US President Barack Obama gave Americans a sign of how he’ll lead the country in the run up to next year’s election, as he used his State of the Union address to stake out ground in the political center and call on Republicans and Democrats to work together to revive the US economy.
The nationally televised speech on Tuesday night was Obama’s first appearance before Congress since opposition Republicans took control of the House of Representatives earlier this month. It marked the midpoint of his presidential term, as he rebounds from the Democrats’ electoral defeat in November. The speech also came as he begins positioning himself for next year’s re-election campaign.
Obama kept the focus on the economy, calling for both parties to unite behind his program of cuts and spending, saying: “We will move forward together or not at all.”
PHOTO: AFP
He proposed no major initiatives comparable to the health care overhaul that dominated the first two years of his presidency, instead outlining an agenda aimed at both ends of the political spectrum.
For Democrats, he defended his health care plan, opposed privatization of the Social Security pension program and called for ending tax cuts for the rich. He also proposed a burst of spending on education, research, technology and transportation to make the US more competitive with emerging economic powers like China and India.
However, Obama also backed some top priorities of Republicans. He called for freezing some federal spending, cutting the corporate tax rate, shaking up the federal government and eliminating lawmakers’ pet projects.
Though Obama won some cheers from Republicans, they remain dissatisfied with his efforts to cut the deficit, their core issue.
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, giving the official Republican response, said the US was at “a tipping point” leading to a dire future if federal deficits aren’t trimmed.
Obama spoke to a television audience in the millions and a Congress sobered by the assassination attempt against one if its own members, Gabrielle Giffords. She was seriously wounded in the shooting rampage in Tucson, Arizona, that killed six people. Her seat sat empty.
Obama entered the House chamber to prolonged applause, and to the unusual sight of Republicans and Democrats seated next to one another rather than on different sides of the center aisle, in a show of support and civility following Giffords’ shooting. And he began on a graceful note, taking a moment to congratulate John Boehner, the new Republican speaker of the House.
Calling for a new day of cooperation, Obama said: “What comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight but whether we can work together tomorrow.”
In a speech with little focus on national security, Obama appeared to close the door on keeping any significant US military presence in Iraq beyond the end of the year.
“This year, our civilians will forge a lasting partnership with the Iraqi people while we finish the job of bringing our troops out of Iraq,” he said.
The president reiterated his call for a comprehensive immigration bill, although there appears little appetite for it in Congress.
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