Shaking hands of his constituents that staked the aisle seats earlier today, President Obama made his way to his podium to deliver his first State of the Union address since his re-election. Quoting JFK, he started off with an admirable tribute to the popular president.
“The constitution makes us not rivals of power but partners in progress.”
This and his first few statements were responded with an obligated applause from both parties in audience. The sound was bored and unwanting, like he was speaking to a group of ungrateful high school students during a graduation ceremony.
However, President Obama received some level of stir from his audience when he spoke on his “Progress Report”, especially when he said that after a decade of war, troops are coming home.
President Obama began to touch on some of the other progresses in our country since he has taken office such as the recession showing recovery and the creation of 6 million jobs. The applause received was a modest one and Obama noticed that the enthusiasm wasn't high. He then added more enthusiasm in his own voice.
He appraised the bills that the previous congress passed and thanked them but pointed out that corporate profits are at an all-time high but wages stay stagnated; that there are millions of Americans whose hard work have not been rewarded and the middle class in under attack.
He urged congress to put aside the partisan issues and focus on basic decisions on the cuts in the budget and that sequester movements would be devastating to the current economy. He admitted that Medicare is the most expensive government priority however, emphasized that “we can’t cut our way into prosperity.”
He pointed out that deficit reduction alone cannot be an economic policy.
He wants reasonable cuts but also stated tax loopholes have to be on the block as well. He expressed he didn't understand why education should suffer than tax loopholes that benefit only the wealthy.
When he began to speak about the middle class and tax reform that favored small businesses, the crowed became more accepting of the President’s words.
President Obama touched on the deficit reduction of 2.5 trillion being more than half way to the goal of 4 trillion dollars economists say needs to be eliminated to obtain economic stability. Obama once again pleaded his case that the wealthy is going to have to contribute to the healing of the American economy.
He briefly stated that the main tax changes should be focused on loopholes and never mentions higher payroll taxes. He also touched on taxing companies that continue to export jobs and tax cuts to those companies that create jobs in America.
Toward the end of the speech he summed up the need to come together with the international community to attack poverty and to retain a level of faith in our troops. He wants to continue the increase support the veterans receive.
The majority of Obama’s speech was focused on the economy but turned at the end on gun control. Obama never laid out a specific idea on how the government should regulate guns but he did undertake a political strategy by playing into the emotions of the American people at the end of his address.
Hadiya Pendleton, a Chicago teenager that performed at the inauguration for President Obama’s second term, was killed January 29th by two gang members looking for a rival gang.
Obama brought her parents to his State of the Union address along with 40 other individuals whose lives were affected by gun fire including some Newtown victims and Mrs. Gabrielle Giffords, the senator who was shot in the head January 8, 2011 by a crazed gunman.
President Obama received a long standing ovation when he said the above gun victims along with many others deserve the congress’ vote.
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