Obama Makes Strong State of the Union Speech

I enjoyed President Obama's sixth State of the Union Address tonight. He began by making a convincing case that we've turned the economic corner as a nation and are definitely in strong recovery. He wasn't bashful about taking credit for the improvement despite constant predictions of doom from the Republicans. The U.S has produced more jobs, over 11 million, the past five years that Europe, Japan and the rest of the advanced world combined. We add more solar capacity every three weeks than existed in the U.S. in 2008, are less dependent on foreign oil than at any time in the past 30 years, and the low price of oil is a windfall to the American consumer. Millions have health care who didn't and health cost growth is the lowest in decades. It was a strong vindication of his course.

He had a long list of policy plans, almost all of them liberal: affordable child care, equal pay for women, sick leave for all workers, free community college, generous student loan refinancing, massive infrastructure construction, medical research, net neutrality, tax reform to close loopholes and incentives to offshore jobs, increased tax child credits for the middle class, and minimum wage hikes, to name a few.

In foreign affairs he spoke often of using a range of techniques beyond military, though he wanted a use of force authorization from congress vs. ISIS, or ISIL. He pointed out the effectiveness of diplomacy and sanctions against Iran and Russia, whose economies are "in tatters." Our former policy of Cuba was "long past its expiration date." "When you've been doin' the same thing for fifty years and it's not working it's time to make a change," he explained.

The President evoked the speech and appeal that brought him to the attention of the nation, saying he still believes we are not a red and blue America but one United States of America. He pledged his commitment to work together with Republicans on everything upon which they can can find common ground. "I still believe we are one people, that together we can do great things," he said. Of partisan bickering, he remarked, "Imagine if we broke out of these tired old patterns."

But he made clear he's through sitting around waiting for them to act. On Cuba, Iran, immigration, climate change and Guantanamo, for instance, he made it quite clear he will act where he can himself if congress won't work with him to craft bills he can sign. Not having to run another campaign has liberated Obama to take actions he feels are right regardless of politics. A humorous moment came when he began one paragraph, "I've run my last campaign..." At that, Republicans began to applaud. He shot them a bemused look, and continued, "I know because I won them both." The GOP fell silent as the Democrats roared.