I was wrong. It hurts, but I can
admit it. My predictions for President Barack Obama’s State of the Union
address matched up with his address on a few topics, but I missed the mark in a
lot of ways. I had a more narrow focus in my predictions, highlighting
controversial issues like immigration and the Keystone pipeline. I
overestimated the amount of focus he devoted to the issue of cybersecurity, but
maybe that is more of a personal fear because of the amount of online shopping
I do. I knew he would mention the importance of bettering the middle class
situation in America, but I did not plan for that to be as significant a part
of his speech as it was. Obama’s address overall was much more broad and
far-reaching than I expected it to be. He highlighted an improving American
economy, calling the State of the Union strong, while asking for bipartisan
cooperation in moving forward a costly domestic agenda designed to improve the
lives of the middle class.
His message in his sixth State
of the Union address Tuesday was mostly one of optimism encouraging Congress
and the American people to work with him to make America stronger and
reestablish it as the undeniable leader in the free world.
“America,
for all that we've endured; for all the grit and hard work required to come
back; for all the tasks that lie ahead, know this: The shadow of crisis has
passed, and the State of the Union is strong. At this moment -- with a growing
economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry, and booming energy production
-- we have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other
nation on Earth. It's now up to us to choose who we want to be over the next
fifteen years, and for decades to come.”
As Obama adjusts to a
presidency without a completely
failing economy, overseas wars and campaigns for elections, he made it clear
that agenda items he overlooked or put on the backburner would resurface. This
resurfacing, of course, comes at a time when Obama faces more Republican
opposition in Congress and the House than ever before. He addressed this too,
threatening the use of a presidential veto if items in direct opposition to his
agenda like any attempt to
roll back his health care law or his executive actions on immigration were
introduced. I did predict that he would mention the opposition he is up against,
and his refusal to conform because of it. But, I underestimated the confidence
and strength with which he would speak on his power as president.
As I predicted, middle-class
economics was a talking point early on in the president’s address, but it was more
prevalent throughout his speech than I expected.
“The verdict is clear,” Mr.
Obama said. “Middle-class economics works. Expanding opportunity works. And
these policies will continue to work, as long as politics don’t get in the
way.”
The president told the story
of Rebekah and Ben Erler of Minneapolis who after falling victim to the
recession have worked their way back up to a secure financial status. As I
predicted, Obama used a personal story to strengthen his argument for helping
the middle class.
He introduced his plans to
make community college free for most students, claiming that better education
is the gateway to a better economy. He also called on Congress to work toward
increases in paid leave for workers and create more substantial government
assistance for education and child care. As The
New York Times reports, these plans are to be financed mostly by tax
increases over the next decade on higher income earners as well as a fee on
large financial institutions, totaling $320 billion.
Even though I predicted Obama
would talk about taking legislative steps toward more affordable housing and
education, I did not realize he would be introducing a massive tax plan that
would help accomplish these goals.
Cybersecurity and the
Keystone pipeline legislation were two areas of his address that I forecasted.
Obama mentioned the past cyberattacks and used them as a call to Congress for
legislation that would better protect the American people.
“No foreign nation, no hacker
should be able to shut down our networks, steal our trade secrets or invade the
privacy of American families, especially our kids,” the president said.
Obama referenced the
Republican-supported pipeline legislation briefly, saying, “Let’s set our
sights higher than a single oil pipeline.” His point was the need for more
ambition and thoughtful action that will do more for our country than the
Keystone pipeline is projected to do.
I failed to predict how much
Obama would focus on foreign policy in his address. He used the phrase
“military power with strong diplomacy” to describe his ideas for foreign policy
and called for a smarter kind of American leadership. He mentioned the ongoing
terror attacks overseas like Pakistan and Paris, and America’s refusal to
ignore such senseless violence. He called on Congress to lift the trade embargo
on Cuba and pass legislation authorizing the fight against ISIL. The president
also mentioned the ongoing issues with Iran and its development of nuclear
weapons. He believes that a deal could be worked out with Iran that would
prevent them from developing nuclear weapons, as long as talks are allowed to
play out before sanctions are levied.
The president also talked
about equality in America and the values we, as Americans, should protect. In
his discussion of the economy and jobs, Obama mentioned the importance of women
being paid the same as men, saying, “It’s 2015, it’s time.” The president also
discussed stereotypes and persecution in America. According to Time magazine, this was the first presidential
State of the Union address to include the words “transgender,” “lesbian” and
“bisexual.” I was not prepared for Obama to directly mention these
controversial topics swirling around in America right now.
Obama also mentioned the
events in Ferguson and New York to highlight the commonalities between
Democrats and Republicans that are often lost in the shuffle of politics.
“Surely we can agree it's a good thing that for the first
time in 40 years, the crime rate and the incarceration rate have come down
together, and use that as a starting point for Democrats and Republicans,
community leaders and law enforcement, to reform America's criminal justice
system so that it protects and serves us all.”
The president discussed other
potential areas of cooperation between Democrats and Republicans like more
authority to strike trade deals and infrastructure repairs across the country. But
Obama balanced these with policies that have faced Republican opposition from
the outset like fighting climate change and improving America’s immigration
system. I knew he would discuss immigration because it has been and will
continue to be one of the main points of argument between Republicans and
Democrats.
Though I was prepared for a
little more tension this year than usual based on the new Republican Congress,
I was surprised when the tensions mounted as Obama mentioned having no more
campaigns to run, which drew resounding applause from Republicans. Obama
countered back quickly, "I know, because I won both of them,” drawing
hushed reactions of humor, support and disapproval.
My overall predictions of the
tone of Obama’s address were accurate. I predicted that it would be hopeful,
yet realistic taking into account the uphill battle he may face with the new
Republican Congress. I said he would strongly emphasize the importance of the
parties working together to do what’s best for America, and not letting
politics get in the way, which is exactly what he did. He made it clear that
his last few years as president will be full of smart, forward-thinking action.
We’ll see.
