On Tuesday night, President Obama delivered his fifth State of the Union Address. For sixty-five minutes he balanced the retrospective and the visionary, alluding to 2013’s political failures while forecasting a “year of action” to promote American equality, employment, and security domestically and abroad. Delivering a confident speech despite flagging approval ratings and intransigent opposition, Obama presented few new initiatives to excite progressive policymakers. He instead reiterated many of the same goals, from tax code to immigration reform, that met their end in Congress last year—and appeared almost verbatim in 2013’s State of the Union. Tuesday’s speech, nevertheless, attempted to reconcile a disappointing legislative year with the resolve needed to face the next, and, hopefully, to reinvigorate a stagnating presidency.
Obama balanced offense and defense, essentially telling Republicans, who triggered the government shutdown last year, to stop complaining about the Affordable Care Act and start cooperatively working toward improving it. Congress will not likely alter its tactics anytime soon, however, Obama asserted his determination to alter his own. The president answered constituents’ frustrations—along with his own—by vowing to use presidential executive action to circumvent future Congressional gridlock. He announced his first order of raising the minimum wage for federal employees to $10.10, a small impact with a big indication.
Obama’s policy to-do list was not unfamiliar: infrastructure, progress in STEM fields, access to higher education, job opportunities, energy independence, Afghan and Syrian peace, a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, combating terrorism alongside international partners, and closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay. By far, the most innovative part of his address came from not the president himself, but rather the White House’s initiative to make this the “most interactive State of the Union ever.” As seen in the trending topics such as #SOTU and #SOTUsocial, the White House officially live tweeted the event complete with quotes, photos, and premade infographics with facts and statistics reinforcing Obama’s talking points.
The president’s final remarks, prompting the longest standing ovation of the evening from both sides of the aisle, lauded Army Ranger Cory Remsburg, a wounded veteran of the war in Afghanistan. Obama’s retrospective conclusion showed his acceptance of his past mistakes, while yet again looking hopefully toward the future. Quoting Remsburg, Obama reminded his audience that America has never come easy, particularly that “our freedom, our democracy has never been easy.” The remainder of his term will reveal whether his resolve can sustain that fight—which will largely be determined by Obama’s ability to act upon his promise to actually move forward, with or without Congress.
