President Obama Delivers Final State of the Union Address

Non-traditional address highlighted broad strategy rather than specific goals.

January 13, 2016

WASHINGTON – President Obama delivered his final State of the Union address last night to a joint session of Congress. Eschewing the normal State of the Union tradition of ticking off the previous year’s accomplishments and laying out a lengthy list of to-dos for the next year, the president instead spoke broadly about his vision for the future of the country.

“Our unique strengths as a nation—our optimism and work ethic, our spirit of discovery and innovation, our diversity and commitment to the rule of law—these things give us everything we need to ensure prosperity and security for generations to come,” he said.

While President Obama delivered his hour-long speech in front of hundreds of lawmakers, he is expected to use his last year in office largely looking past Congress, given the current gridlock in Washington. The president will, instead, focus internally on the ways he can use his position to further his goals. As such, his administration is likely to promulgate a number of regulations in his final year in office, ranging from new overtime requirements for the American workforce to new environmental regulations addressing climate change.

As President Obama is looking past Congress in his final year, simultaneously, the national attention has largely shifted away from the White House to the presidential campaigns. The president’s final State of the Union address did not carry as much weight with policymakers in Washington this year compared to years past.

Despite the president not having a laundry list of tasks for Congress, he did note several priorities for his final year in office: criminal justice reform, paid leave and raising the minimum wage, efforts to reduce poverty and gun control.

Looking to the future, the president stated that the country would need to answer four major questions:

(1) How do we give everyone a fair shot at opportunity and security in this new economy?

(2) How do we make technology work for us, and not against us—especially when it comes to solving urgent challenges like climate change?

(3) How do we keep America safe and lead the world without becoming its policeman?

(4) How can we make our politics reflect what’s best in us, and not what’s worst?

The president, responding to his first question, stressed the need to improve access to quality and affordable education while creating a tax system that works for the average citizen. With respect to the second question on technology and innovation, he singled out the need to further cancer research and to develop clean energy resources. President Obama highlighted his national security agenda and the threat posed by terrorists when addressing his third question.

The president concluded his speech by calling on Americans to reject cynicism and to embrace their inner sense of optimism. Speaking to his fourth question, he stated: “That’s the America I know. That’s the country we love. Clear-eyed. Big-hearted. Optimistic that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. That’s what makes me so hopeful about our future. Because of you. I believe in you. That’s why I stand here confident that the state of our union is strong.”

As we get closer to the November elections, look for a new monthly column in NACS Magazine by political analyst Jim Ellis.

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