February 10, 2013
Some of Obama’s second-term priorities that have dominated recent headlines — like gun control, climate change and immigration reform — will be mentioned in the speech but will take a backseat to the nation’s jobs crisis.
February 10, 2013
Some of Obama’s second-term priorities that have dominated recent headlines — like gun control, climate change and immigration reform — will be mentioned in the speech but will take a backseat to the nation’s jobs crisis.
President Barack Obama will address the nation on Tuesday night with his State of the Union speech.
President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night will mark a return to a focus on the nation’s still-struggling economy, according to the White House.
Some of Obama’s second-term priorities that have dominated recent headlines — like gun control, climate change and immigration reform — will be mentioned in the speech but will take a backseat to the nation’s jobs crisis.
Administration officials offering a preview of the speech have suggested that a call for job creation and wage growth will be the speech’s recurring themes
That, the aides hope, will make it clear that Obama has not lost sight of his top campaign pledge — to accelerate the nation’s anemic economic recovery.
Obama told several House Democrat leaders last week that he will link the economic recovery to green energy, education and debt reduction. He also is planning to announce the next steps in ending the U.S. military effort in Afghanistan.
Those topics will make the State of the Union — likely the most-watched speech remaining in Obama’s presidency — sound more like a campaign rally than his recent inaugural address.
However, he will also use this week’s speech to back up some of the lofty liberal rhetoric from his inaugural address, namely his push for stricter gun control.
That effort will be underscored by some of the faces in the audience, as more than 20 victims of gun violence are expected to attend as guests of House Democrats.
Aides said the speech was largely completed and only a few tweaks — likely done by the President himself on Tuesday — remain.
Obama wrote the address with new White House chief speechwriter Cody Kennan, who replaces longtime speechwriter Jon Favreau, who is leaving for a career in Hollywood.
The Republican response to the speech will be given by rising star Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who will deliver his address in both English and Spanish. The selection of Rubio — a 2016 White House contender — is viewed as an attempt for the GOP to make inroads with Latino voters.
Courtesy: NYDN
