G12

Substance:
President Obama focuses on assisting the majority, not the wealthy minority at the top of America. He also discusses the potential negative effects of sequestration. Obama also talks about health care reform, especially for the elderly. It seems that most of his arguments, whether economic or social, focus on asking the wealthiest Americans to contribute more and on helping to support middle class families and people hoping to climb into the middle class. Obama speaks about climate change and the environmental crisis, but environmental reform is something that has been sadly lacking in his administration. He often brings it up in speeches because it is something people like to hear about but he hasn't taken much action on one of the most monumental issues the world is facing. President Obama spent a lot of time discussing changes in the American education system. This is something Bush worked on, Obama is simply taking a different approach to the reform. Obama also introduces a commission to improve elections and voting experiences in the U.S. He focuses less on gun reform than I expected, he leaves it to the end. He discusses why we need gun reform more than the actual reforms he wants to see enacted. He is looking to impassion rather than to propose specific changes.

Style:
Obama begins very positively, citing the end of the war and a recovering economy. He gets right down to business stating, "the state of our union is strong." He is direct and to the point. The President keeps his speech fairly simple. He doesn't fill his points with big words and convoluted sentences. Obama makes his thoughts accessible to everyone, not just highly educated Americans. President Obama is diplomatic but he is focusing on more partisan and controversial issues than he did in his first term. He doesn't want to alienate anyone but he also isn't pandering to the Republicans. Obama gives direct instructions to Congress several times. He asks them to make changes to their education bill, to send him an immigration bill, and urges the House of Representatives to pass the Violence against Women Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act. The President pairs something controversial like gay marriage and the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell with something solidly supported like support of military families. President Obama was on fire as he closed his address. He was uplifting and inspirational as he highlighted the heroes present in the audience and called for American unity and solidarity.

Response:
Joe Biden seems slightly disengaged for the beginning of Obama's speech. It is incredible how much the audience's reactions run along party lines. It seems to me that politicians should focus in public interest rather then partisan support. This is something the American political system needs to improve on within both liberal and conservative parties. The applause is almost entirely from Democrats, while many Republicans stay seated. While Obama discusses education reform the media found probably one of the few children in the room to zoom in on. Vice President Biden immediately stood upon Obama's mention of immigration reform, indicating his strong support of this often emotionally charged topic. There is more universal report when Obama makes it clear that he finds the fact that families earning minimum wage live below the poverty line. This is an idea that most people can get behind. The same is true for Obama's stated support of American troops.