President Obama looked comfortable and seasoned in delivering the speech. Primarily, State of the Union Address should have the power to unite the country, to give the shared purpose, and to show the common vision. That is not so easy in this polarized, partisan, and tribalized world. But that is what Barack Obama is good at, coming from multi-racial, cultural, and historical background. That is why he is the President, now. This time, 2014 Address, he looked more confident. He delivered it with more relaxed humor, and emphasized the shared purpose of the country.
The majority of the people who follow the U.S. Politics closely know that the Republican party has problems and cause more problems than solving the problems we face now. Clearly, they could be better. Slowly but surely, the occasional followers of the politics are waking up to the Republican provincialism, and obstructionism. This is why President Obama didn't have to emphasize the disagreement with the Republicans and show humor, instead.
The content of the speech was basically the same as when he was campaigning for the presidency for the first time. One of his essential theme is "Opportunity is who we are. And the defining project of our generation is to restore that promise." His policies stem from the essential belief in opportunity for as many people as possible. Thus come the early education, minimum wage increase, immigration policy, tax policy, inequality, healthcare reform, jobs, creative economy, energy, environment, voting rights, and women's right. The political wind is definitely more favorable for the President. The question is how effective, persuasive, and forceful he is going to be. But the reality is that U.S. is no longer the leading country in the world in providing upward opportunity for her people.
His State of the Union was positive, and hopeful. Emphasis was on the improving economy, and the elements of the competitive strengths: the creativity of the people and the benefit from the immigration into U.S. are two of the many strengths he cited.
His foreign policy was the same in the approach and the principle. Diplomacy before violence. "And it is American diplomacy, backed by pressure, that has halted the progress of Iran's nuclear program- and rolled parts of that program back --- Finally, let's remember that our leadership is defined not just by our defense against threats, but by the enormous opportunities to do good and promote understanding around the globe---- And we will continue to focus on the Asia-Pacific, where we support our allies, shape a future of greater security and prosperity------ And we do them because we believe in the inherent dignity and equality of every human being, regardless of race or religion, creed or sexual orientation."
His message was as expected. The delivery, not bad. Just wish him and all of us good luck!
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