President Barack Obama addressed the nation Tuesday with an outline of his future plans in his annual State of the Union.
Obama entered the venue more like he was walking a celebrity red carpet than making a grand entrance as he commented on attendees’ ties and gave a few hugs. Eventually he made his way to the podium where, after a brief introduction, he began to introduce what he called a checklist of proposals.
As expected, the president started the body of his speech with a story of heroism from two individuals—Rebekah and Ben Erler—Obama claimed represent the American people as a whole. Their story as the president told it was not, however, a tale of an exceptional livelihood following a courageous or sacrificial act. Instead, the Erlers represented the struggles of the hard-working, middle-class American. Their story was not, as predicted, an attempt to increase patriotism for an all-conquering nation, but it presented a relatable situation with which the majority of the American people can identify.
The economy, specifically the middle-class economy, was the main theme of the address. Starting with the Erlers as an example of the importance of helping hard working families find financial security, Obama related most of his points to his plans to improve the economy. He did not, as predicted, mention the auto industry directly and only referenced industry once in passing. Instead his focus was the general growth of the economy and the importance of giving every American the opportunity to succeed in it.
Announced as subjects for the State of the Union before Tuesday, the president’s mentions of both cybercrime and the Internet throughout the speech were no surprise. He urged Congress to combat identity theft and cyberattacks with government-integrated intelligence, and he addressed his intention to protect a free and open Internet. But the subject quickly returned to the economy after the brief mention of technology.
The president also did discuss his hope to provide free community college for deserving students. He stressed the value of education for providing the best workforce in the world, claiming we, as a nation, need to do more to upgrade our skills.
“We still live in a country where too many bright, striving Americans are priced out of the education they need,” Obama said. “It’s not fair to them, and it’s not smart for our future.”
He used the future of the American workforce to argue for his bold new plan, and he sought relief of excessive student debt.
Obama’s speech featured most of my predictions, although a few were only briefly mentioned. He spent parts of the address discussing other issues including the military and foreign policy, gas prices and Ebola in West Africa.
By the end, the president reverted to the typical theme of past State of the Union addresses he only momentarily mentioned in his opening, proclaiming the bright future of the nation and its people.
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