President Barack Obama, undaunted by the new Republican
majority in Congress, issued a sweeping challenge Tuesday night to do more for
the poor and middle class and to end the nasty partisan political fight that
has characterized his six years in office.
In a speech reminiscent of a campaign stump message, the
president issued a broadly optimistic report about the country in his
nationally televised State of the Union address to Congress. He spoke of
millions of new jobs created, modestly rising wages and a stock market that has
soared as the country climbed out of the Great Recession that greeted him when
he took office in 2009.
Here are the top takeaways from the speech:
The State of the Union is improving
Obama
was quick to point out that 2014 was a break through year for America and the
unemployment rate had reduced by leaps and bounds. "More of our kids are
graduating than ever before; more of our people are insured than ever before;
we are as free from the grip of foreign oil as we've been in almost 30
years."
Combat
Misson in Afghanistan is finally over
"Tonight,
for the first time since 9/11, our combat mission in Afghanistan is over. Six
years ago, nearly 180,000 American troops served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Today, fewer than 15,000 remain. And we salute the courage and sacrifice of
every man and woman in this 9/11 Generation who has served to keep us safe. We
are humbled and grateful for your service."
"America,
for all that we've endured; for all the grit and hard work required to come
back; for all the tasks that lie ahead, know this. The shadow of crisis has
passed, and the State of the Union is strong."
Middle
class was the main focus of his speech
President
Obama said it was time for Americans to "turn the page" on years of
economic troubles, terrorism and lengthy wars, using his sixth State of the
Union speech to outline new tax policies that would hit the wealthiest
Americans and give breaks to the middle class. His speech proposed new tax
credits - including a $500 credit for two-income families and a $3,000 child
credit for children under 5 to help with childcare- which would be financed
with higher taxes on the wealthiest Americans.
Resolution
authorising force against ISIL militants in Iraq and Syria
President
Obama's speech would have you believe that America is halting the Islamic
State's progress.
He vowed
to relentlessly hunt down terrorists from "Pakistan to the streets of
Paris," then called on Congress to approve new war powers against Islamic
State militants. He also emphasised that American policy "In Iraq
and Syria, American leadership - including our military power - is stopping
ISIL's advance," the president said.
"Instead
of getting dragged into another ground war in the Middle East, we are leading a
broad coalition, including Arab nations, to degrade and ultimately destroy this
terrorist group. We're also supporting a moderate opposition in Syria
that can help us in this effort, and assisting people everywhere who stand up
to the bankrupt ideology of violent extremism. This effort will take
time. It will require focus. But we will succeed."
Democrats
are ready to work with Republicans who now control both houses of Congress
While
calling for a new era of comity, Obama outlined an agenda that showed he was
not going to curtail his own plans in favor of Republican priorities. While he
appealed for "better politics" in Washington and pledged to work with
Republicans, the president touted bread-and-butter Democratic economic
proposals and vowed to veto Republican efforts to dismantle his signature
achievements in particular his health care and financial reform laws.
We
can't put the security of families at risk by taking away their health insurance
or unraveling the new rules on Wall Street or refighting past battles on
immigration when we've got a system to fix," Obama said. "And if a
bill comes to my desk that tries to do any of these things, I will veto
it."
This
is the first time a president mentioned 'transgender' & 'bisexual' in the
State of the Union Adress
In a
speech that had over 6,000 words, President Obama made history when
he used just one of them: transgender.
In a
section of the speech in which he noted that Americans “respect human dignity,”
Obama included the word along with lesbians, gays and bisexuals. “That’s why we
defend free speech, and advocate for political prisoners, and condemn the
persecution of women, or religious minorities, or people who are lesbian, gay,
bisexual, or transgender. We do these things not only because they’re right,
but because they make us safer.”
Community
college should be free
"Forty
percent of our college students choose community college. Some are young
and starting out," Obama said. "Some are older and looking for a
better job. Some are veterans and single parents trying to transition
back into the job market. Whoever you are, this plan is your chance to
graduate ready for the new economy, without a load of debt. Understand,
you've got to earn it -- you've got to keep your grades up and graduate on
time."
Pay
women the same as men
US
President Barack Obama called on Congress to pass a law guaranteeing equal pay
for women, saying it was crucial to helping boost the incomes of struggling
families.“This Congress still needs to pass a law that makes sure a woman is
paid the same as a man for doing the same work." said Obama.
The
proposal was part of a list of initiatives Obama called "middle-class
economics" aimed at strengthening household incomes and pulling millions
of Americans from the edge of poverty.
Obama
declares child care “a must have”
“It’s
time we stop treating childcare as a side issue, or a women’s issue, and treat
it like the national economic priority that it is for all of us.”
Obama
also argued that lack of widespread, affordable childcare is a challenge for
families with two working parents.
He
went even further in emphasising his support for working moms and dads by
talking about paid parental leave and sick leave, too. “Today, we’re the only
advanced country on Earth that doesn’t guarantee paid sick leave or paid
maternity leave to our workers,” Obama said. “Forty-three million workers have
no paid sick leave. Forty-three million. Think about that. And that forces too
many parents to make the gut-wrenching choice between a paycheck and a sick kid
at home. So I’ll be taking new action to help states adopt paid leave laws of
their own.”
Obama
drops an ad-lib that crushes the Republicans during State of the Union
The
President was supposed to say "I have no more campaigns to run, my only
agenda for the next two years is.." the Republicans started clapping
ecstatically. But instead he said, "I have no more campaigns to run. I
know because I won both of them."
Obama
responds to the Sony Hack
And
following last year’s devastating hack Sony Pictures Entertainment, Obama once
again called on lawmakers to pass new cybersecurity legislation.
“I
urge this Congress to finally pass the legislation we need to better meet the
evolving threat of cyber-attacks, combat identity theft, and protect our
children’s information,” the President said. “If we don’t act, we’ll leave our
nation and our economy vulnerable. If we do, we can continue to protect the
technologies that have unleashed untold opportunities for people around the
globe.”
Expressed
his opinon on Cuba and Iran
President
Obama wants Congress to lift the economic embargo on Cuba, though the White
House doesn't expect Congress to take that step quickly. He also used his
State of the Union speech to hail the return of captive Alan Gross from Cuba.
On
Iran, he vowed to veto new sanctions on Iran while world powers pursue
nuclear talks. "Our diplomacy is at work with respect to Iran, where, for
the first time in a decade, we've halted the progress of its nuclear program
and reduced its stockpile of nuclear material."
No
going back on climate change
He
threatened to veto congressional attempts to roll back Obama's executive
actions on climate change and immigration and existing laws on health care and
financial reform.
"The
best scientists in the world are all telling us that our activities are
changing the climate, and if we do not act forcefully, we'll continue to see
rising oceans, longer, hotter heat waves, dangerous droughts and floods, and
massive disruptions that can trigger greater migration, conflict, and hunger
around the globe. The Pentagon says that climate change poses immediate risks
to our national security. We should act like it," he said.
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