specific policy proposals in his speech?
3. What do you foresee as his biggest hurdles? What is your advice to Obama for how he can accomplish his goals?
Please post by
Labels: state of the union
posted by M. Aby @ 5:48 PM
42 Comments:
I honestly thought that the president’s state of the union was a cry for help. It seemed like he was basically saying that he is trying as hard as he can, but he is not getting the support he needs. He consistently said things that challenged the Republicans to stop blocking his initiatives on fundamentally partisan lines and to begin to work with the Democrats to actually get some things done. I was quite impressed with how Obama delivered the speech. He is a very motivational and eloquent speaker and I was inspired to think that this country can really get things done to make the lives of people better, but that we just need people to work together better. I think that Obama really does try to work with everyone so he has a difficult job of broadcasting his message to everyone instead of just a small group of people(2). I thought that watching the broadcast of the speech was very funny. There were times when just the Democrats would stand all together and the other side would sit without standing and there were times when they would all stand. It looked like a funny television show, almost like a joke how almost coordinated it is. It also sickens me that the state of the union has become so partisan (3). It just bugs me that people cannot move past their party to do things that are good for the country as a whole instead of just advance their own partisan aims. I think this is exemplified by when Obama said “Just saying no to everything may be good short-term politics, but it's not leadership. (1)”
In terms of policy proposals, it seems that Obama has scaled back a bit. I think it may be a good idea to do a freeze on spending that he has proposed because the government is going to into a big debt that it may not be able to bounce back out of. It is a tough balancing act between helping make sure the economy is stable and recovering as well as keeping government spending in check (2). If the deficit gets to big, it may be impossible to reign it in in the future, but if the economy isn’t jumpstarted, that could be even worse. I was happy that he committed to repealing don’t ask don’t tell and I was also pleased about his reprimand of the supreme court’s decision and I hope that will lead to some kind of legislation in congress.
1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/state-of-the-union-2010-full-text-transcript_n_439459.html
2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-burnett/obamas-state-of-the-union_b_450711.html
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTMrs9vpoqg
President Obama is a phenomenal public speaker. Regardless of what one thinks of his politics, Obama is an extremely effective and captivating orator. I was extremely impressed with some moments of the President’s State of the Union Address, particularly when the President addressed the touchy and not-so-nice issues that face the government and took some personal responsibility for them. President Obama is the first president that I can remember who publicly took responsibility upfront, without outside pressure, for his successes and failures in his first year of office. I literally thanked the TV at different instances when the President spoke the semi-harsh reality and honest truth: “Unfortunately, too many Americans have lost faith in our biggest institutions…and yes, our government” [1] as well as “This can’t be one of those Washington gimmicks that lets us pretend we solved a problem” [1]. I was most proud of our President when he directly told Congress: “…what frustrates the American people is where every day is Election Day” and then asked Congress to work together for the future and not for the next election [1]. True leadership, as recognized by President Obama, is not when we choose to do what is best or most popular in the immediate future but what is best for the national as a whole in the big picture [1].
I sincerely hope that the President’s speech was motivational for the members of Congress directly. The President didn’t look over the flaws of our system as so many other presidents, it seems to me, did. Although the President didn’t guilt trip the members of Congress, I would feel pretty guilty after listening to the cold, hard facts: I would want to change how I interacted with Congress and my constituents.
Specifically, President Obama: “…propose[s] a fee on the biggest banks” [1]. My favorite part of his proposal was easily: “…but if these firms can afford to hand out big bonuses again, they can afford a modest fee to pay back the taxpayers who rescued them in their time of need” [1]. I definitely thanked my TV at that suggestion. I also couldn’t agree more with President Obama’s statement that: “In the 21st century, the best anti-poverty program around is a world-class education” [1]. When the President started talking about college, I immediately listened closer. When the President said: “And let’s tell another one million students that when they graduate, they will be required to pay only 10% of their income on student loans and all of their debt will be forgiven after twenty years, and forgiven after 10 years if they choose a career in public service because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they chose to go to college” I really thanked my TV [1].
I was particularly interested when the President said that “…our approach [to health care] would bring down the deficit by as much as one trillion dollars over the next two decades” [1]. The President finally drew attention to the ridiculous deficit! He said that he did not want to be another president to pass the problem on to the next generation and he openly asked Democrats and Republicans alike to “Let [him] know” if they had a better idea to specifically do what Obama’s proposal would do now [1].
If I were to hazard a guess at the biggest hurdles that the President and Congress face after the State of the Union address, I would say it would simply be agreement on action. When the President said: “This can’t be one of those Washington gimmicks that lets us pretend we solved a problem,” I wanted to hug him [1]. Especially true are the values that President Obama listed off like compassion, resilience, responsibility, respect, honesty and then followed with: “These aren’t Democratic values or Republican values… they’re American values” [1]. Thank you, President Obama. That is entirely correct and too many member of Congress have forgotten it. The only advice I could offer to President Obama is to keep doing what you’re doing, keep your faith and keep reminding Congress of the truth. Overall, I believe that that was a phenomenal State of the Union Address.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTMrs9vpoqg
I very much enjoyed Obama’s State of the Union Address. He is a great orator, and that was definitely reaffirmed with this speech. I was very impressed with his ability to speak with ease and the confidence he exhibited. I was also impressed with the greatness in which he addressed and appealed to everyone. He didn’t “take sides” with any one group of people, as he talked about “Democrats and Republicans” (1). I think however, that the speech at times was a bit sad. I felt as though he was solely trying to defend the fact that he hasn’t gotten anything huge accomplished thus far. He addressed that “after nearly a century of trying, we are closer than ever to bringing more security to the lives of so many Americans” (1). To me, this comment appears to be a way of saying that although nothing has been finalized, we’re getting there. This is great and all, but the nation is frustrated with the inability to get legislation passed, and Obama knows it. Remarks like these- and there were more made throughout the speech- I personally found sort of disheartening and almost pathetic. I was however, very much inspired toward the end of the address. I liked when he talked about that “in the end it’s our ideals and our values that built America… They’re American values” (1). Everyone loves patriotism and this portion of the speech most definitely would rile up a crowd. I personally found this part great because it applied to everyone. Even if you didn’t agree with anything Obama said about policy, generally most Americans are pro-America, and can find an affirmative with this. His next-to-last words “We don’t quit. I don’t quit. Lets seize this moment- to start anew and carry the dream forward and to strengthen our union once more” (1) made the speech for me. I am impressed with his ability to find words of motivation in a time like the present.
As for Mr. Obama’s policy proposals, I am in agreement. I liked his proposal of “taking $30 billion of the money Wall Street banks have repaid and use it to help give small banks credit they need to stay afloat” (1). I believe this would be a great way to stimulate the economy by ensuring no new job losses, and the also keeping money circulating. My personal favorite policy proposal is the one in which he proposes to “give families a $10,000 tax credit for four years of college and increased Pell grants” (1). This will be a great policy for families with children in college, as will be my family in about six months (yay!). With the increasing cost of college tuition, families are being put in a very hard spot financially, and we’re talking about the middle class. How, without programs such as the proposed, are middle class families and below supposed to afford to send their kids to college. Lastly, I liked how Obama talked about the war in Iraq and that “this war is ending and all of our troops are coming home” (1). I feel like many people found happiness in this declaration other than me.
Although all of these policies are greatly appealing in theory, I believe that Obama’s greatest hurdle in the future will be the same as it has been: actually getting legislation passed. The lack of cooperation among congress has been detrimental to his success, and unless that changes, he will find himself time and time again against the face of Congress. I personally find it sad how much lack of cooperation there is between the executive and legislature lately, which is why I liked when Obama said “we were sent here to serve our citizens and not our ambitions.” (1). With this, I would advise Obama to do like he said, serve his citizens and not quit. The main thing he can do is to keep pushing and keep fighting. Eventually he will come out somewhere.
(1) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/state-of-the-union-2010-full-text-transcript_n_439459.html
President Obama's State of the Union address gave him a good opportunity to remind the American public of how good of a speaker he is. He speaks very intelligently, but at the same time there's something very accessible and understandable to his words. He knows how to motivate the American public. Having watched him speak in St. Paul on the night of his unofficial acceptance speech, I compared the two in my head and saw that Obama is starting to become strained on his agenda. He openly criticized the Justices decision about the campaign finance ruling basically right in front of them, which is something Obama never openly would have done while campaigning (1).
Overall, my reaction to Obama's proposals are that his heart's in the right place, but I don't know how realistic this will be. He says right now that his main goal will to be pass jobs in order to stimulate the economy and improve unemployment. He currently has called on Congress to approve another jobs bill as a way to help (2). His other main goals really seem to be that he needs bipartisanship in Congress. He was basically begging the Republicans to stop attempting to stall the White House policies and work together with him to get things accomplished such as health care, the economy, and future events such as clean energy, repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell, and immigration reform.
The biggest challenge Obama faces is cooperation between Congress and the Republicans. Obama knows this as in the speech he references to calls for real action, not the "political" action that makes people seem like work is actually being done in Washington. This becomes even more challenging as the Republicans gain seats in the Senate because they will be less inclined to do any work. Additionally, I believe ideology will be the root of all the problems that face the workings in Washington because on the DADT, immigration, and health care policies the parties have very different ways to go about solving the problems, so Obama may have to sacrifice the key Democratic base if bipartisanship doesn't come from the Republicans. Obama has alot to lose right now, but I think that if he can get a few key policies even started that he talked about, American politics can stray away from a potential gridlock.
1. http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/28/alito.obama.sotu/index.html?hpt=Sbin
2. http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/28/alito.obama.sotu/index.html?hpt=Sbin
I think one thing we can all agree on is that President Obama is a great speaker. He commands attention, relates his speeches to the everyday lives of the American people, makes jokes to keep people interested, and he is overall effective and captivating. I really appreciated it when Obama said "I take my share of the blame for not explaining it more clearly to the American people," when he was referring to health care and the complexity of that issue (1). It showed that he's prepared to take blame for something and not just pass it on to someone in his staff which I thought was admirable. It seemed to me that the speech was more pleading for help and explaining what more needs to be done throughout his presidency than being persuasive. It was not motivational for me personally because I don't agree with a lot of policies and proposals Obama has. However, I do agree with his plan to reduce discretionary spending in some areas (1).
As stated above, I agree with Obama's plan to reduce discretionary spending by eliminating programs that are ineffective or don't work (1). This reduction in spending is aimed to decrease the deficit while not affecting national security spending, Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security (1). I also agree with his plan to improve our infrastructure in our country (1). I don't agree with what Obama was saying about our pressing need to save the environment. I do think the environment is a problem that needs a solution but I'm not sure if it needs to be tackled right now with our current economic state and to the degree in which Obama wants to handle it. I think our first concern should be the economy. I also agreed with Obama when he spoke of education and the importance of it now and in the future.
I see the biggest hurdles for Obama being trying to get his health care plan passed as it has lost a lot of momentum and has even started turning away some Democrats (1). Another problem Obama will probably face will be trying to get cooperation form Congress. I feel strongly that in the upcoming midterm elections, Republicans will be gaining seats in Congress and this could lead President Obama to have even more difficulties when it comes to getting legislation passed. I think to accomplish his goals, Obama may need to compromise more than he has been used to doing with Congress. he may need to put aside some of his personal goals and try to serve the people the best was possible even if that means putting aside some of his ideals.
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTMrs9vpoqg
Before this year, I had never fully watched a State of the Union address, so I thought that it was merely a place for the president to talk about the good work they were doing, how the country was in good hands, and how the future was bright. Although I have nothing to compare it to, I thought Obama’s speech was just what the nation needed. To me, the speech was clear. I didn’t have to have a graduate degree in political science to understand what president Obama was trying to tell the American people. I felt that he came across as very honest and relatable. He acknowledged some of the faults of his actions, and the actions of congress, but at the end of the speech I still felt inspired. I felt hopeful for the future, and confident that the right person was leading us.
Some of his specific policy goals I thought were good ideas, but others I thought were a bit of false promises. Obama’s proposed fee on the biggest banks in order to recover the bailout money I think is a great idea and I agree wholeheartedly that if banks are able to give their CEOs big bonuses they should be able to pay some of the bailout money back. I think that his proposed new jobs bill is a good idea in theory but I feel a bit like these were promises that Obama was making back n 2008. His idea to take the $30 billion of the money Wall Street banks repaid to help community banks and give small businesses tax credits is a good idea [1]. However, his promises that rebuilding the nations infrastructure to create new jobs I feel will not be followed through [1]. He said that renewable energy and infrastructure were supposed to be the foundation of new jobs when he ran for president—but there hasn’t been as much progress in those areas as expected. I thought that his goals for more exports, financial reform, and investing in education were all good ideas, but they are all things that the average American would support [1]. I particularity wished that some of his ideas on reducing the burden of tuition on families sending students off to college would be followed through with. Looking to personally go off to college next year, I find myself dealing with the choice of how much debt I want to be in, not which school fits me best. Giving families a $10,000 tax credit over 4 years and increasing Pell Grants makes the burden much more bearable [1].
I think that the biggest hurdles Obama is going to face will be the cooperation of the two parties. If there is a genuine bipartisan effort, then things will really be able to once and for all get accomplished in Washington. However, if we continue to have it be a battle to get any sort of legislation passed public opinion of Obama’s administration will go down. My advice to Obama on how to accomplish his goals would be to always be clear and open with the American people on what he is trying to push through and how it could benefit them. As he acknowledged in his own speech, he didn’t do a very good job in inspiring confidence among Americans about the healthcare bill, so now its much like fighting an uphill battle. If president Obama can state his objectives and get the people behind him, I see no trouble in order for him to be one of the most successful presidents.
[1]. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/state-of-the-union-2010-full-text-transcript_n_439459.html
Okay, I'll give it to him. President Obama is a very good speaker. His speech however is not going to make me support the Democratic party any more. It could have been motivational if he had chosen not to take shots are the past administration or the right. This is not he kind of leadership we need now. Some of his proposed plans are good, but others would be terrible for the current economy. The President stated that they took the past administration's financial rescue and made it more transparent and accountable [1]. Hopefully not the same "transparency" that was used to help get the 60 votes for health care. Maybe the President wasn't clear when he explained it. Why do some states get millions more in the health care bill than others? Clearly the American people understand the policies being put forth, and they don't want them.
Now one policy I like is the tax credit for small businesses that hire more employees. With one in ten people unemployed this policy would help create jobs. What could be a major problem for this however is the coming tax hikes. As most of us know, these small businesses don't pay corporate taxes, but instead pay a larger percentage in income taxes. Increasing taxes on someone who makes $250,000 may seem fair but it ultimately hurts the economy. Their taxes rates would increase from 33% and 36% to 35% and 39.6%. Now these people are the entrepreneurs who create your jobs. Small businesses generate 7 out of 10 jobs [3]. How do you expect a business person to expand or open their own business when all their money for capital is being taken?[2]. Also, the administration wants to introduce cap-and-trade. This is wonderful for our planet, but in the middle of a crisis businesses can't afford to take on more employees, pay higher energy bills, and pay thousands in new taxes [2]. The President said "...government can create the conditions necessary for businesses to expand and hire more workers" [1]. These policies are doing the exact opposite. The government is taking away capital that could be used for those very purposes. Even some Democrats are against raising these taxes. Bobby Bright and Mike McMahon sent a "Dear Colleague" letters to their fellow Congressmen stating, "Allowing these tax rates to expire during this recession runs the rick of curtailing economic expansion just when it begins to pick up and could lead to a 'double-dip' recession" [3]. I also don't like how he brought up the Supreme Courts decision. "...reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests..." [1]. The Supreme Court is not trying to hurt the Democratic party, they are just supporting the Constitution. Bradley Smith stated "Half the states already allow corporations to buy political ads and their elections work just fine" [4]. I also think its weird that he talks about putting party lines aside and doing what is best for the country but then also attacks the right. "From some on the right, I expect we'll hear a different argument -- that if we just make fewer investments in our people, extend tax cuts including those for the wealthier Americans, eliminate more regulations, maintain the status quo on health care, our deficits will go away..." [1]. This really doesn't help our country go anywhere. Both sides need to stop playing the blame game and need to get down to fixing our economy.
I believe the President needs to focus on the issues that are effecting Americans now. We need to fix our economy before we start major spending programs. I would advise the President to stop placing blame on any one side. He has been our President for a year. That year saw an increase in spending and unemployment. He had that whole year to point fingers. Now he needs to be a leader. I think if he really tried to bring together the Democrats and the Republicans we could get major legislation passed.
[1]
[2] http://www.heritage.org/Research/Taxes/wm2790.cfm
[3] http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=519047&Ntt=keep+the+cuts
[4] http://www.economist.com/world/united-states/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15394247
You cannot deny it: Mr. Obama is an effective speaker and has a great skill for bringing people together. Every time I watch the President speak, I am reminded of the reason why I supported him in the first place. He really does seem to have the American people at heart, despite politics and the game that all politicians are forced to play in our society. In his speech, I was astonished to find so much rousing applause on issues that seemed completely detrimental to both parties only days previously. I also found it extraordinary how much poise and calm emanate from the man as he speaks. As it had been a long time since I had watched the President give a speech, I had forgotten the effect that a persuasive speech really has. Mr. Obama’s presentation in general was both inspiring and fascinating, since it addressed in a little over an hour what I could have deemed to be weeks worth of explaining. I fell into the President’s trap: his speech makes me feel that anything is possible in America when people begin to work together more, and I think this is exactly what the nation needs. People need to work together to make the change.
Despite this, I found that, like Jacob speaks of in his post, the entire speech seemed to be a cry for help. He seemed to ridicule the previous administration often in the speech, as well as criticizing the Republicans in Congress for their continued animosity towards his policy agenda (1). Although the State of the Union speech must seem positive, I found Obama did a good job moving stealthily around issues that were previously hurting, and throwing a new spin on them to make them seem more attractive to both parties. His use of rhetoric and anecdotes about individual companies and American citizens was effective and made his points valid and persuasive. His description of the bank bailout was especially effective, with a simple move to say, “I hated it” (2). I found that throughout the speech, Mr. Obama did a good job of keeping away from blaming parties, despite his cry for help from Congress. He seemed to say, “I can do it, but I need your help.” To me, this seemed like one of the first times a president has done that in a State of the Union speech that I’ve watched. Usually, the speech consists of the President saying how important and impressive his change has been, and how he will continue to do well. Obama made the good choice of realizing his errors and problems, and showing how he would remedy them.
In general, I supported Mr. Obama’s policy suggestions. A generous portion of his speech was allotted to the economy, an issue that is almost unanimously the most important issue our country faces presently. I found that his goals of tearing down some previous tax measures and uniting both parties to be moving and probably effective (3). I also supported his job and employment methods. I could go into greater detail of what I support, but I will instead turn to the problems I had with his suggestions.
First, I would like to point out his energy policy. While I whole-heartedly support the uniting of both parties in Congress, I find it difficult to support his opinions on nuclear power and offshore drilling. Also, clean coal was mentioned, and as most of us know, such “clean” power is non-existent (3). I disagree that nuclear power is a good long-term solution, since it mainly arrives out of laziness and a lack of ingenuity. I think the key to American energy policy is not in power sources that poison our land, but rather in energy that moves us into the 21st century. Mr. Obama continually demanded that the United States be on the front cusp of the global economy, but in order to do so, he must realize that the only real clean energy that will work in the long run are not easy to come by. They must be worked for and created, rather than simply laying back and letting nuclear power run our country. Also, I disagreed with the President over lowering the deficit. Despite promises to continue to spend money through 2011, Obama needs to realize that the way to stop such economic problems that we have is to spend money. I’m not saying spending money is how to solve everything, since a huge deficit doesn’t improve American society at all, but think about it. How did the Great Depression get battled? By creating programs and spending money. In our very own state, roads are deteriorating. I can’t drive anywhere without wrecking the suspension on my car since our poor roads and freeways are torn to shreds. Guess why this is? Because the Republicans in our state legislature refuse to spend money. Why are fees so high in our states and schools? Because we refuse to pay taxes. It’s a never-ending cycle, and I personally think that by cutting all spending of money in our federal government, we simply create a bigger problem. However, I am more than willing to extend my support to this facet of Obama’s agenda, since I am not an economist.
Obama’s biggest hurdle will inevitably be the Republican Party. I for one, am sick of seeing the Republicans deny proposal after proposal and try their very best to gridlock Congress. It is degrading to the American public and doesn’t show a cooperativeness that we have come to require from our houses of Congress. I think Obama must continue to play to the Republicans, despite their differing views, because without this, he will not accomplish anything he set out do, both in his campaign and after his State of the Union Address. I look forward to seeing how these events unfold, and I know I will continue to follow these policy suggestions.
1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTMrs9vpoqg
2) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/state-of-the-union-2010-full-text-transcript_n_439459.html
3) http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/State_of_the_Union/state-union-2010-fact-check-president-obamas-address/story?id=9680549
President Obama’s State of the Union address was very uplifting and enjoyable to watch. I feel like after his last address about sending more troops to Afghanistan, this speech was exactly what he needed to do in order to inspire millions of Americans and boost his ratings. I particularly liked the way that Obama appealed to the people and individual cities of America in making his points. For example he used such examples as the “woman who decided she wanted to become her own boss,” and “the window manufacturer in Philadelphia who increased his workforce” while talking about small business support (1). I think that this method of speaking to the public was very successful and had a persuasive effect on people and Congress members.
Obama’s plans for the economy seemed like they will be great for the country. We have already started to come out of the recession, and I think that boosts from the government will help us to be completely free of the recession. Such boosts would include the things that Obama was talking about: helping out small businesses, creating more domestic jobs rather than ones overseas, and investing in cleaner, more efficient equipment (2). If we are going to improve the economy, it has to start at the base level with individual local business. After those are more stable, it will be easier to work on large corporations. I was also glad that Obama addressed the issue of campaign finance. He proposed that Congress make a bill that will overturn the Supreme Court ruling on the McCain-Feingold Act. This action would be completely necessary because big companies and unions run the risk of holding way too much power in elections as a result of the Supreme Court ruling. Obama talked a lot about the U.S being a leader in climate control and clean energy, which I think is a good starting point in helping the worsening global conditions; hopefully his words can turn into actions. Finally, his education plans sounded appealing to me, being a student, since he was in favor of better affordability and capping loans at 10% of income (1).
Obama’s biggest hurdles are definitely going to be getting Republicans to work with Democrats towards policies that will help the country and enforcing all of the proposals that he said during the address. Party members will always be stubbornly in favor of their own party; there is nothing we can do about that. The trick will be to gather enough support from the opposition party to actually pass the legislation Obama has proposed. This will be no easy task for the President, seeing as the U.S is very diverse with many different interests and opinions. These opinions are represented in Congress, who must make important decisions for the country. My advice to Obama is to continue addressing both parties to make the change necessary for America, as well as to really elaborate on the things that both parties have in common, so that legislation is appealing to as many people as possible. The issues that the nation is facing involve every person no matter what party they belong to, so it is up to Obama to make that clear and influence Congress to put partisan ideas aside for the time being.
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTMrs9vpoqg
2. http://www.nj.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/national-14/1264650888203900.xml&storylist=new_topstories&thispage=1
As always, President Obama’s State of the Union address showcased his natural charisma and ability to draw people in. I believe that his rhetorical skills are a major factor that not only helped him to ascend through the ranks of the Democratic Party and campaign for the presidency but that they still significantly help him in his appeals to the American people today. President Obama can appeal well to people because he puts himself in their shoes and shows his consideration for the average American. For example, in the State of the Union he said, "I wake up every day knowing that they are nothing compared to the setbacks that families all across this country have faced this year. And what keeps me going, what keeps me fighting, is that despite all these setbacks, that spirit of determination and optimism, that fundamental decency that has always been at the core of the American people, lives on (1)." Americans will respond to this because Obama proves that he sees the positive strengths within this country and that they overshadow the negatives.
I was most interested in two of Obama’s specific proposals within the speech. First, President Obama mentioned many new incentives to help people afford a college education. These included a $10,000 tax credit for students attending college, an increase in Pell Grants, and a cap on student loan payments (4). Being a senior with plans to attend college next year, all of these incentives are important to me. However, I think that it is important for the government to remember all students, not just those who are extremely economically disadvantaged. Currently, students with family EFCs of $50,000 or less are eligible for a Pell Grant; however, most go to families earning less than $20,000 (2). While no one would deny that these families are especially needy, all students struggle to pay for college. According to the most recent New York Times data, public college students cumulatively paid for about half of their educational expenses, and private school students paid 63.5% (6). Hence, the government cannot just assume that all middle-class families can afford to pay for a college education, especially if they have multiple children.
Secondly, I was interested in Obama’s point that Congress should pass a new law in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United vs. FEC (4). I believe that Congress will eventually follow through on this request. My advice to Congress as they do this is to consider the judicial precedents that have been established in Buckley v. Valeo and Citizens United vs. FEC as well as the First Amendment. It is highly likely that corporate interests will challenge any new campaign finance law that limits their spending. I believe that the current Supreme Court is on their side since the above court cases tied the issue of campaign spending to the powerful First Amendment (3). Congress must find a constitutional “loophole” of its own in order to be successful. While I am in accordance with President Obama that it is necessary to have some regulation, I think that it will be a long battle to successfully pass new legislation, and Obama should have hinted at this in the speech.
In getting his agenda through Congress, I believe that President Obama’s biggest hurdle will be getting the public approval ratings of him back up to where it was during and immediately after the 2008 presidential election. This will be difficult because the country is frustrated with his administration’s inability to pass promised legislation. According to Rasmussen Reports, immediately after his inauguration, President Obama had a 65% approval rating; now, he has dropped to a 44% approval rating (5). My advice to the president is to getting these numbers back up to (or above) his original approval ratings. He could then use his amazing oratory abilities to employ the use a going public strategy. One of his quintessential skills is his ability to mobilize and encourage people. If the American people are supportive of him, Congress will be much more likely to consider his personal agenda. However, if he continues to drop percentage points, Congress will be less responsive to his ideas and more likely to push for its own policies.
1: http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/obama/2010/02/01/obamas-post-state-of-the-union-campaign.html
2: http://www.thepellgrant.com/pell-grant-eligibility.shtml
3: www.oyez.org
4: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/28/AR2010012800060.html
5: http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/obama_approval_index_history
6: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/16/us/16college.html
I think that Obama did a good job of motivating and attempting to reassure the public that he is trying to fix things. I felt as though he was almost asking for some pity because he trying to fix things but he can only do so much at a time. He was asking for help, pleading for people to come together (Republicans and Democrats). He reassured Americans he was fixing things short term but it would take time for everything to go back to normal but he does understand that people are in pain with this economy and need help. President Obama is trying to build trust in the economy, education, energy, health care and national security. He “sought to reassure Americans angry and nervous about the pace of the economic recovery that his government understands the challenges and would act boldly to meet them” (2). Also “A CNN/opinion Research Corp. survey indicated that 48% of speech watchers had a very positive reaction, with 3 in 10 saying they had a somewhat positive response and a 21% with a negative response” (2). I fall in with that 21% with a somewhat positive response.
I liked how he talked about creating new “clean energy jobs” because of the crisis our planet is in. I'm glad he is taking this into consideration as new plans to create jobs are being made. I also liked how he talked about exporting more of America's goods to create more jobs. We import so much from other countries and that has become an increasing trend, I think this is a good idea. “Because the more products we make and sell to other countries, the more jobs we support right here in America. So tonight, we set a new goal: We will double our exports over the next five years, an increase that will support two million jobs in America. To help meet this goal, we're launching a National Export Initiative that will help farmers and small businesses increase their exports, and reform export controls consistent with national security” (1). The biggest hurdles Obama has to face include getting the Republican party to agree with what policies he wants to create. “His speech is likely to play well with independent voters, whose support of Obama has waned since helping him get elected” (3). President Obama was reaching out to independent voters, but he was also pushing for help from Republicans and pretty much criticizing them for not agreeing. “Obama challenged Republicans to meet him halfway, suggesting that just saying no to Democrats isn't enough- Republicans should offer alternatives” (3). He also is facing a big hurdle with people upset that change isn't happening fast enough. In response to that Obama said in his speech that “I never suggested change would be easy or that I could do it alone” (3). He acknowledges he knows he campaigned on change, but change doesn't happen overnight and he knows that. He should keep pushing for his plans and trying to get everyone to come together. There isn't much else he can do at this point without getting people to agree on a plan of action to take. I like how he acknowledged that he knows the federal government needs to focus more on the economy. Although he doesn't want all he has done with health care to be put completely on back burner, I liked how he is turning to turning the economy around now more full force.
1-http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/state-of-the-union-2010-full-text-transcript_n_439459.html
2- “State of the Union: Highlights, reactions and analyses” www.cnn.com
3- “After pleading his case, where does Obama go now?” www.cnn.com
After watching President Obama’s State of the Union address, I was impressed by what he had to say, but I was also slightly skeptical. The seemingly informal tone of the night was somewhat of a shocker to me. I was expecting the speech to be quiet with polite applause here and there, however there were many outbursts of laughter, standing ovations and lack thereof (1). I thought Obama did a nice job of speaking like he usually does. He has a way of keeping himself calm, cool and collected that I think somewhat euthanizes the extent of what he is saying. I thought he was very easy to understand, and he made the speech interesting for the American public to listen to (1). It was interesting how he added side comments that made him appear as more of an “everyday” type of guy. He said things like “she’s embarrassed” when referring to Michelle Obama’s program to battle childhood obesity. He also made a comment when the Republicans didn’t cheer when he mentioned the latest tax cut (2). Obama also did a nice job of being motivational and porting his ever popular “Yes We Can” attitude. I liked how he recognized his faults, such as referring to the bank bailout being as popular as a “root canal,” and that he mentioned how he wasn’t pursuing healthcare because he knew it was “good politics” (3). He mentioned a lot of plans the United States has for the future such as providing more exports, making more jobs for Americans, eliminating the “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” policy, and increasing child care credit (3). I thought these all seemed like good ideas, and he said them with conviction, however I think he didn’t do a fantastic job of explaining how these things will be accomplished. For example, he mentions increasing exports, but doesn’t go into many specifics on what exports. Also he talking about making loans for college students easier to pay off but doesn’t present a clear solution. To me this is very typical of Obama. He has a way of making people believe we can change the world, however at the same time, he has a tendency to present an idea with little backing where in theory it sounds great but it may be questionable to implement.
The President mentions many specific things he wishes to accomplish in the future. He mentions that he hopes both parties can come together to accomplish some things in 2010. In the past year it has been frustrating to watch both parties be so unwilling to work with one another, sometimes even for petty reasons. I would like to see this change in the future (2). He also mentions the topic of global climate change. He believes that the United States needs to be a leader in technology so that we can “lead the global economy” (3). I think that this seems like a reasonable idea, and it is nice to see him make this a big part of what should be accomplished in this next year. Another thing he mentions is a new high speed railroad ground breaking in Tampa, Florida. This seems like a very good idea to me, and I think that it is about time America catches up to other nations technology in public transportation.
I think some of the largest hurdles facing Obama in the coming year are getting both parties to work together, and fixing the economy. He states that economically the United States is through the worst, however, I am not completely convinced this is true (2). Considering the fact that a spending freeze still may happen and the economy still seems to be slightly unpredictable, I think this is something Obama and Congress will be dealing with for a long time. If I were to give advice to Obama, I suppose it would be to just keep doing what he is doing and moving forward with policies that he has laid out. I think that even though the Democrats lost the Massachusetts Senatorial seat, the country is still ready for change and implementation of some new policies. Overall, Obama has some very solid ideas that just need to be thought through and carried out, and hopefully quickly so the country can move forward.
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTMrs9vpoqg
2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/state-of-the-union-2010-full-text-transcript_n_439459.html
3. http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/27/obama.sotu.updates/index.html
This State of the Union speech impressed me. Besides being well worded and spoken powerfully, the message of the speech was informative and persuasive. According to one reporter, Obama's main message was, "I don't quit" (2). As stated in his speech, when Obama got into office he inherited a one-year deficit of over $1 trillion, and projected deficits of $8 trillion (1). In short, Obama inherited a mess that the American people are blaming on him. However, despite the skepticism of the American people, Obama appeared confident and cool in his speech. My favorite part of the speech was Obama's line about health care and how "it should be fairly obvious by now that I didn't take on health care because it was good politics" (1). I thought this was extremely down to earth, funny, and characteristic of a president who cares more about his country's welfare than his own political gain. The speech increased my trust of the President and gave me a hope for how things will improve even more in the upcoming year.
While Obama addressed the issue of healthcare, he didn't give many specifics. He urged Congress not to back away from the stalled health care reform, but made it clear that it would no longer be the focus of his agenda (3). While this issue has been a struggle for the Obama administration, I think it is an issue that needs to be solved, and I wish Obama had addressed it a little more in his speech and provided clear solutions. On climate change, Obama reached out to Republicans, and called for an energy and climate bill (3). I felt he was very adamant on this subject. Obama proposed taking $30 billion of the money Wall Street banks have repaid and giving it back to small businesses (3). I support this measure, however, I do think he should have been a little more tough on the banks. The majority of the American public is not fond of the bank bailout, and an effort to punish them more may help increase Obama's support.
Obama cut taxes for 95% of working families (3). This didn't impress me as much as his statement about raising taxes on corporate giants and those making over $250,000 a year, which I wholeheartedly support. On the subject of the budget deficit, Obama explained how an extra $1 trillion was needed to prevent a second depression (3). He also expressed his confidence in the success of the war in Afghanistan (3). Obama supported the changes he's made in his first year in office, and spoke of every major policy issue.
I believe Obama's biggest hurdle will be lowering the jobless rate and gaining the support of the American people, who want to see change in their own lives. Americans are visually oriented, they support only what they see and what benefits them. If Obama can overcome this and gain the trust of the public, he will have a better chance of passing his policies and "succeeding" in the public eye.
(1) http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/01/28/us/politics/AP-US-Obama-State-of-the-Union-Text.html?pagewanted=9&_r=1
(2) http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/28/us/politics/28assess.html
(3 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/7089862/State-of-the-Union-speech-summary.html
I think we are all in agreement when we say that President Obama is a gifted orator who has a talent for making people believe every word he says. But that doesn’t make up for the fact that the state of the union was basically him trying to say he screwed up, while keeping his pride in check (1). With the force of the Obama campaign and the message of a “change”, there most certainly has been change, but in the wrong direction. I think its safe to say in some aspects our country is worse off than when Bush left office. Hardly any of the policies implemented have had beneficial effects in our country. Also, trying to blame Congress for your lack of progress is lame in my opinion, especially when Congress is of the same party. I realize this is a very cynical approach, but if he had any talent as a leader he would get things done. Using some of his talent for giving speeches for making effective and efficient policies would be a nice change.
The one policy goal I agreed with is the fact of taking on smaller projects instead of tackling them all at once. Obama mentioned that the progress needs to come step by step, instead of trying to make overeager leaps into the future (1). This is actually a reasonable thought that makes me wonder if he finally woke up and took a look at America.
I think one of Obama’s biggest hurdles is getting things done and making a positive impact on our country. I realize the difficulty of the times and turning our country around, but the Presidency is not an easy job. If he wasn’t prepared (which is argueable due to his lack of experience) then he should have stayed in Illinois. Leading the country in the right direction and working with both parties is an obstacle that he should be trying to overcome. To do this he needs to quit worrying about the battle between Democrats and Republicans, and instead put minds together to come up with a solution. This is America- we have brilliant people in our country, therefore we should put these minds to use in developing solutions and moving our country into better economic times. Overall, I think this speech was just trying to ease the regret of the people who voted for him in the election and now wish they hadn’t. Which, judging from our poll data, is a significant number.
1.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/state-of-the-union-2010-full-text-transcript_n_439459.html
After watching President Obama’s State of the Union Address, I think he did a very good job on stating what he expected to change this year, and how it should be done. I think it was very smart of Obama to focus the majority of his speech on the economy and what he wants done to fix it. It shows Americans that his main focus will be on creating more jobs. I think that this will put pressure Congress get moving on creating jobs and finding ways to fix the economy. However Obama also spent a lot of time talking about the past. He talked of the two wars that were going on when he entered office and the huge deficit that America already had when he entered office. To me it seems that Obama is trying to push the blame off himself and on to Bush, but if Obama didn’t want to take the responsibility for running a nation then why run for president? I think if Obama wants to fix the deficit and change America, he should focus on working to make the future better, and not dwell on the past. However there was a point in which he said he took some of the blame for healthcare not getting passed (1). He said that he did not explain it clearly enough to the people. I think it was smart of him to take on this blame because many are confused about the healthcare bill. I think at parts Obama’s speech was motivational. He did a good job of telling Congress that pushing back dates and delaying votes needed to stop (1). I think it was good of him to put some pressure on Congress in a way that is clear to them and that Americans can see that he is tired of waiting too.
As for his proposals, I think it’s good that he will be putting more money into small businesses and freezing government spending for 3 years (1). In 2011 Obama plans on freezing government spending that does not affect national security spending, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. This plan also eliminates programs that the government has that do not work or is not needed (1). I think this plan would be very beneficial to the US for the future. I think Obama was right to also focus on education, and educating the future generations.
The biggest hurdle I see for Obama is the upcoming midterm elections. With the Democrats likely to lose seats in both houses, I think it will even more difficult for Obama to get bills passed. Currently Democrats in Congress have not even been able to get healthcare passed even with majority in both houses, I think that if they cannot agree now, with their majorities, they will not get a healthcare bill passed after elections.
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTMrs9vpoqg
There is no doubt; President Obama is a great speaker. I remember during his campaign I would see him speak and afterwards react with, “That man is awesome!” Soon after I’d realize I didn’t really agree with a lot of what he said and I had been captivated by his speech. He has that intangible quality about him. This captivation happened once again with the State of the Union, except this time I agreed with a tad bit more of what he said. I thought it was a very motivational speech. Joey Anderson and I were texting each other the whole time and we were very pumped up about it, as if it was a sports game of some sort. I absolutely love the push for bipartisanship and cooperation in Congress. Without this, nothing can be accomplished.(1)
The president, like all politicians do, stretched the truth on a few things. Obama stated that the healthcare bill would reduce our deficit by $1 trillion dollars over the next two decades, according to the Congressional Budget Office. However, if you read the actual report done by the CBO, they say that the “imprecision of that calculation reflects the even greater degree of uncertainty that attends to it” and it may in fact be a much lower number. The same was true for his estimate of how many jobs the stimulus package created. Obama noted that “there are about 2 million Americans working right now who would otherwise be unemployed.” However, he failed to mention that other estimates are as low as 800,000 jobs which once again points to huge uncertainty of its effectiveness.(2)
One thing I really loved is when Obama said “we haven’t raised income taxes by a single dime on a single person. Not a single dime.”(1) This is something I wholeheartedly agree with. I do not believe income taxes should be raised, as it has never produced a larger percentage of our GDP when done so.(3) Also, I think we should lower significantly the corporation taxes in America and maybe go as far as eliminate it. Corporate taxes are very deceiving and most of it is in fact not even paid by the corporation, it is paid by the consumer or shareholders.(4) “Analysis by the National Bureau of Economic Research and the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City shows a strong relationship between lower wages and higher corporate income tax rates.”(5) In Minnesota, the corporate income tax is estimated to only bring in 3% of the revenue generate by other state resources. Although many people see cutting corporate taxes as a gift to businesses, they need to realize that in fact it is a gift to the people who receive the burden indirectly. One quick thing, I think Obama’s announcement that he will repeal the law that discriminates against homosexuals serving in the army is a very good thing. That’s all I have to say on the matter because it’s such a simple issue I can’t believe there was ever any debate about it.
“We will double our exports over the next five years, an increase that will support two million jobs in America,” Obama said of the importance of increasing exports to support jobs. I think it’s a great idea, but once again on paper things look easier. I don’t know too much about the programs or strategy behind this but of course I hope it works. As far as healthcare is concerned, I don’t agree with the healthcare bill proposed. I do agree with the steps we are taking towards healthcare reform but I don’t like the financial aspect of the bill, and as I’ve already explained in the previous post on this subject, it will create a huge burden on business and people through taxes. I applaud Obama’s aggressive approach to reform but I think it’s the wrong type of reform.
I think Obama’s biggest hurdle will be healthcare. It’s because of people like me that it won’t get done. I simply don’t agree with the bill so I won’t support it, which makes sense. However, I do think the Republican party needs to pull its head out and realize that reform needs to get done. The status quo won’t suffice when it comes to healthcare It’s going to be a tough road to get healthcare legislation through Congress but with compromise and negotiation it is possible. Besides this bill specifically, getting the two major parties to cooperate with each other in general is going to be hard for him. My best advice would be to continue what he is doing; push hard for bipartisanship and publicly challenge Congress. I agree that our government needs to work together for the people instead of working against each other for the party.
1-http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/state-of-the-union-2010-full-text-transcript_n_439459.html
2-http://www.factcheck.org/2010/01/obamas-state-of-the-union-address/
3-http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121124460502305693.html
4-http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/20100201obama_budget_would_impose_host_of_tax_increases/
5-http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/CorporateTaxation.html
I think that the way President Obama conveys his decisions is very well done. He always has a calm voice that neither annoying nor too passive. I think that even though his policies are not perfect, he can correctly argue his points while not aggravating his opponents because of the way he pushes his policies. I also think acknowledging the faults of America right in the beginning is important to show that he knows that there are incorrect actions being taken. He does not beat around the bush in this statement. I think that his speech was very motivational. He used actual letters from citizens that claimed they were “worried but hopeful”. He wants to instill hope into the hearts of Americans because change will not happen instantly. His first subject of matter was the economy and I think that was impressive. He backed down on health care which was a hopeless case but something he put so much effort into the plan. By focusing on economy I think he will receive more popularity because Americans are not very happy with the way our government handles money. As I listened to the speech I became weary of seriousness of the State of the Union Address. It seemed as though it was not enough business for what I like to hear. I know that laughter is the best medicine, but he is also the President of the United States of America. One thing that he did do well was rally the Senate and House to pass bills. There were many cheers and optimistic shouts that came from the politicians. Overall, I was impressed with the way he conveyed his speech but I am unsure whether or not he will actually enact policies that will fix the issues in America. I think that the way he does attack economy instead of heath care first is a pleasant change from his previous game plan.
His first subject of matter was the economy and I think that was impressive. He backed down on health care which was a hopeless case but something he put so much effort into the plan. By focusing on economy I think he will receive more popularity because Americans are not very happy with the way our government handles money. Although he was active in the bailout being passed, it is good to know that he is angry with the bonuses being handed out in the big banks in America. I was happy to hear that they are getting most of the money back from the bailout, but I am skeptical of how much money they have actually received. I am glad that he is getting the money back but not punishing them at the same time. They had their time to fix things and it does not seem that they made ends meet. His reassurance that he will get things right is very pleasing but I will not get my hopes up until I see it passed.
I think that his tax cuts are a great thing because taxes are hard to pay. On the other hand, our government needs the money. If President Obama is going to pass his health care policy the people will have to get used to paying the government more money because that is what universal health care will call for.
Another important issue was a new job bill that seemed to be liked by everyone in the House. 30 billion dollars from the bailout bill seems like a great plan to me, but I don’t see how it will work easily. In my opinion, he is throwing around a lot of dollars around which may or may not even be helping. So far, his major expenditure was not very successful and that is why I am skeptical of his new choice to spend that much money on a job bill. I do think that transportation is a logical industry to invest in as well as clean energy sources. It is smart because they go hand in hand and will also benefit the country as a whole. I think that if he puts the money into the right resources and the people are motivated, it may be a successful plan that will help decrease the unemployment rate. This also ties in with his clean energy policies. I am all for a greener America and it is important that we cut down on our emissions because the emissions that we produce now will harm our lives in the future.
One hurdle of President Obama’s is unifying his own party. I think that some of his party members are not following his ideas like he would like them to. This was apparent when the Democratic side of the Senate was not all clapping for him for some of his statements. It seems as though some Senators are not pleased with his work and while he has the majority it is important he rallies his troops to get the goals accomplished. President Obama faces political gridlock as well, which he mentions in his speech. I agree with the president on this matter, though. He does not want to wait anymore, or “play for second place”. I really look forward to seeing him invest in the future because it will be our generation’s present that he will be making or breaking.
I will agree with most that President Obama is a great speaker. He talks in a way that makes him seem very relatable, and is not flashy; he gets to the point. I thought he did a pretty good job of admitting his mistakes. He did not just talk about all the wonderful things he has done like I expected him to, and he pointed out the issues that need to be solved. He offered his ideas of how to fix these issues and he seemed confident in his plans, something I think is very important to have as a national leader. I believe he is acting in a way he thinks will produce the best results, but I do not think it is likely all of his hopes will be fulfilled. Although, I did feel somewhat motivated. He gave the country hope that something can be done to fix our current issues, now he needs to deliver.
Obama says at one point “I promised I wouldn't just do what was popular -- I would do what was necessary,” and I think he proved this with his actions concerning Afghanistan. He was pressured by his fellow party members to pull all the troops out, but instead he sent more in, in hopes of fulfilling our goals and creating a better life for the people there. He talked about the bank bailouts, and even though he knew no one would like the idea, he knew it was necessary in preventing the economy from getting even worse. He proposed a fee for the banks the government bailed out, to be used to payback taxpayers that helped them out in their time of need. I think the idea of this is great, but I do not think it will turn out the way Obama is hoping. The banks their money from the public, and if this money is used to payback the public, nothing is really accomplished. Also, the Recovery Act sounds great when he gives examples of people it has helped out, but these are only three people, and there are millions that are still unemployed. I am also iffy on the way the cost of the stimulus will effect the country long term. I know that pumping money into the economy can help spur growth, but when the taxpayers the stimulus is meant to help are the ones paying for it, I do not support the idea.
I believe the economy is the biggest hurdle for Obama. Once it is stable again, more money can get put towards becoming more energy efficient and other issues that are not affecting us right at the moment. I agree with Obama that the United States has to be the leader in solving energy efficiency an eventually running the global economy, but I think it is much more important to be stable at home before we worry about running the world economy. I believe fixing unemployment is the first step in fixing this and hope increasing exports, like Obama said, will help boost employment.
1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/state-of-the-union-2010-full-text-transcript_n_439459.html
There's no doubt in my mind that Obama is a phenomenal orator. Speaking as a theatre buff, I'd have to compliment him on his stage presence. He's mastered cynosure and knows how to command an audience. That said, I think the content of the speech was equally well-crafted. Although I think this tends to be overly idealistic, Obama presents some very compelling ideas that I'm interested to see pan out. Clearly a fan of Keynesian economics, Obama advocates big government spending and tax breaks (fiscal policy) to stimulate the economy. His new focus seems to be on job creation, but he also spoke of several smaller goals like tax credits for college students that could amount to 10,000 dollars, incentives to keep American corporations grounded domestically, and money for local banks to loan to small businesses. My favorite of his ideas was a fee on some of the most powerful Wall Street institutions. His rhetoric, that they can surely afford to pay this fee if they can afford to give out bonuses to their top employees, was poignant and funny. Other issues, like doubling our exports, childhood obesity, Haiti, ending the Iraq war, and creating a website designed to show the public where money is being allocated are all good ideas. His riskiest idea was freezing discretionary spending in 2011, assuming that the economy would be strong enough by then to withstand a sudden lack of funds. While I doubt this will be the case, I have to ponder whether Obama's decision to avoid the warnings of some economists, who predict a double dip recession, is such a smart idea. I think that his biggest obstacle is getting the two parties to work together successfully. Now that the Democrats supermajority has dissolved, it looks like we'll be heading towards some political gridlock which may hinder some of Obama's goals. Also, I think that Obama is overestimating the effects of some of his actions. According to the theory of classical economics, consumers adjust to fiscal policy, rendering it useless. They advocate leaving the economy alone entirely. I'm not endorsing this idea, but I'd like to highlight these thinkers' philosophies as a possible downside to Obama's plans. Overall, I thought it was a great speech and am excited to see Obama put it into action.
In regards to Obama’s recent State of the Union Address, I would first like to say that the State of the Union itself is always different than the president’s other speeches. With over half of the audience standing to applaud after what seemed like every other word, it creates the effect that the president is making some sort of amazingly uplifting speech, when in reality the multiple standing ovations occur at pretty much every State of the Union. With that said, one of Obama’s greatest skills is public speaking, and he really showed that during his speech. He really has a gift at being able to strongly voice his own ideas and opinions (2). He also does a great job at taking shots at his opponents without making it malicious or obvious. My first impression of his speech was that it really sounded like his main objective was to defend the actions his administration has taken thus far. He really reminded the American public that the issues our country faces were issues that he inherited, not created (1).
My reaction to his policy agenda is that I believe he is taking our country in the right direction. It is still unclear how effective his stimulus package has been, and he is asking the American people to give him some more time, and let his actions work themselves out. Almost his entire speech was centered around the economy, and I believe this addresses the most pressing issue to the average citizen. He spoke of creating more domestic jobs as opposed to those overseas, as well as creating more fuel efficient equipment (1). There are signs that the economy has finally bottomed out, and I think that things will eventually turn around and that Obama’s ratings will rise once more.
I think Obama’s biggest hurdle is going to be how he deals with losing seats in the 2010 midterm elections. The president’s party almost always loses seats in their first midterm, and how he deals with this is going to be very interesting. My advice for him is to stick to his guns. I believe his policies will be much more effective during a time when there isn’t so much economic strife, and once our economy gets back on the right track the American public will see that what he is proposing will work. As long as he doesn’t concede too much to the opposing party, Obama will be seen in a much better light.
(1) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/state-of-the-union-2010-full-text-transcript_n_439459.html
(2) http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/28/alito.obama.sotu/index.html?hpt=Sbin
President Obama’s State of the Union address was a fairly typical political speech. He sang praises of America and the American people’s ability to overcome adversity and to accomplish great things, tying that history to challenges we currently face. It’s good rhetoric, but it’s also largely devoid of any significant meaning. After the opening, Obama went through numerous policy goals he was for the coming year, which I will discuss in a haphazard order.
President Obama announced his intention to freeze government spending on discretionary programs for three years starting 2011. If that actually happens, I will be stunned; Congress will almost certainly not support doing so.
President Obama also talked about how tertiary education needs to be available to more Americans. I like the spirit behind that goal, but I don’t think it is practical to do so. I am somewhat frustrated with our cultural emphasis on college education because, in many circumstances, developing one’s career directly for four years can be a much more effective of achieving career success, and yet it is rarely presented as an option. It is unfortunate that tertiary education likely cannot be afforded to everyone, but we must accept and deal with that.
President Obama also discussed giving $30 billion from TARP (Trouble Assests Relief Program) money to community banks to extend credit to small businesses. At face value, I think I support this program; I would have to further analyze it to give a fully fleshed-out opinion.
Ultimately, President Obama will likely face growing opposition in the legislative branch after the coming elections. He will also face difficulty with the Democrats in Congress; they have already demonstrated that they are not quite fully unified. For President Obama to accomplish all his aims he will have to prioritize and make compromises. If he holds out for his ideal versions of bills, he will wind up accomplishing much less.
Once again I am blown away by Mr. Obama’s eloquence. Maybe this is because in the majority of my life that I have been conscious to politics we had the infamous George W Bush as our president and thus I only have him to compare Obama to. We all knew when Obama took office that he was a great speaker. Some people attributed his entire election to his speeches. I wouldn’t dare go that far; however, Obama is definitely a magnificent orator. I don’t believe that I would describe the speech as motivational to the American public. Maybe uplifting or encouraging, but the call to action was focused at the members of Congress and the member of the higher echelon of our society. (2) It was certainly persuasive. Obama certainly used his time in order to explain his actions of the previous year and attempt to persuade and convince the American public and the members of Congress that they should follow him and his political agenda instead of their own. (2) On some of these points he was successful, his justification and his reports of progress in the Recovery Act definitely helped him (2). I believe he should have touched healthcare a bit more. It is the thing Americans have heard the most of and they deserve a true explanation of what’s going on. I found it especially effective that he wasn’t afraid to call out Republicans as well as Democrats for their lack of action on reforms this year. (2) That was very refreshing.
I know he said that we have to be aggressive in our reforms but I can’t help but think that he bit off a bit more than he can chew. His approval rating is starting to rise again, but I don’t if we can attribute that to his speech, but it probably did help.(1) Everyone wants to get out of this recession and I think that Obama has a decent plan for that. I am by no means a fiscal conservative but all of his tax breaks, financial incentives, and new programs that he wants to begin do make me a bit wary of the amount of debt we are getting ourselves into (2). Obama focused a great portion of his speech on America not settling for second place, but national debt also plays into this (2). The more debt a nation has, generally the weaker the country seems.
The biggest hurdle will be the partisanship in Congress. He said “Just saying no to everything may be good short-term politics, but it's not leadership. We were sent here to serve our citizens, not our ambitions.”(2) However, the Republicans are determined to get elected in the fall; they are determined not to give the Democrats an inch of credit. Though this is a pretty solid election strategy, Obama is correct when he says that legislators need to look out for their constituents as opposed to their partisan interests. (2) It’s very frustrating watching this all happen from the sidelines. Obama needs to get Republicans with him somehow. I suggest bartering and horse trading. Or better yet unite the Democrats and get the majorities getting the work done that they were elected to do.
(1) http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/gallup-daily-obama-job-approval.aspx
(2) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/state-of-the-union-2010-full-text-transcript_n_439459.html
As I listened to this speech I personally thought that it was really motivational, and quite humorous. I liked how he was able to joke a little about the state of the nation, and how some of the criticisms on him aren't his fault. The President acknowledges the troubles that country is having but then also proposes how he would like to fix them. I really liked everything that he had to say but at the same time I was a little concerned about how the president is going to enact all that he promises. While he does discuss how he wants to get it all accomplished, I am still a little hesitant about getting them done. Maybe the President shouldn't have promised everything in his speech. I really liked the proposals they all sound like things that will be best for the American people, and I of course really liked the policy on how to lighten the load on college students, for obvious reasons.
I think that the biggest hurdle for the President will be getting the reforms for Wall Street. Since they obviously have enough money to have kept the reforms from being passed previously, now will not be any different. My advice to Obama is to continue to press the legislature to pass these reforms, by billing them as being best for everyone, including them (those that benefit from Wall Street's negligence).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/state-of-the-union-2010-full-text-transcript_n_439459.html
One of the main factors that drew me to President Obama was his oratory skills. The President is an extremely effective communicator, something that we seriously lacked in the administration preceding his. He is able to communicate to the American people what the ‘State of the Union’ really is. That is something that I value in a politician. If you have good policies, that’s one thing, but the only way you’re ever really successful is if you can effectively get your message across.
I think President Obama accomplished this in his State of the Union address on January 27. He expressed that he understands that the American people are angry. They believe that the Democrats are working on the wrong set of priorities, but they think that the Republicans aren’t any better because they don’t propose any solutions to fix the problems affecting our country (1). Obama reassured American people that he feels their pain. "The worst of the storm has passed. But the devastation remains." (2) He is working to fix the economy to the very best of his ability. Defending his 2009 stimulus package, he proposed a short-term job creation initiative that has a tax on the biggest banks and aid to community banks and small businesses. He also called for new infrastructure and clean energy projects.
When it came to healthcare, Obama again expressed his desires for a healthier nation, a nation where all Americans can have affordable healthcare. “I didn't choose to tackle this issue to get some legislative victory under my belt. And by now it should be fairly obvious that I didn't take on health care because it was good politics. I took on health care because of the stories I've heard from Americans with preexisting conditions whose lives depend on getting coverage; patients who've been denied coverage; families -- even those with insurance -- who are just one illness away from financial ruin,” (2). He defended his policies, and scolded Congress members for not passing health care legislation fast enough (1).
What I liked best about Obama’s State of the Union address the most was that he admitted his mistakes. He admitted that he has learned lessons this year, and that mistakes have been made. It shows that he’s human. I worry that his address will sustain optimism in the American people for only a short while, however. If the economy continues to be bad or get worse, Americans will probably lose faith in Obama if he can’t get the economy back on its feet soon. His address was primarily aimed towards Independents (1) who will be the main swing voters in the midterm elections. But he also called for bipartisanship, because “what the American people hope -- what they deserve -- is for all of us, Democrats and Republicans, to work through our differences; to overcome the numbing weight of our politics.” (2).
(1)http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-burnett/obamas-state-of-the-union_b_450711.html
(2)http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/state-of-the-union-2010-full-text-transcript_n_439459.html
1. I really enjoyed watching the State of the Union. As everyone has stated, President Obama spoke with great confidence and assurance. He did persuade me. He persuaded me to work hard and stay focused. It would be great if all young Americans watched the State of the Union Address. I felt very proud of my country after watching the video. Since politics have become so divided, I do not believe that anyone will ever be able to persuade all. People that very much dislike President Obama previous to watching the speech probably still would not favor his policy statements. This would be the same if it were a Republican president. It is just the way it goes. One thing that I disliked about his speech was that he made too many jokes. Sometimes I felt that he was laughing too much. I do not know how anyone could be so at ease facing such huge problems?
2. He did not seem to make a firm statement on any of his policies. Much of the time he was just reiterating what he has done in the past two years. This confirms the criticism that the speech was just a cry for help. He mentions many times that he needs the support of the whole chamber. As we all know, this is essential in impacting public policy. I really like the time he was talking about clean energy jobs in America. Time 20:40. (1) He states that foreign countries are getting ahead on the clean energy jobs and confirms that we need to be the nation leading the global energy economy. I felt that this was a very important quote from the speech. According to apolloalliance.org “clean energy, clean jobs” ... “unless American manufacturers can quickly scale up production lines to build the equipment, parts, and systems to meet the heightened demand the United States will cede to overseas competitors a once-in-a generation opportunity to create millions of new jobs.” (2) There were a couple of other issues he addressed with certainty but many were asking for the support of the entire chamber. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Should the president always be asking for the support of the other party? Or should he just run with what he wants?
3. His biggest problem is getting the support of the Republican Party as well as the cooperation of the Democratic Party. Time 51:00 he states, “Just saying no to everything maybe good short term politics but it is not leadership. We were sent here to serve our citizens, not our ambitions (to the Republicans)” ... “We have the largest majority in decades and the people expect us to solve problems, not run to the hills.”(to the Democrats) (3) I like how he states that we are all in this together and that government as a whole will look profoundly bad if they do not make some serious leeway. In addition, he states that “campaign fever” is up ahead but reminds that government officials still need to govern. Sometimes I wonder if government officials just care about getting reelected rather than making significant changes. If I were to have a conversation with President Obama, I would tell him to keep doing what he doing and keep your head up. It is important to stay focused at the task at hand.
Citations:
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTMrs9vpoqg
Time: 20:40
2. http://apolloalliance.org/feature-articles/lessons-from-europe-on-clean-energy-manufacturing-policy-that-works/
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTMrs9vpoqg
Time: 51:00
President Obama sought to refocus his political career in his State of the Union address. By watching the speech, one can see that this isn’t the same man who took the oath of office a year ago. Obama has faced many challenges in his first year, and he hasn’t succeeded in all his endeavors. His speech made a plea to the American people for help to overcoming issues. I think this a smart move by Obama. When he was elected, many thought that he could fix problems on his own. When he failed to do so, they turned away from him. Obama reminded the people that he “never suggested change can happen without help from the people” (1). His speech also reflected a shift in priorities. Health care was barely touched in the speech. Many over the year have called his agenda unpopular, spending large political capital (1). His focus he states now is the economy and helping it prosper again. Obama first defended his bank bailout this past year saying that it was necessary (2). He focused on how taxes were decreased and the Recovery Act helped many unemployed. He proposed a new economic bill that would take 30 billion dollars from Wall Street and distribute it to community banks (2). Personally, I think this is a good idea. Although it won’t solve the economy, it will really help small businesses, which can boost employment. Another goal of Obama’s is education and research. I also think this can be a positive as long the money is distributed in a fair way. Bolstering education will go a long way and can help fix long-term problems. It’s good to see Obama thinking on future problems instead of just seeing what is happening now. Another theme in the speech was bipartisanship. Of all Obama’s goals, I think this will be the hardest. The health care bill showed America how partisan Congress was. With elections coming up, it will be hard for a politician to take initiative. I think in order to solve this problem, it must be Obama and the leading Democrats such as Pelosi and Reed to take the initiative. It is clear the Republicans are just trying to hold off until midterm elections. Obama needs to show the Democrats that it is okay to compromise, and hopefully Republicans will see their example. His other goals seem to have at least some popular appeal. It is apparent that the economy is the most important issue for Americans, and Obama sees that. The health care bill and the Afghanistan surge made people lose faith in the presidency. I think the State of the Union was a reaffirmation of his determination to accomplish his goals. Hopefully this is more than just talk. With luck, we won’t have to be debating the economy a year from now and we focus on more long term goals such as education or the environment.
1) http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/State_of_the_Union/president-obama-state-of-the-union-address/story?id=9678571&page=2
2) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/state-of-the-union-2010-full-text-transcript_n_439459.html
Overall, I agreed with the direction set by President Obama’s recent state of the union address. I appreciated his frankness in analyzing successes and downfalls of his administration. One of Obama’s strengths is his eloquence, and it makes a very refreshing change to be able to watch a president’s address without cringing at the grammatical errors and faulty reasoning every other minute.
It was good to know that Obama’s focus is on continued recovery of the economy, and especially on creating more and better jobs. I also found his anecdote comparing this hurdle in United States history to events like Bull Run and Bloody Sunday. It made me wonder how this era will be treated in future history books. I found Obama’s commentary on the economy motivational, and at the same time, realistic. The journey ahead won’t be completely smooth no matter who is in the Oval Office, and admitting this now will make the process easier to bear when economic recovery looks bleak.
I completely agree with his proposal to tax the banks that have received bailouts, and are now giving out enormous bonuses to employees. Hard-earned tax money was spent on saving their butts, and they should be using that money to promote small business and loosen loans, not on vacation homes in the Caribbean. I also appreciated the fact that Obama used the “going public” method to encourage more support of his policies from politicians and voters. To me, it was an appropriate use of the policy.
President Obama’s State of the Union address was very much awaited by critics and supporters alike. This past year President Obama as well as Congress has gone under much scrutiny after the many promises made in Obama’s campaign that the people believe have not been kept. As I listened to President Obama’s speech I was very impressed with way he articulated the accomplishments of administration. I think that the morale of the public has been very low since September 11th, 2001 and furthered by the lack in effectiveness of the War on Terror. President Obama entered the presidency with many problems accumulated through past presidents at hand. He believed he could take everything on but in reality he can only do so much work at once and the American public wants to see more. I thought the speech was a bit of a self-booster but it accurately described how much progress this administration truly made. The public is generally not politically aware and does not see how all of these programs work out to help people unless it has directly affected them. We should be glad for those people whose lives have been changed by the work of President Obama because those people most likely need the help the most. I think that President Obama’s speech was highly motivational and made the public knowledge grow as well as restore faith in what has been worked on, and acknowledge what still needs to be done so this country is at a stable state. After hearing the speech I am really looking forward to seeing what is ahead for our country because I think we are all in good, capable hands.
I believe that all of his proposals are well thought out and have the best interests of the American people at heart however, I think it needs to be said that it will take time, and lots of it, to make these policies be put into action and for statistics and the overall state of the union to be at its finest or even making upwards progress. His proposals are very driven and do stem off of what the American public has been asking for so he being quite receptive to public opinion. His proposal to make a “new small business tax credit -- one that will go to over one million small businesses who hire new workers or raise wages,” is something that should be very easy to accomplish and the benefits of this plan are quite visible (1). Even though Congress is held up with healthcare issues, smaller issues like these which are obviously going to benefit the nation should be passed with ease in between all of these bigger debates. I think that all of these proposals which will stimulate our economy even more, even in small ways are a great start to an American comeback.
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Another goal that Obama proposed was to in general “export more of our goods.” (1) I believe that the United States needs to take advantage of all of the things we are capable of. There are many skilled people living in this country and many other countries would love our technology and resources and if sharing those things would boost our economy and keep people working, I think using other countries to make money is brilliant. While in a perfect world all countries would be living in a stable economic environment, the United States needs to take care of itself against other industrialized countries before it worries about others. Obama stated that his campaign will be “launching a National Export Initiative that will help farmers and small businesses increase their exports, and reform export controls consistent with national security.” (1) I think that this will truly help create jobs as well as boost the economy by fueling more money into our nation in a way that has not been publicly approached in years except in cases of oil which is a whole other realm of money in the United States. Overall, I believe President Obama’s specific policies have great intentions for the United States going forward. While they may not take effect right away, I believe eventually they will increase the way Americans live by providing a more stable economy and more interactions with our neighboring countries. This plan not only helps the economy but may increase the number of allies the United States has in its current and futuristic wars and may overall protect foreign policy in the long run.
I think that President Obama has many hurdles ahead of him on his way to accomplishing his goals while in office. First of all I believe public opinion and the morale of the country is going to really be a stopper to the progress that Obama wants to make. It seems as though people are very disappointed in Obama and people that are upset are typically anti-productive. While it is not widely announced that the morale of the United States is low I think history books twenty or thirty years from now will tell another story. There was such a big hype during the campaigning but now people have very little faith in our government. Another reason for this and another hurdle for Obama is Congress. While the Democrats had a super majority, they should have been able to accomplish a lot including the healthcare bill being passed however they failed to do so thus bringing us to where we are at today. He needs Congress to be able to work not only with each other but with him as well. I feel as though this nation could be making great progress but that the people elected to Congress are not productive and do not work well with others. They need to learn compromise and to think about the big picture, not just their personal views or reelection. As well I think the amount of progress that needs to be made will be another hurdle. This country has a long way to go and approaching fixing a nation is a daunting task and I will take more than the efforts of one man and more than 4 or 8 years to accomplish. My advice to President Obama is simple, follow your gut, rely on others (they are there to help), and keep connected to the people. If President Obama made more news releases stating how his programs are actually helping and show real life stories, I believe the nation would see how it is climbing up the hill. The news is really going to help President Obama as media grows more influential in our society so he should keep those people close to him.
1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/state-of-the-union-2010-full-text-transcript_n_439459.html
The State of the Union Address is a report given to the United States Congress once a year by the President, usually in speech form. President Barack Obama gave his first State of the Union speech on January 27th. I thought he gave a fairly good speech, that came to all of the issues that are facing the country right now. He clearly laid out his plan for solving all of the problems that he has the power to deal with. I thought it was uplifting, because of the fact that we finally have a President that understands what is going on in his country. He seems to be a very idealistic president, which can be a good thing, but could also be an obstacle in his goals. My reaction to his specific policy proposals was that he set some very high expectations for himself in the coming year. He wants to increase jobs, pass healthcare, create more green energy, remove the troops from Iraq, and cut into the deficit. I personally have no idea how he is going to accomplish these goals, because many of them involve spending even more money, which would NOT cut into the deficit. Green energy, increased employment, and universal healthcare are all huge expenses that America does not have the money to pay for, without increasing taxes or borrowing more money. Obama is still cutting taxes for citizens, but he did propose a fee on banks to help increase cash flow for the government. He also said he wanted to eliminate capital gains taxes on small businesses, which would mean less money going towards paying off the national debt. The biggest hurdles I see for Obama's goals are money and trying to do too much. He simply does not have enough money available to cover the costs to pay for all of his other policy plans. He also cannot try to do too much at one time, or he will not be able to accomplish any of them. My advice to him is to focus on getting one goal done first, one goal that he will focus on heavily, until it is accomplished. That way, he will not burn through money as quickly, and will be more likely to complete his goals.
Barack Obama is a highly talented orator, and he never fails to impress when giving a speech. I think the tone of his State of the Union Address was spot on. He was neither finger-pointing nor overly perky, and he seemed to genuinely want the best for the country.
I am in favor of his desire for action regarding the environment, as this is a quiet crisis that must be addressed before it is too late. Our last president practically denied the existence of global warming; it's nice to have somebody in office who wants to do something about it. I also agree with his intention to further regulate and reform the banks. With any luck, we can prevent the same variables from aligning that caused our financial crisis in the first place. President Obama cut taxes for 95% of working families. While it speaks well for his popularity and approval rating that he cut taxes, and while it may be the right call in a recession, I hope he isn't afraid to raise them as the economy gets back on track. Tax dollars are necessary for the government to function, and the Democrats tend to want to do more. I think Obama has handled foreign policy about as well as he could, with the raw deal he was given by the previous administration. His approach to Iraq and Afghanistan has been well thought out. It will be interesting to see how things ultimately work out with Iran and North Korea, but I am optimistic that Obama will do a good job.
Regardless, it's a near-certainty that Obama will lose congressional Democrats in November. I hope the Democrats retain control of the house, but either way, he'll have a harder time pushing things through. Some folks think Obama has been too bipartisan, and others think the opposite. But come next year, I worry that Obama may need to become even more bipartisan in order to get a few right-wingers to work with him. While this is not ideal from my point of view, I'd rather he accomplish something than nothing. An obstinate Republican congress could place a chokehold on Obama's agenda.
The president's State of the Union was impressive in that it was well articulated, however, much of the content was a cry for bipartisanship on issues he cares about. This made me much less prone to accept exactly what I was hearing. The speech was very well written and given. The speech really did play to some of the things i wanted to hear. On the issues of jobs and healthcare he took a strong discourse and stance which is what i wanted to hear. However, if the past year has shown anything about Mr. Obama is that strong discourse doesn't necessarily mean it'll lead to strong action. This is a problem that doesn't pervade the speech while he's giving it, however, upon reflection I feel that the speech isn't indicative of how things will pan out in the coming year.
Regarding some of Mr. Obama's policies. I feel that they are well intentioned and articulated, they will need, however, a strong and swift passage through congress in order to get through at all. The tea party movement is really in swing in the United States and pervades both sides of the aisle, in other words, people are upset what they see as runaway spending. This movement that is sweeping through the nation will stall any passage of Obama's plans to get certain legislation through Congress.
I did approve of the jobs bill he's proposing, however, I think that should have been with the initial stimulus passed over a year ago. That bill was put together rather hastily and poorly. I do think that this additional spending is necessary and is making an impact on the economy. He portrayed this as a bipartisan effort, however, this shouldn't really be bipartisan given how much control the democrats have in the capital, and it will only become more partisan as the midterm elections take place.
I see some major hurtles for accomplishing his goals this year. I already laid out the hurtle facing him due to the tea party movement. That will block much of the spending legislation. I really hope Obama can grow some balls and really push some partisan issues through congress otherwise they won't make it through as we've already seen with Healthcare etc. Without that kind of partisan leadership then i don't think these initiatives he's proposing will pass. Public support is also waning for his policies which will make it hard to have a long drawn out debate about certain policies. He will have some problems in those departments.
1. State of the Union Address
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTMrs9vpoqg
2. Full text: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/state-of-the-union-2010-full-text-transcript_n_439459.html
President Obama, throughout his campaign and into his presidency has remained a strong and influential speaker. He has the ability to motivate those who listen to him and constantly presents a confident attitude when speaking. In the State Of The Union address, President Obama was able to admit his mistakes of the past and set out guidelines for the future. He was able to offer ideas of ways that the nation as a whole can start to fix the problems that we live with today. Finding ways to build the economy, create jobs, and pull America out of the massive deficit that we currently reside were some of the main points that Obama stressed. Now we will have to wait and see how America will respond to all of President Obama's proposals.
In the beginning of the address, President Obama made the statement "When I ran for president, I promised I wouldn't just do what was popular- I would do what was necessary" (1). He quickly jumped right into proposing a large fee on the "biggest banks" noting that Wall Street was not in favor of this plan. I believe that Obama's ability to break from having the approval of all influential sources is key. No person, even if they are the president, can please everyone, but being able to stand up for, and back up proposals provides Obama with the appearance of confidence. Throughout the rest of his speech, Obama proposed that $30 billion from Wall Street banks to provide for small businesses and in turn help boost the economy. Also, to provide more jobs in clean energy facilities to accomplish two goals at once, reducing our carbon footprint and lowering the unemployment rate. Obama continued by increasing the need for financial reform, by providing middle class families with the information they need to make smart financial decisions, encourage American innovation and export more of our goods to create jobs, and invest in the education of America (1). He went on to describe how college educations should become more affordable and that student loan debt should be forgiven after 20 years because “no one should go broke because they choose to go to college” (1). There were also proposals of reducing medical premiums and to freeze government spending starting in 2011. This freeze will allow for the administration go line by line within the budget to eliminate extra spending.
Some of the largest hurdles that Obama faces are that of the economy. Although he is taking steps toward eliminating the deficit, change will not occur overnight. Creating jobs are the fastest way to boost the economy, and help to reduce the unemployment rate. I feel that overall; the president has set a fairly high bar in terms of proposals and expectations, but a majority of these proposals can be met if people put forth the effort. Personally I fully support the cut of costs for college education. Tuition has sky rocketed, and with the economy the way it is today, many families are feeling its ramifications. With everyone working to try and meet the expectations that President Obama laid out, I believe that the economy will improve and the unemployment rate will go down.
1) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/state-of-the-union-2010-full-text-transcript_n_439459.html
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