The State of the Union address today will emphasize issues of income inequality, immigration, HealthCare.gov and the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs.
President Barack Obama will lay out his goals for the country and the steps he plans to take to achieve them. He will detail the successes of his past agendas and tie them to his current agenda.
Obama faces opposition among a republican Congress and citizens, with his approval rating dropping 15 percent since his reelection according to Politico.com. Members of the opposing party, like Sen. Roy Blunt (Mo.), said the president will sound like a broken record.
“The president has a lot of explaining to do. If all he offers is more of the same, or if he refuses to acknowledge that his own policies have failed to work—the president is simply doing what many failed leaders have done before him.”
According to a Washington Post article written by Philip Rucker and Scott Wilson, Dan Pfeiffer, White House advisor wrote, “He’s very focused and excited. He will lay out a set of real, concrete, practical proposals to grow the economy, strengthen the middle class and empower all who hope to join it.”
A primary issue Obama faces is income inequality. Many states have pushed to increase minimum wage. In the 2013 State of the Union address, Obama proposed raising it to $9 per hour because “it could mean the difference between groceries or the food bank.” This never made it past Congress. In a Washington Post article, Obama is now backing a Senator’s proposal to raise minimum wage to $10.10 per hour but is open to other proposals.
Obama will push Congress to revive jobless benefits for 1.3 million Americans who lost benefits starting Dec. 28, according to Politico.com. The enthusiasm to achieve income equality will undoubtedly have an impact on this year’s State of the Union.
“In this year of action, the president will seek out as many opportunities as possible to work with Congress in a bipartisan way, but when American jobs and livelihoods depend on getting something done, he will not wait for Congress,” said Dan Pfeiffer.
HealthCare.gov had a rough start this past year with multiple crashes and confusing sign-ups. Obama will address the nation about these issues and assure the website is now functioning better and enrollment numbers have climbed. According to Politico.com, based on previous comments made by the president, one of his top priorities is to persuade the uninsured who attempted and failed to enroll to try again.
President Obama has discussed the issue of immigration consistently throughout his years in the White House, and this year will be no different. Just like his 2013 address, he will urge Congress for a bipartisan agreement and call for “real reform” like background checks, taxes and penalties and learning English.
Another high priority for Obama is a move to clean energy and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. This topic is one Obama has based his campaign and previous addresses on time and time again. In 2010, Obama said there would be exploration of offshore areas for oil and gas. He pledged in 2011 to have 80 percent of the country’s electricity come from clean energy sources. Obama said in 2012 he would pursue natural gas through fracking. In 2014, he will reminds us of his statements in the past and warn about the dangers of climate change which leads to global warming. Obama will discuss subsidies for the fossil fuel industry and tax credits for clean energy. According to an article in the Washington Post, an administration official said Obama wants to do all he can to make clean energy part of his presidential legacy and intends to finalize new emission standards for coal-fired power plants this year.
The National Security Agency’s surveillance wire tapping littered the news this past year including the Edward Snowden scandal, in which Snowden revealed many behind the scenes actions of the NSA that were all but ethical. According to reports from CNN, NBC and ABC, this caused millions of Americans anger and fear of the possible overreach by the government. One administration official in a Washington Post article said the NSA’s programs occupied much of Obama’s attention during his recent stay in Hawaii. Obama must discuss the changes he will make to the program in order to calm down millions of Americans. The administration official also said Obama will offer up proposals to bring about the change, but they would need Congress’s approval.
Obama will talk about trade, threats from South Korea and improving our relationships and image among other nations of the world. He will also address the “terrorists” placing threats on the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. He will speak on these issues because of their prominence on numerous media outlets and social media sites.
When Obama speaks, he is charismatic and charming. He speaks of a nation brought about by change and one that is always evolving. The speech today will reveal the potentials of tomorrow and bring inspiration to many citizens, just as they have done in the past. The words he speaks today will have an impact on Americans tomorrow and for years to come.
Barack Obama told David Remnick of The New Yorker, "At the end of the day, we're part of a long-running story. We just try to get our paragraph right."
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