Post 3: State of the Union
Last night President Obama gave his State of the Union address to Congress. Everyone in the media this week is reacting to his legislative agenda and the tone he took on his relationship with Congress. Write your own reaction to the president's speech. Your reaction must include a minimum of one quote from his speech and must include a minimum of one quote from someone else commenting on his speech that you can agree or disagree with.
Things to consider in your post (but you are not required to answer):
- Did the president emphecize the correct themes?
- Will this speech help his relationship with Congress? With the American people?
- Did he spend the right amount of time on domestic v. foreign policy?
- How does this year's speech compare with last year's?
Note: If you are a more auditory learner you can watch the president's speech on youtube. Otherwise I have a link to his speech above.
This post's due date has been pushed back to Tuesday, February 4th so as to give you more time to balance all your work with the crazy winter weather. I hope that helps.
Labels: president, state of the union
posted by Ms. Aby @ 8:07 AM
48 Comments:
I think the themes that the president emphasized made sense in the context of the purpose of the speech. He spoke a lot about raising the minimum wage, moving forward with the Affordable Care Act, immigration reform, and education, including a good amount of rhetoric about moving the country forward and continuing growth and how the nation is and has the potential to be the best we’ve been in in decades. I think this speech could definitely help his relationship with Congress, or at least push them to pay attention to the issues that President Obama thinks they have neglected. He appealed to the public with many policies that voters likely favor, like raising the minimum wage and funding early childhood education, so members of Congress will probably feel pressure to act on these topics to please their constituents. Obama made it clear that he is willing to work with the GOP and gave credit to many conservatives that are working on important issues and developing new ideas, which could possibly help to ease tensions. At the same time, he basically told the Republicans to sit down and be quiet if they don’t have a suggestion about health care that’s better than the Affordable Health Care Act, which I think was a good point to get across, especially with such a large audience listening. I was annoyed that he spent time bragging about the Race to the Top program as he has every year because it has made slight improvements, but it is hardly more than a short term experimental program at this point. The funding that schools receive from the program is unimpressive considering how much states and cities spend on education overall, though any additional assistance is always helpful. Obama also called on educators to develop “new ways to measure how well our kids think, not how well they can fill in a bubble on a test,” criticizing the testing craze brought on by No Child Left Behind and blatantly ignoring the fact that most of the standards set for measuring students’ performance and educators’ adequacy for Race to the Top are based on standardized testing results. Decades of research have shown that measuring quality of education and intelligence with multiple choice tests sets up educational institutions that support superficial learning and put an incredible amount of pressure on students and teachers alike that is severely detrimental to education. As Katherine Mangu-Ward said in her article Obama Should Shut Up About Race to the Top Already, “Our K12 system is deeply dysfunctional. Spending has skyrocketed...while test scores remain stagnant. Kids in...school right now deserve a lot more than warmed over speech text about a small experimental reform program” (1).
1 http://reason.com/archives/2014/01/29/obama-should-shut-up-about-race-to-the-t
I think that the President made some good speaking points and addressed a few key issues, but overall he fell short in his speech with the same rhetoric we have heard from him for five years. I agree that there are a lot of important problems we need to fix such as health care, strengthening the middle class, reducing income inequality, and creating jobs. I liked his statement saying "What I believe unites the people of this nation, regardless of race or region or party, young or old, rich or poor, is the simple, profound belief in opportunity for all -- the notion that if you work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead" (2). His speech on these topics may have been fairly decent, but it is the same stuff over and over again. He loves to talk the talk and give great speeches about these issues, but little progress is ever made. I realize this is not entirely his fault, but people often blame Congress for not cooperating with the President. They don't realize that he and the democrats are often even more stubborn than Congress but people don't seem to talk about that side of it. The speech he made may rouse those who support his agenda, but for those who don't support him or are losing faith in him, (a growing number of Americans), it didn't offer much hope at all. With his issue of health care, Douglass Schoen states how his efforts are very partisan - "On health care, the president’s signature bill which was buried in the second half of his speech, Obama recognized that there were issues with the Affordable Care Act, but did not say that he would be working with his Republican colleagues to make changes that would alter what he sees as the core principles of his plan. In this way, the president shielded himself from having to make any substantive compromises or concessions" (2). There were some issues he talked about reaching across the isle on, which I feel is important to helping his relationship with Congress. On the topic of foreign relations, I don't think Obama realizes how foolish we look in the world at the moment. His defense of a diplomatic solution in Iran, and refusal to even consider a bipartisan Congressional bill increasing sanctions on Iran, shows that the president is simply not aware of how weak we look internationally. I feel that his plan in Iran is terrible, and that we let Iran get away with more than they should. In comparing this year's speech with last years, I feel that it was a great speech, but it's the same stuff he has been preaching throughout his Presidency. We will see what actually happens as a result down the road, and I'm hoping it's for the best.
Works Cited
1)http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/01/28/obama-falls-short-in-state-union-address-misses-valuable-opportunity/
2)http://money.cnn.com/2014/01/28/news/economy/obama-income-inequality/
I thought Obama did exactly what he needed to do with his State of the Union speech: acknowledged his failures, but focused on moving ahead. After briefly mentioning the struggle over the past few decades Americans have had with a poor health care system, he said with some humor, “And in case you haven't heard, we're in the process of fixing that (1).” This is one of a few examples in which the President admitted to having a less than stellar year, although he mostly ignored his struggles with foreign affairs. Obama did a smart job with domestic affairs, however. He chose a few policy goals to mention specifically, and avoiding the lofty or slightly unrealistic aspirations he often mentioned in the past chose agenda items actually likely to pass over the next year. Obama’s climate change policy, plan for removal of forces from Afghanistan, and for raising the minimum wage are all highly likely to occur in 2014 (2). There is also a reasonable chance for immigration and retirement savings reform to happen (2). Part of this is due to the fact that Obama went aggressive this year: "Wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that's what I'm going to do (1)." A decent amount of Obama’s agenda can be accomplished through executive orders and other means that do not necessarily involve Congress (2). This was a pretty smart approach for the President to take as Congress becomes more divisive and Americans become increasingly fed up. While his speech did not likely make him any more friends in Congress, a decent number of citizens are sure to be happy with his planned bypasses. Lots of Obama’s policy goals in the last year were in fact supported by a majority of Americans, but due to a divided Congress saw little success (3). Michael Waldman, who helped draft State of the Union addresses for former President Bill Clinton, agreed with Obama’s strategy in the speech, saying of the President: "he needs to very sharply pivot toward an approach and an agenda that doesn't rely on Congress acting to be the judge of success (3)."
1) http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200
2) http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/01/28/us/politics/what-the-state-of-the-union-means-for-2014.html?ref=us&_r=0
3) http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/01/28/speech-wise-what-a-difference-year-makes/4980795/
So, after a year filled with government gridlocks and government shutdowns, everyone is wondering, “What do they have to say for themselves?” As it turns out, more of the same but more moderate. Obama has learned in this past year that Congress is not going to help him, or at least not make it easy. That is why he pledged to go out on his own. “Businesses plan to invest almost a hundred billion dollars in new factories that use natural gas. I'll cut red tape to help states get those factories built and put folks to work, and this Congress can help by putting people to work building fueling stations that shift more cars and trucks from foreign oil to American natural gas,” said President Obama in his State of the Union address (2). Its curious to note that he talks about what he is going to work at as president and only gives Congress a small job, one that they can “help” him by doing. “Mr. Obama was gambling that a series of ideas that seem small-bore on their own will add up to a larger collective vision of an America with expanded opportunity,” said the Washington Post (1). My question is, “What did you expect him to say!?” He could not simply have given up but he also cannot expect the gridlock of last year to simply disappear. Much of his speech was filler talk, trying to rouse up some support with cute anecdotes and buzz-words, but he would accomplish nothing by saying he was going to completely change the government. Everyone knows that that would be almost impossible. Overall, it seemed like the best President Obama could have hoped for in the current state of things.
1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200
2.http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/29/us/politics/obama-state-of-the-union.html?_r=0
I believe Obama emphasized the correct themes in the State of the Union Address. He emphasized economic recovery, which I feel was important for Congress and the American people to hear. Obama listed several key statistics about the economy that I felt people needed to hear. He said “…the lowest unemployment rate in over five years; a rebounding housing market. A manufacturing sector that's adding jobs for the first time since the 1990s… more oil produced at home than we buy from the rest of the world, the first time that's happened in nearly twenty years.” All of these are important accomplishments considering the Great Recession and it is comforting to hear that some progress is being made in combating the recession. He also emphasized the Affordable Care Act and the controversies it has caused. He highlighted the good it has done by citing specific people it has helped and how many lives it has improved. He also mentioned how Republicans have tried to remove the act and put policy at a gridlock in the process. He informed them that Americans are sick of this argument and if they have another plan he is willing to listen. I believe he correctly mentioned this because the general public is unhappy with the slow pace of government and arguments over this act are mainly to blame. When Congress as a whole stops arguing over this issue and focuses on other topics the country will function better. I also feel Obama outlined a good plan for further economic recovery. He has proposed increased investment in infrastructure and increased efforts to educate those who now have obsolete jobs. In response to the address, Republican Cathy McMorris Rodgers said “The president made more promises that sound good, but won’t actually solve the problems facing Americans” (1). I disagree with this statement, because the president proved that the Affordable Care Act has helped many people and will continue to help more. Also, his plan to invest in infrastructure makes economic sense and will create many new jobs which will allow all of the people employed to invest more, stimulating the economy. I believe the president has outlined a good plan to continue solving the problems caused by the recession, and I hope he is allowed to carry out his agenda.
1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/multiple-gop-responses-to-state-of-the-union-are-they-a-sign-of-party-division/2014/01/28/0d1c68c0-883b-11e3-916e-e01534b1e132_story.html
2. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200
I give President Obama's State of the Union address an 8/10. I think that the tone he used when addressing Congress was effective and drew attention to their short comings this past year, and I think he did a good job addressing pressing issues. However, I also think the president's use of fallacies (though almost unavoidable when giving a State of the Union address) made me more cynical than I would have been otherwise.
I'll start with the president's tone when addressing Congress. The president made it very clear in his speech that Congress hasn't really been up to snuff this past year, and that they haven't succeeded in helping Obama get done what he wants to get done. He also virtually shunned Congress by saying "This Congress needs to restore the unemployment insurance you just let expire for 1.6 million people" (1). I think the president's direct, yet classy way of calling out Congress will spark some new motivation and improved volition in the months to come. Another thing I think the president did well was his constant theme of getting America back to work. I think his emphasis on raising the minimum wage, investing in innovation and energy, and his appeal to private companies will bode well with the public and were great topics to discuss. Another strong point was the discussion of Iran's nuclear program and the current state of Middle Eastern affairs. Though Obama's focus was mainly domestic, I believe he gave relevant foreign affairs issues the attention they needed.
As for the things I did not particularly enjoy, I believe the president over used his appeal to emotion in order to convince America that we are getting back on track. Real world examples are good, but the fact that he had a sob story up his sleeve for every major plank of his speech made each story seem less genuine. Obviously the State of the Union is a speech meant to fire up the people, but Obama's excessive use of words like "citizenship", "America", "fellow", "great", "kids", and especially "jobs" (which he used almost 50 times), makes it seem like he's relying more on morale than anything else. Another thing that I thought Obama tried to exploit were his statistics. Though I'm sure he used real statistics, there are many confounding variables that contributed to those statistics that we fail to acknowledge. For example, Obama said that the manufacturing sector is gaining jobs for the first time since the 1990's, but the number of manufacturing jobs is still 500,000 fewer than when Obama took office, and 1.7 million fewer than when the recession began in December 2007 (2). Though things may to looking up, looking up from rock bottom means you still can't see the top.
I think that Obama gave an effective State of the Union address, and hopefully Congress will heed the president's call to action, and the American people will do the same.
(1) http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200
(2) http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2014/01/28/fact-checking-the-2014-state-of-the-union-address/
After reading this speech, I have to say, it was very rousing. It hit all the right public notes, with the economy, environment, war effort, and such. Therefore, I do believe that this speech should boost Obama’s relationship with the American people. “After five years of grit and determined effort, the United States is better-positioned for the 21st century than any other nation on Earth” (1). That statement right there is a pretty good indicator of the mood of this thing. It’s very optimistic. It’s very “Yes, We Can.” I like it. As I’ve said, it hits all the right notes with me, which is good, from my point of view. However, I don’t think some of it has hit the right notes. According to Republican Steve King, “President Barack Obama’s plan to sign an executive order to raise the minimum wage for federal contract workers a “constitutional violation”” (2). Now, I do kind of disagree with him. First off, he’s from the opposite party. Regardless of opinions, they tend to try and go after each other. If it was a Republican delivering a speech on that podium, I guarantee you that someone would have something to say against. Still, this speech was masterfully crafted, and it hit everything that it should have hit. It was a good speech.
(1) http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200
(2)
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/01/steve-king-state-of-the-union-2014-executive-order-102714.html
That was the first State of the Union address I read in its entirety so I can’t really judge it against any others, but it seemed well written. Overall, Obama’s speech was well rounded, giving a decent amount of time to many of the major issues facing the national government from the health care reform to education to foreign policy primarily regarding Iran. I have mixed feelings about Obama’s statement “But America does not stand still, and neither will I. So wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that's what I'm going to do”. It is clear that the president wants to continue working on his agenda and avoid becoming ineffectual, which is certainly a good thing, but I am a little leery about his desire to sidestep Congress because I don’t believe that it sets a good precedent. Of course, considering the way that this Congress has been willing to “compromise” with the president (i.e. refusing to approve of presidential appointments, stalling various legislative actions, and shutting down the government), I will agree that Obama has been left with few alternatives apart from working outside the legislature as much as possible. Hopefully, Obama will be able to make some progress with his agenda despite Congress. As he declared in his speech, he does plan to increase the minimum wage for federally funded employees via an executive order, which shows he is willing to use his power as the chief executive to try to make some progress without the assistance of Congress. The Republican response to the state of the union by Cathy Rodgers was, by comparison to the state of the union, sentimental and lacked anything substantial. Apart from the numerous trite patriotic statements which made up the bulk of the response, Rodgers managed to reference the president’s policies, “Too many people are falling further and further behind because, right now, the president’s policies are making people’s lives harder”(1). She goes on to give no evidence to support her claim, hardly even a stray statistic found its way into her response. There’s very little to agree or disagree with in her response to the State of the Union as she made few arguments which could warrant debate, so I will simply disagree with her statement that the president’s policies are making people’s lives harder and support my argument with an approximately equal amount of concrete evidence that she used to support hers…
1. http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/01/28/full-text-rep-rodgers-gives-official-gop-response-to-obamas-state-of-the-union-speech?page=3
While reading the transcript of President Obama’s State of the Union address last week, I found myself commending him for many of the things he said. Faced with a low approval rating, Obama was no doubt trying to regain some trust from the American people as well as restore Americans’ faith in their country and government. This was made evident when he stated that he was “committed to making Washington work better, and rebuilding the trust of the people who sent [him] there.” (1). He started off strongly, recognizing the American people in their effort to improve the nation. He reminded everyone that we currently have the lowest unemployment rate in over five years, a rebounding housing market, a manufacturing sector that’s adding jobs for the first time since the 1990s, more oil produced at home than we buy from the rest of the world, our deficits cut by more than half, and world business leaders have declared that the U.S. has now replaced China as the world’s best place to invest (1). I respect the fact that he acknowledged that not all the problems that the nation faces have been solved during his presidency. For instance, he admitted that average wages have barely budged, inequality has deepened, upward mobility has stalled, and many Americans are still working way too hard just to get by. But for each of these problems, he offered possible solutions. While many Americans claim that our tax code is full of loopholes that punish local business investing and instead reward companies that keep their profits abroad, Obama proposed closing the loopholes, ending the incentives to ship jobs overseas, and lowering tax rates for businesses that create jobs domestically (1). Furthermore, I applaud the fact that he recognized that the people that immigrate to the U.S. are here to fulfill their dreams. I feel as if many Americans see immigrants as having a negative impact on the nation, but I agree with Obama in that they are here to study, invent, and contribute to American culture. As a high school student, I obviously see the value in Obama’s plan to redesign high schools and partner them with colleges and employers that offer hands on occupational training. Overall, I agreed with everything that President Obama brought up in his State of the Union address. While some point out that he may have exaggerated recent job growth statistics, the impact of the Affordable Care Act, and carbon pollution reduction, I found his overall address to be quite effective (2). I believe that Obama has made this nation better in many ways, or at least as efficiently as possible while he faces a Congress that opposes almost all of his policies strictly for partisan reasons. He ended his address on an optimistic note, stating that he believes that “this can be a breakthrough year for America. After five years of grit and determined effort, the U.S. is better-positioned for the 21st century than any other nation on Earth.” (1).
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/01/29/fact-check-state-of-the-union/5001433/
I was thoroughly surprised by the fact that i actually enjoyed reading Obama's State of The Union. While I find politics interesting, I find most presidential speeches to be slightly repetitive. This year's state of the union, however, addressed points which are supported by many people and have been left behind in the latest economic turmoil such as raising minimum wage, health care, and continuing the country's effort to improve and work together. The point is, there are millions of Americans outside Washington who are tired of stale political arguments and are moving this country forward. I agree wholeheartedly with President Obama when he said "They believe, and I believe, that here in America, our success should depend not on accident of birth but the strength of our work ethic and the scope of our dreams." What this country needs is more unity and less intense partisanship, and more people need to be bonded by the desire to succeed as a whole instead of just as individuals. While his approval ratings have been dropping, I think that this speech made a good impact on his image. With his term basically being over within the next year, his encouragement to work together and focus on what matters, like improving the middle class and health care benefits for a more affordable price. However, not everyone enjoyed his speech and believed it was just the same recycled lines he has been using for the first 4.5 years of his presidency. As clearly seen by the looks on the speaker of the house's face, not everyone sees Obama's goals of "making it a year of action" as beneficial to America. The hosts of the USA today and their analysis of the state of the union show both sides to his goals, they believe that "it is not as ambitious as it was in 2013," which is not always a bad thing. Managing expectations and being realistic about what one person can accomplish in such a short time might be what America needs right now. Another line I enjoyed from his speech was "Both Democrats and Republicans have argued that our tax code is riddled with wasteful, complicated loopholes that punish businesses investing here, and reward companies that keep profits abroad." I like that he didn't blame one party for the current problems. Being able to both accept blame and acknowledge fault is an important part of being a successful president, so I thought this was a very smart and unified thing to say. Overall, I thought Obama's speech has a good mix of satisfaction, goals, and American pride to be the speech that many people needed to hear.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/01/28/speech-wise-what-a-difference-year-makes/4980795/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200
I believe President Obama touched on the major issues in America. Topics such as the Affordable Care Act, minimum wage, women workers, education, and immigration were some of the topics he covered. Obama definitely joked about some of his shortcomings from the past year, and even brushed over a topic that was a major part of last year’s State of the Union; gun control. Obama has certainly learned over the years that if he wishes to keep some semblance of an approval rating he shouldn’t take such a drastic stance on a controversial subject, such as gun control (2). Obama also bashed Congress, in the smoothest way possible, by stating, “Whenever and wherever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that is what I am going to do” (1). It’s Obama’s way of showing the public that he refuses to give up on his goals for America just because Congress and the president can’t get along. Overall I think Obama did a good job of rallying the troops.
I believe President Obama touched on the major issues in America. Topics such as the Affordable Care Act, minimum wage, women workers, education, and immigration were some of the topics he covered. Obama definitely joked about some of his shortcomings from the past year, and even brushed over a topic that was a major part of last year’s State of the Union; gun control. Obama has certainly learned over the years that if he wishes to keep some semblance of an approval rating he shouldn’t take such a drastic stance on a controversial subject, such as gun control (2). Obama also bashed Congress, in the smoothest way possible, by stating, “Whenever and wherever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that is what I am going to do” (1). It’s Obama’s way of showing the public that he refuses to give up on his goals for America just because Congress and the president can’t get along. Overall I think Obama did a good job of rallying the troops.
I thought Obama made some good points in his speech, however, I feel like he didn’t address all that he should have. Some of the main themes throughout his speech were the lowest unemployment in 5 years, healthcare, and strengthening the middle class (1). Nevertheless, I feel like we’ve all heard him talk about these things before. He keeps repeating the same things over and over again and instead of accomplishing what he says he will do, he just says he will do it and seems to forget what he promised to the American people. In regards to the fact that Obama talked about how America has the lowest unemployment rate in the past five years is a good point to bring up (1), but as McMorris Rodgers noted, “more Americans stopped looking for a job than found one” (2). I especially agree with what McMorris Rodgers had to say. I believe that healthcare choices should be our choices, not the government’s choice which is why I disagree with what Obama had to say in regards to the Affordable Care Act and healthcare. I noticed throughout his speech that he didn’t really seem to use any specific examples. For instance he says, “But what I offer tonight is a set of concrete, practical proposals to speed up growth, strengthen the middle class and build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class. Some require congressional action, and I'm eager to work with all of you. So wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that's what I'm going to do” (3). He never seems to say HOW he will speed up growth, strengthen the middle class, and build new opportunities into the middle class, just that he’ll do it, which doesn’t seem very promising to me. As pertaining to last year’s speech of his, as I said before, I think he’s just repeating the same things. I look forward to next year’s state of the union address to see what Obama has to say and if he actually did anything that he said he would in this year’s speech.
(1) http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200
(2) http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gop-state-of-the-union-response-blames-obama-for-inequality/
(3) http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/multiple-gop-responses-to-state-of-the-union-are-they-a-sign-of-party-division/2014/01/28/0d1c68c0-883b-11e3-916e-e01534b1e132_story.html
I think that President Obama had emphasized the correct themes in his address to Congress. He spoke to Congress with a clear position of confrontation and clarified his plans for the year. These plans include improving job growth, immigration reform, the Affordable Care Act, and education. During his address he made some strong points about moving forward and to continue our country’s growth. He stated that “Whenever and wherever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that is what I am going to (2). His statement shows his dedication to the American people which helps create a better relationship with the people. He plans on taking actions without Congress with executive orders as much as he can to move the country forward (1). I think his emphasis on taking more action without Congress was effective since the only 16 percent of Americans are approving the way Congress is handling its job (1). I also think that his relationship with his party in Congress has improved more after this address. The political interests of Obama and his party coincide more neatly that they have been (1). Mentioning to use executive action to address the change, economic policies like minimum wage and other issues that are important to Democrats help contrast with his approach that the Republicans’ inaction in Congress (1). In this case I agree with Darrell West, the vice president for governance studies at Brookings Institution, who stated that “to highlight the differences between the parties and show that Democrats are on the side of ordinary people” is the way to win the public over and to gain more votes for Democrats (3). His key issues in the address like minimum wage helps show that he is focusing on “all the things that can help folks immediately, even if the impact is small,” as political scientist Wendy Schiller said (3). With a more specific focus and having a more unified party, it makes it a more effective national party (3). I also think that Obama distinguishing the parties will help create more progress in Congress. Republicans might decide that it is better to act in concert with the president on some issues like immigration than to not act at all, which would lessen the conflict of passing legislation (1).Obama had called his ideas in the address as“concrete practical proposals to speed up growth, strengthen the middle class and build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class.” His focus on moving forward and to take more action with clearer plans were effective themes to emphasize in his address for more public support and from Congress.
Sources:
1.http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-prepared-to-avoid-congress-go-it-alone-on-carrying-out-modest-initiatives/2014/01/28/61b68280-8845-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html
2.http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/01/28/first-thoughts-on-president-obamas-state-of-the-union-address/
3.http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/30/politics/obama-democrats-strategy/index.html?iref=allsearch
In Obama's State of the Union address earlier this week, I thought that Obama did a good job emphasizing the work that needs to be done here in the U.S. He discussed raising the minimum wage, as well as creating more jobs, reducing American dependence on foreign fuel, and working to improve the problems with the immigration system. Obama summed up his plan for this year by saying, "Let's make this a year of action…that's what most Americans want--for all of us in this chamber to focus on their lives, their hopes, their aspirations." (1). With all of his proposed plans however, Obama knew that getting all of his agenda passed would be difficult without the support from the Republicans. He called on Congress to work with him to make his plans a reality, saying, "Some require congressional action, and I'm eager to work with all of you. But America does not stand still, and neither will I." (1). He then followed with the promise to use executive orders to pass some of his agenda. Despite all of Obama's plans for change, the Republicans seem to be unwilling to give up their ground. House Speaker John told reporters that Republicans are "just not going to sit here and let the President trample all over [them]." (2). I think that this is just ridiculous. It is a new year, and a chance to start fresh. By not being willing to cooperate and work with the President to develop his plans to meet both parties' goals, they are setting up the nation for a repeat of what happened last year with all of the roadblocks and deadlocks that occurred. I hope that Obama and Congress can work together to make this year different than previous ones, and create legislation that will impact the lives of citizens in the U.S.
(1) http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200
(2) http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/28/politics/2014-state-of-the-union/index.html
Overall I think the president emphasized the right themes and organized his speech well. He started out with major accomplishments in the past few years. The start of the speech was positive. Then he went into more popular issues, starting out with creating jobs at home. He then went onto talk about the energy policy that creates jobs and protects the environment. He mentioned that he plans to reform immigration. Next, he went on to providing better education at better costs. Finally, he talked about how women should get equal pay and that the minimum wage should be raised (1). All of these topics are fairly safe topics without much controversy. The next part of his speech was the more controversial issues. He talked about retirement plans and mentioned a new plan called MyRA that he would like to implement. Then he went on to his pet project, the Affordable Care Act. He talked about he wanted to get people covered and encouraged people to get signed up. He then slipped in a little bit about gun violence, that there should be more prevention (1). After this he slipped into talk about foreign affairs. I think this was a smart move, because right now more people are more concerned about domestic affairs. Talking about domestic affairs made them the priority of the speech, just like it is a priority for many Americans. Obama started off foreign affairs with the fact that there are no more troops in Iran and they are almost out of Afghanistan. This war that has dragged on for years will finally be over. Then he says that surveillance cannot be effective if the public does not trust it, it should not violate privacy. He also talked about closing Guantanamo Bay, helping giving Syrians freedom, and halting Iran’s nuclear program. He ends with talking about veterans benefits (1). I think Obama putting the focus on domestic affairs was a good choice. As I mentioned before I think it is more of a concern for the American people at this time. Also, it was wise to start with heavily supported issues, like creating jobs; then slipping in to the more controversial ones, like health care; and ending on a good note with veteran benefits. Another strategy he used was referencing the American Dream. “Too many young people entering the workforce today will see the American Dream as an empty promise, unless we also do more” (1). Mentioning the American Dream, and saying it could disappear, gets Americans emotionally involved. What would America be without the American Dream? He also, tells stories of real people to make it personal. Well the speech was well thought out and organized well, it did not actually help Obama’s relationship with the American people. The polls show that after the address Obama’s approval ratings did not change (3). Also, his relationship with Congress will not really improve after this speech. “President Obama made clear -- both in terms of the policy proposals he outlined and the rhetoric he used to do it -- that his focus for the next year would be on what he could do without Congress” (2). Obama plans to basically ignore and bypass Congress instead of working with them.
(1) http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200
(2) http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/01/28/first-thoughts-on-president-obamas-state-of-the-union-address/
(3) http://www.rollcall.com/news/polls_show_no_impact_from_state_of_the_union_address-230601-1.html?pos=hln
In the State of the Union address, I think that Obama emphasized themes that he thought would heal the relationship that he has lost with his constituents. Obama is facing an extremely low approval rating, and citing statistics about economic recovery and focusing on areas in which America has improved over the past year were definitely an attempt to combat this. I think that because of the things he said, his approval ratings will rise among his own party, but decline among the Republicans. During the speech, Obama made it clear that he is going to attempt to “find ways around” Washington rather than working with it (1). Democrats will see this as a relief because Obama isn’t putting up with the stubborn Republicans of the House of Representatives. But Republicans will see this as a way for Obama to abuse his executive power and sidestep the people’s opinions in lieu of his own agenda. Furthering the party division about Obama’s approval will be his attempt to raise the minimum wage on government worker contracts. Democrats will view this as progress towards closing the gap between the wealthy and poor, and Republicans will point to the statistics and ask how many people this change will really affect (1). Overall, Obama’s speech addressed the high points of the year in an attempt to regain his relations with the people of his party. Although he attempted to make the good news bipartisan, I think that Republicans will definitely point to the parts of his speech in which he says he will sidestep the Washington gridlock to pass programs that he wants to get through.
1 - http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-will-promise-to-expand-opportunity-with-or-without-congress/2014/01/28/53d5573a-8869-11e3-833c-33098f9e5267_story.html?hpid=z1
Overall, I was impressed with Obama’s State of the Union speech even if it was slightly overestimating our current situation and contained recycled ideas from previous speeches. He emphasized such issues as economic inequality, equal opportunity and pay for women, immigration, and healthcare reform which I find to be topics imperative to the advancement of the United State (1). The president’s speech was, as expected, inspiring and positive as he stated “our success should depend not on accident of birth but the strength of our work ethic and the scope of our dreams,” (1). Such statements clearly allow the president to connect with Americans that have grown tired of partisan politics that have created inefficient political gridlock. His speech was perfectly crafted to incite sympathetic and emotional reactions, surely the point of the buzz words that filled the speech. I appreciated that Obama addressed the shortcomings of our government saying “when our differences shut down government or threaten the full faith and credit of the United States -- then we are not doing right by the American people.” (1). Statements that address the inefficiency of the federal government are impressive as they show the president assuming responsibility while simultaneously rousing congress to be open to compromise. I was happy to hear the president discuss the growing income gap when he said “Inequality has deepened. Upward mobility has stalled,” and later when he said “Americans overwhelmingly agree that no one who works full-time should have to raise a family in poverty,” (1). Much of the economic recovery Obama spoke of has benefitted the top 1 percent exclusively. As Zanny Minton Beddoes of The Economist told NPR reporter Arun Rath, “A lot of the gains of the recovery that we've seen have gone to the people at the very top, particularly the top 1 percent,” (2). Because of this economic trend, I was excited to see the president discussing raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. I was also satisfied that Obama addressed gender equality in the workplace saying that the fact that women make 77 cents to every dollar a man makes “is wrong, and in 2014, it’s an embarrassment.” (1). I was proud to hear the president say “I believe when women succeed, America succeeds,” (1). While it has been pointed out by government officials and journalists that the president’s speech contains themes repeated from his 2013 State of the Union speech, this seems unavoidable as Congress seemed to be caught up in gridlock and a refusal to compromise for the past year (3). Thus, because Congress seemed to accomplish little, many themes and issues still remain prominent obstacles for the country. Hopefully the president’s State of the Union will act as a call to action for Congress and inspire cooperation.
1) http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200
2) http://www.npr.org/2014/02/02/270633365/obamas-state-of-the-union-and-your-economic-reality
3) http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/28/politics/state-of-the-union-sales-pitch/index.html
I think that President Obama addressed key points that have been affecting the country for the the last several years. Like every other year, he told the address like a story and didn’t try to bring up too complicated of issues directly. Some issues that have been affecting the country for years that the president talked about included job creation, education, and cleaner energy. He also stated that he would use executive orders to reach some of his goals with the factions of the Republican Party as well as the other Democrats(1). Like past years he begins by talking about how individual’s lives have changed over the past year. And then he talks about the growth that the country has had in the past year, including more home drilled oil, more insourcing interest from manufacturers, and an increase in jobs. He then created an agenda for what he wanted to do in 2014. He wants to eliminate tax loopholes and subsidies for businesses who outsource jobs. He also wants to make equal pay for women, stop wars from happening, and raise the federal minimum wage. A response by a cnn correspondent said that the minimum wage increase “has been on the president’s agenda for some time now.” He talked briefly about the stalemate in Washington saying that “We owe it to the american people to say what we’re for, not just what we’re against.”(2) I think that he spent more time of domestic policy. But some policies that are domestic lead into foreign policies such as the economic goals. And people care more about the domestic policies that foreign ones. I do not think that this speech will help his relationship with Congress. Though he does say that he wants to work together with Congress, and mentions the Speaker of the House in one of his comparisons, he doesn’t have many bipartisan goals and also says he will use executive orders. He also ripped on the GOP for their 40 plus votes against the healthcare bill. Besides saying that Congress should work with him, he did not sound like he was willing to put the past behind and work for them as well.(3) But hopefully some of those goals he stated are met this year.
1. http://www.lohud.com/article/D4/20140130/OPINION/301300031/OUR-VIEW-Obama-visits-focus-should-go-consensus
2. http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/28/politics/2014-state-of-the-union/index.html
3. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html
I have long questioned the continual mood of the State of the Union address. Presidents stand before Congress and honored guests and lightly criticize lack of the progress on the government’s part while trying to boost national morale by naming some of the more successful programs of the year. Presidents also tend to downplay problems like Obama did with economic recovery. He pointed to the low unemployment rate and recovering house and stock markets but as economist Zanny Minton Beddoes states “A lot of the gains of the recovery that we've seen have gone to the people at the very top, particularly the top 1 percent. (1)” In terms of tone, I think with this President and this Congress the tone should have for once been strict. I believe it would have been appropriate for President Obama to stand before Congress and harshly, bluntly remind them of their duties. Congress barely makes any progress now, I highly doubt a little nudge will make them any more effective. There were 97 incidents of applause, by Congress, during this address. Its ridiculous that so much applause was given for so little work. The proper tone would have cut that number to 5 at most, because every member of Congress would be sitting there speechless while they are lectured on national television. The almost diplomatic tone he took is unsuited to a time when America is in such a bad state. However, speaking of diplomatic, President Obama did have a nice balance of focus between domestic and foreign issues. The State of the Union should, in my opinion, include little foreign policy outside of troop movements and statistics. If the speech were meant to focus equally on national and international issues it would be called the State of the World, but it’s not. I believe the finest statement in the speech was when Obama said “America does not stand still, and neither will I.” While the President was clearly trying to boost his approval ratings, which is a hopeless effort given that his past SOTUs have proven to be merely words - we’re still dreaming of that DREAM act aren’t we? - this could have been the theme of the night that ignited a movement that Obama was hoping for. Had he slapped Congress in the fact with that quote, and reminded them of necessity to keep America moving throughout the entire speech, it could have been one of the best State of the Unions I have ever heard, and trust me President Obama, I am seldom impressed by speeches.
1) http://www.npr.org/2014/02/02/270633365/obamas-state-of-the-union-and-your-economic-reality
In his 2014 State of the Union Address, President Obama addressed issues like employment, the economy, education, health care, military action and non-action, energy, and foreign policy. Since the State of the Union Address is really a speech meant to tell Congress, the American public, and the rest of the world what his agenda for this year is, it was crucial for Obama to hit some of the key points that are reoccuring throughout the nation’s existence, as well as issues that are relevant to today’s world.
I think one of the most important issues he addressed was health care. With the controversy still currently erupting over the roll out of the Affordable Care Act, and while he acknowledged that there were some problems initially, the overall effect of the new health care reform has been beneficial to the American people (1). Obama remarked that “Americans are not interested in fighting old battles,” meaning that the bill was passed long ago and repealing it is not something the general public is interested in doing; rather, changing or amending the bill to better fit the needs of the people would be more ideal (1). In her scripted, roundabout, and kind of really strange response to Obama’s address, Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers officially represented the Republican Party and actually noted that the Republicans in Congress will not only just try to change and amend the current health care legislation, but also continue to get rid of it again (2).
Another area I thought was interesting was his mention of energy. Obama really skewed the data in favor of his administration. He makes it seem like the progress we’re making is akin to that of climbing Mount Everest in three days, when really it’s more like climbing one-tenth of Mount Everest in a week. However, the fact that we’re making positive progress is what’s really important. In this area and in many others, Obama also mentioned changing the tax code a great deal to help industries that need help and collect more revenue from industries and businesses who would have no trouble giving it up (1). I noticed in the Republican responses, these issues weren’t really addressed, or if they were, they were only vaguely addressed (3).
(cont'd)
In the area of education, it seemed that both Obama and the Republicans shared the same general goals. In Obama’s Address and Representative McMorris Rodgers’ response, both mentioned that job training and equal opportunities for college education were a high priority (1,2). Something that struck me as unique and also very relevant is Obama’s acknowledgement of the need for mental health care for veterans (1). I’ve been hearing a lot about soldiers who had served in Iraq or Afghanistan who now struggle with worse PTSD than that of soldiers who served in World War I, and to me, sufficient mental health care for these veterans is kind of the government’s obligation and responsibility.
I think that Obama’s speech was aimed to improve his relationship with the American people, rather than with Congress and other legislators. He repeatedly mentioned that he would take action to change things, regardless of whether or not Congress would formally act: regarding education reform, he said, “and as Congress decides what it’s going to do, I’m going to pull together a coalition;” regarding raising the minimum wage, Obama also said that he would “issue an executive order requiring” higher minimum wages, regardless of whether or not Congress supported these policies (1). Throughout a lot of his speech, Obama made sure that he made Congress look like the weak, quarrelsome bad guy, while he himself looked like a strong leader, willing to take initiative and not afraid to do what he believed in. However, he does encourage cooperation between and within Congress, but says so in a kind of back-handed way by making it seem like Congress is inherently unwilling to help or get work done.
One key difference I saw between Obama’s speech and McMorris Rodgers’ response is that Obama saw that there were ideological differences between Congressmen, and that is what kept them from getting things done, but also called for the extreme need to work together and disregard ideological splits (1). On the other hand, the Republican Representative straight up told Obama that the two parties disagree on how to run the government and thus they will never be thoroughly complete.
(1) http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200
(2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJC8OQWFknI
(3) http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/multiple-gop-responses-to-state-of-the-union-are-they-a-sign-of-party-division/2014/01/28/0d1c68c0-883b-11e3-916e-e01534b1e132_story.html
I think that the President’s speech was really encouraging. He addressed all of the positive things that has happened in the past year. For example, the economic achievements of the United States last year, the smaller deficit, the growth of businesses, and the growth of the American market. “The first time that's happened in nearly twenty years our deficits cut by more than half; and for the first time for the first time in over a decade, business leaders around the world have declared that China is no longer the world's number one place to invest; America is” (1). This statement shows that there was achievement in the economy and budget last year. Then, President Obama talked about what America needs to do to make American economy, business, and overall, everything better for the upcoming years. He talked about how he will try to do more things and pass more policies for improvement without using legislation whenever it is possible. That statement, I believe, will weaken his relationship with Congress, but it will help his relationship with the American people. Indirectly, he is saying that Congress is not as “useful” as him. It puts him in the positive light while putting Congress in the dark. However, in the speech, there did not seem to be enough time placed on the domestic versus foreign policy. He mainly focused on America’s problems and how to fix them. He wants this new year to be a year of action. A year to make changes and make America a better place. To create a better place for business, employment, students, and the average American. Overall, he emphasized the correct themes, he focused on all the things that the average American cares about, such as jobs and education (1). In response to President Obama, Republicans congresswoman, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, replied that “the president’s policies are making people’s lives harder” (2). To support her statement, she said that that, “Republicans believe health care choices should be yours, not the government’s. And that whether you’re a boy with Down syndrome or a woman with breast cancer… you can find coverage and a doctor who will treat you” (2). I strongly disagree with this because the Affordable Care Act is simply a platform to help people who do not have coverage or the coverage that they wanted to get the coverage they desire. Without this platform, it is even hard, sometimes for people to find health care coverage at all. The Affordable Care Act does not just make people adhere to a random health care plan, it gives people an option, they can accept or deny the health care plan offered to them through the Affordable Care Act. People are not obliged to pay for a health care plan under the Affordable Care Act if they do not wish to be apart of it. In no way is the Affordable Care Act a health care decision made by the government that is forced upon citizens (3). Citizens have a choice to participate, and to choose which plan within they want for themselves.
1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200
2. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gop-state-of-the-union-response-blames-obama-for-inequality/
3. http://www.c-span.org/video/?315889-1/ActImplem
After looking at Obama’s State of the Union, I believe that he has a good idea of just what our country is struggling with. One of the things he really emphasized was how we need to work on recovering our economy. I think that was a smart move on his part because the economy is something that effects all americans and is an important topic to all. One thing Obama said that stuck with me was "What I believe unites the people of this nation, regardless of race or region or party, young or old, rich or poor, is the simple, profound belief in opportunity for all -- the notion that if you work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead” (1). I agree with him on this. I think that our country has the drive and beliefs we need to pull ourselves and our economy back together. The President did note that he himself was lacking in his roll in foreign affairs. I agree that he could step up to the plate on that, but I( appreciate that he was able to see where he was making a mistake and is now planning on fixing it. to me, I find it nice to have someone running our country who is able to admit that he is human and that he has made mistakes. A former editor for Bill Clinton noted that the president “needs to very sharply pivot toward an approach and an agenda that doesn't rely on Congress acting to be the judge of success” (2). Congress has become more gridlocked in the past couple years because of the split in the party rulings. This has made it basically impossible for Obama or anyone really to pass any sort of legislation. Seeing as one of our branches of government has decided to drive itself into the ground, I think the president has no choice but to go around them and find different ways of executing his job to his best ability. Obama realized this, which is why most of the topics and ideas included in his State of the Union were things he had the power to carry out through executive orders. While this may not be the most lasting of rules, it will at least get the ball rolling again after so much stalling in Congress.
http://money.cnn.com/2014/01/28/news/economy/obama-income-inequality/
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/01/28/speech-wise-what-a-difference-year-makes/4980795/
II think that the president had some very valid points in his state of the union address. He did reiterate his previous goals and still hopes to move forward with them as much as possible. Some of the major points that he incorporated into his speech were concerning minimum wage, the affordable care act, and education as well as a few others. Overall I believe that the president did a good job including his interests as well as goals within this speech and I believe that it will positively affect his relationship with both congress and the American people. He has expressed his opinion in a way that all know his intentions and make himself understood. Obama stated, “Ill act on my own to slash bureaucracy and streamline the permitting process for key projects, so we can get more construction workers on the job as fast as possible.” This quote really conveyed the powerful points of this speech. In this quote Obama put himself out there and said I will get this done. This really spoke the audience and moved the crowd. An African American activist by the name of J.R. Fleming said that Obama’s speech was just some of “the same ol, same ol” This speech obviously didn’t rest well with Fleming as he believes that it was repeated news that we’ve all already heard.
The State of the Union Address is a politicized speech and is often filled with emotional arguments rather than fact based. President Obama delivered on the appeal to emotion throughout the speech. Most of his speech was straight rhetoric and more of what we have been hearing for the past five years. President Obama made a bunch of fluffy statements such as, “Opportunity is who we are. And the defining project of our generation is to restore that promise” [1]. That sounds great but it is an appeal to the emotion of the American people. I liked the themes that President Obama went after but I did not like the way he went after them. I do not like how he is going to use the executive order so extensively as I feel like that is an overreach of power. I also do not agree with raising the minimum wage for federal contract workers. I agree with Wes Benedict, the Chairman of the Libertarian Party, on his response. President Obama stated he will reform our surveillance programs. As Mr. Benedict points out, “Between the Patriot Act, the IRS, the FBI, and the NSA (and probably other agencies as well), Americans have no idea whether ANYTHING they do is private anymore” [2]. Even if Obama were to reform the spying on Americans, we would have no idea because it is all done in secret. I thought it was interesting how President Obama stated we are helping Syria, “usher in the future the Syrian people deserve -- a future free of dictatorship, terror and fear” [1]. I am still wondering why we are involved in Syria in the first place. I agree with Mr. Benedict when he states, “the U.S. military should leave other countries alone, even if their governments are unstable” [2]. Overall, the speech was more of the same rhetoric. It is dissappointing to see the President deciding to make executive orders on many issues and sidestepping the legislative process, even though that process is not working to efficiently. The 2014 State of the Union was too similar to those of past years, too much rhetoric and not enough actual facts.
[1] http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200
[2] http://www.lp.org/news/press-releases/libertarian-party-response-to-2014-state-of-the-union-address
Although the appeals to emotion were a little tactless at times, and Race to the Top is actually not that much better than No Child Left Behind, I think President Obama’s speech was very well-organized, focused on the right issues, and had the perfect tone for its purpose.
The organization of this speech was excellent and helped to make his stances on issues very clear while also subtly framing his more controversial requests with successes or with non-divisive opinions. He began his speech, for example, on a relatively positive note and with uncontroversial subjects such as unemployment, immigration reform, environmental issues (which also touched on unemployment), and equal pay for women. After he had established his positions on these less-divisive issues, he moved on to retirement plans and a new idea he would like to implement before moving on to his most recent idea, the ACA, defending it briefly and encouraging more participation. He then discussed gun violence and then moved into discussion of foreign affairs, again beginning with a brief outline of his successes: getting troops almost entirely out of Iraq and Afghanistan, the closing of Guantanamo Bay, his tactful involvement in the Syrian Civil War, and the government’s intervention in the Iranian nuclear program, to name a few. He then moved on to some things he would like to change, starting with the NSA scandals. His head-on confrontation of this issue was one of the things I appreciated about his speech; he explained that surveillance is only effective if the public trusts it and that change must occur if the American people are to truly feel safe. The organization of this speech in general, from positivity to widely-agreed-upon subjects to more controversial ones to another note of positivity—and from domestic to foreign policy, highlighting the widely-held belief that domestic issues are more important than foreign ones—was very well-done.
As well as organizing it well, Obama also chose just the right issues on which to take a stance in this speech. He made it very clear that Congress’s behavior in the past few years has been unacceptable and that many of the nation’s problems are to be blamed on Congress: when, for example, he said that Congress “needs to restore the unemployment insurance [they] just let expire for 1.6 million people,” he framed his disappointment and demands in such a way that is classy, specific, and in the perspective of the American people. Instead of saying that they had to cooperate with him more, he said that they had to cooperate with the American public more, and do more for them. In addition to a focus on getting Congress to get itself together, Obama also focused strongly on employment issues, which I thought was a very good move. He spoke about unemployment, minimum wage, gender wage equality, and the nation’s investment in energy innovation, all of which are highly relevant and very important to the United States’ status and situation right now and most of which are largely Congress’s prerogative. His brief but emphatic touch on foreign affairs, especially Middle Eastern ones, was also very tactful and was key in highlighting his previous successes as well as his intentions for the future and Congress’s best path towards achieving those goals. His tone when addressing Congress was tactful yet pointed; he criticized them openly, but through the lens of the average American and their needs instead of his own. Telling personal, individual stories only helped bolster that impact.
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The main thing that I did not enjoy about President Obama’s speech was the heavy-handedness of emotional appeals. Although the personal stories were helpful in his case, many of them were unnecessary, and his focus on the “American Dream” was also very reliant upon emotional responses. I don’t remember what that sort of fallacy is called, but when a person relies on key words or phrases as a catchphrase to evoke an emotional response without really saying anything of substance, it is fallacious and it does get annoying over time. His focus on the American Dream, as well as on jobs, children, and “citizenship,” became tiring over time as he continued to focus on his emotional impact instead of on the substance of his arguments; and there was quite a bit of rhetoric about moving forward, growing, changing, and being be the best the United States has been in years. On the other hand, when he was focusing on substance, he tended to use a lot of statistics, some of which were somewhat one-sided and represented a positive view on situations that are going in general less-than-favorably. I was also annoyed with how much he talked about Race to the Top, but at this point it isn’t much of a surprise anymore. His negativity about the standardized testing craze (which I, and most people, share) is completely at odds with the fact that Race to the Top uses the same measurements, and at this point, simply restating how successful his relatively unsuccessful program has been is not helping any actual education reform happen. I do appreciate his focus on the issue of education, but not particularly the fact that he went about addressing the topic in this particular speech by congratulating himself on his admittedly-meager previous attempts to make changes without addressing the fact that enormous changes do still need to take place.
Despite what I thought was a successful and well-done speech, his approval ratings did not change at all, and I doubt that his relations with Congress will improve much either: he has already planned to attempt to work around them instead of with them, which frankly I believe to be the only solution that will get anything done, but it will not in fact make their relationship any better. In general, despite some overzealous appeals to emotion and overemphasis on his marginally-improved education policy, the President’s speech was well-organized, well-focused, and well-framed.
1. http://reason.com/archives/2014/01/29/obama-should-shut-up-about-race-to-the-t
2. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200
3. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gop-state-of-the-union-response-blames-obama-for-inequality/
4. http://www.npr.org/2014/02/02/270633365/obamas-state-of-the-union-and-your-economic-reality
With the President’s approval rating lower than it has been for his presidency, it was expected that the he was going to try and cover up all of his mistakes at the state of the union, however he exuded confidence in his abilities, owned up to his mistakes and looked on to moving forward from them. I thought this speech a very well-worded piece directed at Congress and the American people, trying to help with the current situations and moods toward the President. It was a very moderate move but the right one for a President in his position. It won’t go down in the books as the best state of the union in the history of the nation, but his message was clear. Much of what he talked about was the country moving forward, moving from all that has kept us from growth this year and all that has happened with the shutdown in particular. The themes he focused on were raising the minimum wage, helping the people with their healthcare, citizenship, strengthening the middle class, levelling out inequalities, a few foreign affairs, and marriage equality. “But virtually all of them, from manufacturing initiatives to wider broadband access to a higher minimum wage, were ideas Obama has plugged before.” Says TIME writer Alex Altman, a quote that I wholeheartedly agree with. (2) The focus on economic recovery was what many people were ready to hear, and did a good job of pointing out the steps America has taken to recover its promise of the American dream. He brought out some statistics that were crowd pleasing like, “the lowest unemployment rate in over five years; a rebounding housing market, a manufacturing sector that's adding jobs for the first time since the 1990s, more oil produced at home than we buy from the rest of the world, the first time that's happened in nearly twenty years, our deficits cut by more than half; and for the first time, for the first time in over a decade, business leaders around the world have declared that China is no longer the world's number one place to invest; America is.” (1) This helped make America look good in the eyes of the people and Congress. I think that this speech did help with the relationship between Americans and the President. His focus on helping the young of the nation, combating climate change, and staying out of extend wars was also a nod in the direction of the liberal voters. I also think that his no finger pointing approach was the right way to keep Congressmen working with him. He did not focus on foreign policy as much as he has in the past because of the recent scandals and scrutiny he has faced from people Congress and the American people, but the domestic policies he did focus on were important and well rounded. Overall I think this piece was a good step forward in Obama’s presidency and a good State of the Union.
(1)http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200
(2)http://swampland.time.com/2014/01/28/state-of-the-union-2014-barack-obama-congress/
Considering that President Obama was facing a very low approval rating and is become more and more of a lame duck, I was impressed with his State of the Union Address. I though he emphasized the right issues, such as economic inequality, equal opportunity and pay for women, immigration, strengthening the middle class, and healthcare reform among more. (1) I think that it is very important for the president and Congress to be on the same page. It’s no secret that they haven’t been lately. I think that this speech was a step in the right direction. The president addressed some mishaps and problems, along with calling out Congress when he said, "This Congress needs to restore the unemployment insurance you just let expire for 1.6 million people" (1). The best way I can describe the way President Obama addressed Congress with was kind of with a scornful positivity. Looking forward and moving on but not forgetting mistakes made. I think that this will help to motivate Congress and the president to work together in the future. Another one of his main points was getting Americans back to work.”And here are the results of your efforts: the lowest unemployment rate in over five years.” (1) It feels like that president is always focusing on this point. Sometimes even over-emphasizing, and I feel like he does this on many of his points. He gives convincing speeches and then not much gets done. One of my favorite statements was as follows. “What I believe unites the people of this nation, regardless of race or region or party, young or old, rich or poor, is the simple, profound belief in opportunity for all -- the notion that if you work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead" (2). I believe that this is true and that it also held the tone of the address. I thought that he spent a little too much time on domestic policy and not enough time on foreign policy, but at the same time, there are obviously more domestic issues than foreign ones going on right now. “Given the audience, it should come as no surprise that the first 45 minutes were devoted mainly to domestic issues with some tie-ins to international affairs.” (3). Lastly, I think it is hard to compare this speech to last years or any other previous one, because this country is not in the same place that it was last year or years prior.
1.) http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200
2.) http://money.cnn.com/2014/01/28/news/economy/obama-income-inequality/
3.)http://www.washingtonpost.com//state-of-the-union-addres_3_b_4690768.html
Over- all, I thought that the president’s state of the union address seemed to sugar coat the actual state of the union. The phrases chosen for the speech felt as though they had been chosen specifically for the purpose of making it appear as though his administration was doing right by the American people. Whether it has or hasn’t is certainly up for debate, and one can’t blame Obama for trying to raise his current standing with congress and the American People through fancy rhetoric, but I would have preferred an honest interpretation of the current state of the union, rather than one praising patriotism and the American dream. It obvious he chose some of the more uplifting statistics to share, such as the fact that the deficit has been cut in more than half. While this may be true, it was also more than doubled when he first took office, so we are really just right back where we started with the deficit. I also didn’t like how he cited that “Today, women make up about half our workforce. But they still make 77 cents for every dollar a man earns.” I think this statistic of 77 cents to every dollar isn’t significant because its not so much that there is gender discrimination, but that the careers women chose to participate in simply pay less than the careers men participate in, and it is more of a preference issue than an equalities issue.
After reading the republican response to the State of the Union Address, it felt as though they were behaving in the same manner as the president; beating around the bush and merely praising the American Dream. The response also outright states that they don’t believe the president’s policies will fix anything. “The President made more promises that sound good, but won’t solve the problems actually facing Americans.” The fact that they would outright say this just feeds the idea that they are what is causing ineffectiveness with the federal government, and I don’t think either party really had anything important to say about the actual state of the union, just that they believed they were right, and everyone else was wrong.
I think Obama hit on all the correct themes. He started out talking about unemployment and jobs, and how Congress can help make a difference by reinstating the unemployment insurance. He talked about making education better and higher education more affordable which is really important to me in this time of my life. He talked about raising the minimum wage, which I also find to be a pertinent issue. And he also talked about equality in employment and pay for women, which is vastly important to me.
It is not only me that agrees with Obama's ideal of doing away with "workplace policies that belong in a "Mad Men" episode" but also the Huffington Post who ran an article support Obama's call for action. Huffington Post said “Leave out the women and you don't have a full and robust economy." I firmly believe this, not only just in an equal rights standpoint, but an economic one. Women are on average paid $.77 for every $1 a man makes, over half the labor force and 2/3 of the bread winning part of America is being left out of their fair share, just because they are women.
Overall, I am impressed with Obama's speech, especially the snippet that I intensely looked into. Many Americans, especially males, often forget that women's rights are still being questioned and fought over, and I appreciated Obama's call for change and even just him bringing it to the forefront of people's minds.
Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-shriver/state-of-the-union-2014-women_b_4691386.html
Obama's State to the Union Address was very well delivered and this can be credited to his great public speaking ability. However, I do not agree with the tone of his speech or the specific content within his speech. In his speech he talked a lot about issues that our country is facing such as the conflict with Iran and them obtaining a nuclear bomb. In his speech, Obama stated, "And with our allies and partners, we’re engaged in negotiations to see if we can peacefully achieve a goal we all share: preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon" (1). I disagree with the approach that Obama is trying to take with Iran. History has shown that Iran is an extremely unstable country and if they develop a nuclear bomb, the threat of them selling it to terrorist organizations or starting a nuclear war is frightening. The United States has tried to peacefully negotiate terms with the Iranian government but they have failed numerous times. It is evident that the Iranian government doesn't respect our government and they are standing there laughing at the United States as if they are more powerful than us and that they tell us what to do. This is unacceptable. We need to take immediate action to demand their respect by providing strict sanctions that cripples their government so that they take the United States seriously and that way we can make an example out of them and show the world that the United States will not tolerate disrespect. Obama said, "But let me be clear: if this Congress sends me a new sanctions bill now that threatens to derail these talks, I will veto it" (1). It is time for Obama to make decisions that will determine his legacy, and by vetoing any sanctions that come to his desk, simply will not get the job done. Also in Obama's speech, he talked about education, health care, and the war in Afghanistan. I agree with the statement made by J.R. Fleming, a member of Chicago’s Anti-Eviction Campaign, who stated that Obama's speech was "the same ol’, same ol’” (2). Obama talked about many topics but what I would have liked to hear from him was a clear and decisive plan as to what he plans to do to accomplish his set goals instead of explaining the issues that our nation faces and overstating his accomplishments. To conclude, I hope that Obama finishes his term strong and moves our nation in a positive direction.
(1) http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/01/28/president-barack-obamas-state-union-address
(2) http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/01/30/black-activists-in-chicago-react-to-obamas-state-of-the-union-speech-and-it-wasnt-pretty/
President Obama's speech reminded me of his entire presidency. His speech was filled with hope, but also failed to produce much action about the hope he was giving us. Obama spent a majority of his speech talking about some domestic issues that have been on the table. We have all come to expect what we saw from Obama, his amazing speech abilities were on display during this speech. Bill Whalen summed the State of the Union best when he said, "The speech was well delivered, but it was like a Jennifer Annison movie — you’ve seen it before, and you won’t remember much about it a week from now (1). Although he is making a little satire about the speech, it has some truth to it. Obama has built a strong base in using words instead of action to make the people of the United States happy. I was not a big fan of Obama's talk about Iran. He made claims that he wants to reach across the aisle when coming up with a solution, but he has proven through his actions that he opposes almost all bi-partisan bills. In summary, the State of the Union was exactly what we should expect as American people. A well delivered speech by an amazing speaker, but speeches only do so much. Obama needs to prove to America; and the world, that the government has a plan to solve the issues eating at the American people.
http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election/2014/01/28/reaction-to-state-of-the-union-mixed-in-ca-hopeful-disappointing/
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I think the State of the Union is very interesting because the president is supposed to touch on both his accomplishments and future plans regarding everything that is a priority to his administration. That is A LOT to say in an hour. There is no possible way that the President could lay out a specific plan for each issue to which he could be held accountable. When it comes to the State of the Union, one should not expect more than some words that are carefully chosen to raise approval ratings.
I am naturally critical of the authenticity of the facts presented in the SOTU, because I think that the Obama administration is probably more preoccupied with presenting a positive image of themselves than telling harsh truths. However, an article by NPR says that while Obama did present statistics about the economy in a way that made the recovery seem better than it was (“Critics quickly pointed out that of course things look better if you use 2009 — the lowest point in the economy — as a baseline”), Obama was generally accurate in his portrayal of the economy (NPR said “‘the U.S. economy is recovering, and it's recovering more rapidly’”) (2).
What I think the President did a poor job of addressing is the environment and climate change. While he did spend a minute or two discussing it, Obama was very vague in discussing specifically what he would do to clean up the environment. And I was not the only one confused on Obama’s praise of increased harvesting of natural gases in the U.S. followed immediately by discussion of combatting climate change when he said, “If [natural gas is] extracted safely, it's the bridge fuel that can power our economy with less of the carbon pollution that causes climate change” (1). Bill Chameides wrote for National Geographic that “I find it hard if not downright impossible to rationalize a commitment to addressing climate change while endeavoring to pump as much fossil fuels out of the ground as we can” (3).
All criticism aside, I believe that this speech was, overall, a success. Why? Because Obama mentioned Punch Pizza in his State of the Union. Punch Pizza is the best pizza I have ever tasted in my life, although I will admit that I have never been to Pizzeria Lola, which I hear is delicious. A State of the Union that mentions the Twin Cities’ own authentic Neapolitan pizzeria chain is a State of the Union I can get behind. God bless Obama, and God bless the United States of Punch Pizza.
1.http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200
2.http://www.npr.org/2014/02/02/270633365/obamas-state-of-the-union-and-your-economic-reality
3.http://energyblog.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/05/obamas-climate-legacy-may-come-down-to-coal-and-no/
I think the President did highlight the most important themes challenging the country such as, unemployment/employment/ Middle Eastern Politics, Education, and the newest problem NSA spying techniques. However I don't think this speech will help him much with congress and heres why. With congress being split the way it is right now, and the republicans and democrats not seeing eye to eye on just about anything; the president will continue to struggle to get the things he says hell do done. i do think that he made him self look better in the eyes of the American people though, speaking on the NSA spying, and bringing troops home from the Middle East. Who knows maybe if the American people agree with the President Congresses hand will be forced and maybe the things he says he will do will get done. I think he spent a good amount of time on domestic policy and a very small amount on foreign policy. I think he did this because a lot of Americans are unhappy with the way things are going down in America right now and talking about fixing the problems within looks great to the public eye and ear. I think the major difference between this year and last year is the content. Last year was, budget deficits and the national debt and figuring out ways to fix these problems. I think this year was more about fixing the problems affecting the American people directly such as education and unemployment.
Obama’s State of the Union address covered some of the key topic in Americans minds these days. Some of these topics included job growth, the US slowly digging its way out of recession, the housing market is rebounding, and other things the US has accomplished in the last year. One of President’s quotes which i felt was very important for America to hear was, “-the lowest unemployment rate in over five years; a rebounding housing market. A manufacturing sector that's adding jobs for the first time since the 1990s… more oil produced at home than we buy from the rest of the world, the first time that's happened in nearly twenty years.” (1). I think these topics were appropriate and what the American people needed to hear. In his speech Obama stated how congress has clearly decided that they aren’t overly willing to help him or go along with the plans he wants to enact so the president claims he is willing to go out on his own to accomplish his goals. I think that this was a good reminder for congress that they need to pick up their pace and need to be slightly more flexible so that the government doesn’t run so inefficiently He also stated how the Affordable Care Act did get off to a rough start but has helped many Americans, along with this Obama noted how the Republicans have been trying to get rid of the act by gridlocking the system and to this he said the he is willing to listen to them but they will have to prove why it shouldn’t be kept. Not all were impressed by the speech for instance Senator Graham stated, “I cannot stress to you enough how disappointed I was to hear the president's explanation of the state of affairs when it comes to the Mid-East and our national security threats." (2). According to Senator Graham “the world is literally about to blow up”. He was disappointed in the fact the president didn’t really touch on how he plans to handle the Syrian issue or about Iran’s nuclear program. He believes the public has the right to know what threats are being made and how serious they may or may not be. All in all I think the President did a mediocre job with his speech. Many of the things he touched on are the same as what he preaches every other day but it will be interesting if he sticks to the promises he has made and goals he hopes to accomplish.
1)http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200
2)http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/28/state-of-the-union-speech-reaction_n_4551238.html#117_sen-lindsey-graham-world-is-literally-about-to-blow-up
I am responding to Ivy B’s post. In her post, Ivy focused mostly on what Obama said in regards to the economy. Ivy touched on how positive Obama’s language was and how Obama chose not to point fingers and blame people (especially Republicans) for the policy problems that have occurred due to Congress dragging their feet. I personally was annoyed with the fact that Obama didn’t put blame on anyone for the economy because much of the economic gain has been with wealth, especially the top 1%, while the lower and middle class seems to not be doing as well(1). That is something I wish Obama had touched on, that average Americans are not profiting as much as the high upper-class, and taxes and just general business plans should be modified to help change the economic inequality, but I understand why Obama did this: to appear bipartisan and that he is leading the country to a better future. I agree with Ivy that he did successfully, and the rest of the nation agreed, with the polls showing that 76% of people reacted positively to the State of the Union(2).
1) http://www.npr.org/2014/02/02/270633365/obamas-state-of-the-union-and-your-economic-reality
2) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/29/state-of-the-union-poll_n_4684252.html
Overall the speech that Obama gave for his state of the union. Was overall meant to stimulate Congress and make them act. Especially after this last year and how they have been slacking. I think the president did the right thing for action in Congress, something we haven’t seen a lot of. I believe though that the president also should have also pointed out some key flaws Congress has had besides political gridlock. Since it all isn’t the fault of Congress, I think he should take responsibility for some of his own actions. The president is also apart of the government and when something fails it’s the responsibility of everybody in it to fix it. The president asks for a higher minimum wage, immigration reform, and he wants more jobs created. Though through the past years these are a lot of the same things he has been asking for. The president needs to start taking better action and stop blaming political gridlock. In many respects the president has made many steps to try and accomplish these things though he needs to and do more. The president has wanted to do a lot since the beginning of his new term though the only thing major he has done is Obamacare and he failed rolling it out. The speech he made was very inspiring though if anything for the coming year the president has to take more action and do what he can. President Obama has been stuck with Congress on what sort of action to take, yet at some points he has to be able compromise on some issues. Last year the president asked for a lot of the same issues to be handled and taken care of. Though none the issues he wanted taken care of where affected many of them died in capitol hill. The president does seem a lot more motivated to take action this year though if he wants to get the confidence of the American people back he himself will have to take action and an abundance of it. Many of the Republicans though believe that the president if anything is hurting the American people just like Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) “Right now, the president’s policies are making people’s lives harder. Republicans have plans to close the gap,”. (1). In a way the republicans are right the American people have been hurt by some policies, but if anything not because they aren’t helpful but because they haven’t been carried out well. If the President Obama wants to get the trust of the American people he will have to take action where Congress doesn’t and will have to take the action swiftly and accurately.
(1) http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/multiple-gop-responses-to-state-of-the-union-are-they-a-sign-of-party-division/2014/01/28/0d1c68c0-883b-11e3-916e-e01534b1e132_story.html
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I think President Obama hit on the right topics during his State of the Union address. I am confident he knows the problems he is facing, but he didn’t seem to provide many concrete solutions to fixing these issues. Many of the solutions he provided have not actually been implemented and require action from Congress, which we know will be very difficult to create. For example, Obama says, “We'll need Congress to protect more than 3 million jobs by finishing transportation and waterways bills this summer.” Protecting 3 million jobs? Awesome! But do we know if Congress will actually finish these bills? Not really. If they do, maybe Obama’s plans will be great, but there is no sure sign that that will happen. I wish Obama had focused more on plans that will already being implemented. I think that this speech may give his approval a small bump with the American people, I think many realize that any State of the Union address is usually fairly idealistic and optimistic. As noted by Susan Page of USA Today, “The divided opposition hasn't helped Obama prevail, however. If anything, it has made it more difficult for House Speaker John Boehner to cut a deal even when the Ohio Republican might have wanted to do so on a "grand bargain" on the budget.” (1)The slow splintering of the Republican party has and will continue to make it hard for Congress to compromise on Obama’s suggestions. He will have to appeal to Republicans that may be tea party leaning or libertarian leaning, as well as those who mostly hold the party line. Overall, I think President Obama made a good speech, but he did not provide much concrete evidence of what will happen in 2014.
1.http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/01/28/speech-wise-what-a-difference-year-makes/4980795/
I do not really know what the point of State of the Unions are anymore. The event that was used to inform Congress of the actual state of the country has now become a media event where the president’s party shows they are united with him, and the other party shows opposition, with the occasional standing ovation for the president first walking in and leaving (out of respect for the office), and for the First Lady. I do think that the president touched on nearly all of the correct themes. He talked about how he is going to deal with a ‘do nothing’ congress, how the country has begun its recovery from the recession, but still many people need jobs and help, as well as touting the US superiority (1). One theme he didn’t talk about was privacy, which he obviously does not want to discuss, because it seems to be one of the biggest black stains in his presidency, and may be the one that lives on in his legacy. The NSA controversy will live on just like how the Iran-Contra affair has lived on, because it was a government authorized and funded action (2).
President Obamas speech will not get him any help in Congress (not that he has had much anyway) especially after his comment that basically said he would trying to circumvent them at every turn if he could (1). With his approval rating still the same as it was before the speech, 43%, I don’t think it won him anything with the American people either.
Every State of the Union seems similar to the last. The need for more jobs, more bipartisanship, less clashing of parties and more work done. New roads, more praise for our service people and opportunities after they exit the service. My wife is awesome, #Merica better than the rest.
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZdl44R6HEQ
2.http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/reagan-iran/
3. http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/28/politics/state-of-the-union-sales-pitch/
Personally, I’ve never really been a fan of the State of the Union address. Speeches such as this, at least since I have been old enough to follow politics somewhat closely, tend to not really be about anything real substance at all. Statements such as, “Opportunity is who we are. And the defining project of our generation is to restore that promise” (1) are the reason that I would rather catch up on the cliff notes the following morning than actually watch the speech. However, the problems that he did address, I agree, should be top priorities for our nation. Income inequality, job creation, the NSA, the economy, health care, etc. are all problems that need to be dealt with in at least a somewhat time sensitive manner. The issue that remains on the forefront of my mind in particular would be reigning in the NSA and similar programs we may or may not know about. While the president promised reforms, the is no way for the American people to truly know what is going on without a dramatic increase in transparency which would essential defeat the purpose of the program in the first place. In today’s society, there is really no way to know when an American citizen is being watched/tracked/recorded and when they are not (2). Overall, I thought the speech did an adequate job of fulfilling the president’s duty to Congress and the American people. However, I doubt that this particular State of the Union will win nor lose him much support in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps the thing I liked the most was when the president said that, "What I believe unites the people of this nation, regardless of race or region or party, young or old, rich or poor, is the simple, profound belief in opportunity for all -- the notion that if you work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead" (3). Despite this “politician feel good speak” which really doesn’t mean much overall, the quote does ring very true in our nation and is one of the many reasons that I believe our country will flourish in the years to come.
(1) http://articles.latimes.com/2014/jan/28/news/la-pn-state-of-the-union-2014-preview-20140128
(2) http://www.lp.org/news/press-releases/libertarian-party-response-to-2014-state-of-the-union-address
(3) http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/2014/01/in-speech-obama-calls-for-reversing-tides-of-inequality-excerpts
I think that the president addressed a few key issues. Mainly he spoke about ways to jumpstart our economy and make it better (2). He spoke about improving the Affordable Care Act, immigration reform, unemployment, income inequality and strengthening the middle class (2). Obama focused on moving ahead and he did address his failures, but I think that is what he needed to do. I agree that we need to improve our system of healthcare. I felt like it was necessary for people to be informed about our economy, which Obama addressed. I think this speech will help his relationship with the people because he addressed what they wanted to hear and he talked a lot about improving our economy. I think his relationship with congress will still be about the same because we have a divided congress (1). Obama stated, “With or without this Congress, I will keep taking actions that help the economy grow. But I can do a whole lot more with your help.” Showing that his relationship with congress will most likely stay them same (1). Overall, I found president Obama’s speech effective because he touched on the major issues of America. I think this State of the Union Address was better than last years because Obama has kearned not to take such a strong stance on particular issues such as gun control (2). Because this issue is so controversial, Obama talked about it, but he did not go into great detail. This State of the Union address was also better than last years because he let America know he is not giving up on his goals for us. I think overall it was a very effective speech.
1. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/01/28/us/politics/what-the-state-of-the-union-means-for-2014.html?_r=0
2. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gop-state-of-the-union-response-blames-obama-for-inequality/
I think that the president addressed a few key issues. Mainly he spoke about ways to jumpstart our economy and make it better (2). He spoke about improving the Affordable Care Act, immigration reform, unemployment, income inequality and strengthening the middle class (2). Obama focused on moving ahead and he did address his failures, but I think that is what he needed to do. I agree that we need to improve our system of healthcare. I felt like it was necessary for people to be informed about our economy, which Obama addressed. I think this speech will help his relationship with the people because he addressed what they wanted to hear and he talked a lot about improving our economy. I think his relationship with congress will still be about the same because we have a divided congress (1). Obama stated, “With or without this Congress, I will keep taking actions that help the economy grow. But I can do a whole lot more with your help.” Showing that his relationship with congress will most likely stay them same (1). Overall, I found president Obama’s speech effective because he touched on the major issues of America. I think this State of the Union Address was better than last years because Obama has kearned not to take such a strong stance on particular issues such as gun control (2). Because this issue is so controversial, Obama talked about it, but he did not go into great detail. This State of the Union address was also better than last years because he let America know he is not giving up on his goals for us. I think overall it was a very effective speech.
1. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/01/28/us/politics/what-the-state-of-the-union-means-for-2014.html?_r=0
2. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gop-state-of-the-union-response-blames-obama-for-inequality/
It feels odd that, nearing the halfway point of his second term, we are still hearing the same thing out of the president as at his first running speech. Healthcare. Middle class. Taxes. Over and over again. Normally I would welcome a president so resolutely sticking to his guns. However, given the events so far in his presidency, and the penchant his policies seem to have for catastrophically failing, it seems odd to hear the same talking points. Half of me wants to pat him on the back for not giving up on his ideals, the other, intelligent half wants to ask him to stop wasting a giant pile of resources on failures. I respect that he has stated he was willing to work along with the GOP, and finally acknowledged all the work they have been been doing. Then again, that most likely won't go far enough to ease the tensions between them. The damage is done. It's absolutely absurd that he is bragging about the success of race to the top. It is simply random experimentation at this point, with a super small sample size, and sucking up an inordinate amount of resources for the number of people affected by it. Obama's speech, in general, just made me more displeased with him as he once again refuses to accept his failings, preferring instead make showy actions with no real effect.
In the State of the Union speech President Obama gave, he talked a lot about education and helping out the ones in the middle class. He also talks about how he wants to help out on the issues of homelessness to marriage equality. The speech he has made can really help people realize that these issues have not been forgotten, at least not by him. He wants to make sure the people know that he is trying to help out on these issues even if congress is not. The fact that President Obama is talking about this will make congress feel obligated to do something. President Obama has promised something to the people of the United States and now congress must act upon it. I think that overall his speech covered many issues a lot of us are worried about. Obama stated, “Tonight, I'm announcing we'll launch six more this year. Bipartisan bills in both houses could double the number of these hubs and the jobs they create. So, get those bills to my desk and put more Americans back to work.” Obama shows that he feels the unemployment rate is too low and must be acted on as soon as possible. I think the speech he gave will definitely better his relationship with the Americans, especially the ones that are affected by these issues.
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