President Obama’s final State of the Union address last night recalled the Democrat’s seven years in office while offering a vision for the future.“That’s why I stand here as confident as I have ever been that the State of our Union is strong,” President Obama said in closing his address.
President Obama spoke about the economic recovery since the recession, saying the unemployment rate has been cut in half during his time in office. While recalling the passage of the Affordable Care Act and the legalization of same-sex marriage, the two-term president said America has to answer four questions to determine the future.
“First, how do we give everyone a fair shot at opportunity and security in this new economy? Second, how do we make technology work for us, and not against us?—?especially when it comes to solving urgent challenges like climate change? Third, how do we keep America safe and lead the world without becoming its policeman? And finally, how can we make our politics reflect what’s best in us, and not what’s worst?”
“I was pleased to hear him say in unequivocal terms that we are going to go after ISIS, we’re going to get them, but to remind Americans that there is a limit to our power abroad,” said Connecticut’s Chris Murphy, a Democratic member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “We have to be wary of hubris and it’s those moments when we aren’t that we get into the most trouble.”
Democratic Congressman Paul Tonko of New York’s Capital Region says he was inspired by President Obama’s optimism for the future.
“The task before us now is to make certain that household income can rise significantly to provide people hope,” Tonko said. “He [President Obama] talked about that investment. He talked about the investments in research, training, retraining, education and higher education. These are the formulas for success. And he also related that to the innovation economy where we can address items like climate change by creating jobs not just for PhD’s and college graduates, but making certain that everyone has a role to play.”
Referencing the election to replace him, President Obama said Americans need to reject politics that target people based on race or religion. He said insulting Muslims betrays who we are as a country. In a similar vein, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, in the Republican response, said Americans must reject the temptation to follow the angriest voices in anxious times. Both seemed to criticize Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, who has called for deporting undocumented immigrants and keeping Muslims from entering the country.
Democratic Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty of Connecticut’s 5th District says she is deeply worried about the divisiveness in the country. Esty says that is much more dangerous than one political candidate.
“It would be not just a mistake economically and politically to prey on fears, but I believe it would undermine our safety because it undermines our ideals,” Esty said. “Our high standing in the world is very much tied to our unique commitment over the centuries to do better. Not to do perfectly, but to do better.”
Senator Murphy says the address was fundamentally different than anything he’s heard from a president.
“He was really talking over the heads of Congress straight to the American people,” Murphy said. “I think he’s [President Obama] legitimately worried about how the rhetoric around this presidential election really oversimplifies the problems facing this country. I think he was calling on the voters to really help elevate the debate and ultimately try to help stop the partisanship that really has been the stone around his neck.”
Congressman Tonko says President Obama made a plea to government officials to reach for consensus and put their best foot forward.
“I think when we as leaders do that, if we respond and encourage people to respond to the lowest common denominator – the worst in us – that is not leadership,” Tonko said. “That divide it will conquer.”
Click here to read, watch or listen to President Obama's final State of the Union address.
