US President Barack Obama is to use his final State of the Union address scheduled for today to define his legacy and make the case for optimism amid an angst-ridden election race, White House officials said.
Seven years ago, Obama’s first address to US Congress surprised some with gloomy talk of shaken confidence, a weakened economy and uncertain times ahead.
His farewell State of the Union address might surprise some by its optimism.
Senior White House officials promise an unorthodox speech. Obama is to ditch the traditional hour-long laundry list of the year’s legislative priorities and instead look beyond his presidency, they said.
Obama is to list his administration’s achievements, from healthcare reform to gay rights to a nuclear deal with Iran to a pending trans-Pacific trade deal, officials said.
However, he will also stress the distance traveled since the throes of the 2007 to 2008 financial crisis and speak to a present he will portray as rich in promise, they said.
The speech will also challenge Americans to address unfinished business, from dealing with racial tensions to gun violence to drug abuse, officials said.
White House officials admit it is a risky strategy.
For a president with a year left in the Oval Office, misjudging the nation’s mood could make him look cripplingly out of touch.
The political backdrop is a shrill and hyper-partisan US presidential election campaign that has tapped into fears about terrorism, as well as middle-class malaise spurred by a lost decade of wage growth.
Obama is unlikely to dwell on this year’s election race directly, but in embracing optimism, the White House hopes to draw a sharp contrast with Republicans.
If Obama manages to kindle a sense of optimism, supporters hope it could help define a political epoch, much as former US president Lyndon Johnson did when declaring a “war on poverty” or when former US president John F. Kennedy announced the moon landing.
Obama has long thought of his presidency in such historic terms.
However, the broad sweep of his speech is also born of necessity — he faces a hostile Republican Congress, united only in its disdain for him and his agenda.
Obama can expect some bipartisan support for a call to enact criminal justice reform, but efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay prison or improve ties with Cuba would require unilateral executive action.
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