Global reach: Obama's first State of the Union address was watched by millions of TV viewers around the world
Oh please, sit down: But the First Lady appears slightly embarrassed as she's given a standing ovation
Mrs Obama and Kimberly Munley wave to the crowd during the address. Officer Munley, a 34-year-old mother of two, became an instant hero when she opened fire on the Fort Hood gunman during his shooting rampage at the Army base last November.Support: Michelle Obama is praised for her health initiatives in her husband's speech
Haitian Ambassador to the U.S. Raymond Joseph kisses Mrs Obama's hands as (left to right) Mark Alan Todd, acting police chief of Fort Hood, Texas; Kimberly Munley, Federal police officer from Fort Hood, Texas and Rebecca Kner, wife of Captain II Joseph Knerr of the Virginia Task Force 1 currently serving in Haiti, look on
People's man: Flanked by security, Obama signs an autograph for fan after delivering his address
Stone-faced: Republican senators (left to right) Lindsey Graham, John McCain and Charles Grassley listen to Obama's address
'I don't quit': While admitting that his administration 'deserved' the setbacks, Obama vowed not to give up on his dreams
Contemplation: Amid the roar of applause and mobbed by his colleagues, Obama seems to have quiet moment
Prepared: The president spoke for about one hour
Packed house: The president speaks to the divided congress in Washington
*
'I hear you, America': Obama makes job creation top priority - not health care
*
Standing ovation for Michelle Obama on her health initiatives
*
President pledges to double American exports, creating two million jobs
*
Obama flags tax credits for childcare and more aid for people with student loans
In an extraordinary admission, Barack Obama said last night that his administration ‘deserved’ the setbacks it suffered during his first year in the White House.
But the embattled president insisted he would not give up on his dreams, vowing: 'I don’t quit.’
The rare moment of candour from a sitting president came as Mr Obama tried to win over an increasingly sceptical American public in his first State of the Union address.‘Change has not come fast enough,’ he acknowledged in a long and wide-ranging speech before a packed joint session of US Congress and a prime time audience of millions.
He said he accepted ‘my share of the blame’ for not adequately explaining his plans to the public.
And, coming in the wake of last week’s humbling defeat to the Republicans in a special election to replace the late Democrat Senator Edward Kennedy, Mr Obama didn’t try and gloss over criticism he has faced over his health care reforms and heavy spending on economic bail out plans.
Our administration has had some political setbacks this year,’ he said, ‘and some of them were well-deserved.’
‘I campaigned on the promise of change – ‘change we can believe in,’ the slogan went.’ And right now, I know that there are many Americans who aren’t sure if they still believe we can change, or at least that I can deliver it.
‘But remember this,’ he added. ‘I never suggested that change would be easy, or that I can do it alone.
He chided both political parties for the partisan bickering that has dogged his efforts to make good on many of his campaign promises.
‘Let’s try common sense,’ he said, adding that leaders in Washington face a ‘deficit of trust.’
Positioning himself as a champion of the middle class, Mr Obama adopted a relaxed tone at times, joking at one point that the bank bail out was ‘about as popular as root canal.’
He also kept watching wife Michelle happy by earning her two standing ovations with praise for her health initiatives.
But the majority of his 70-minute speech concentrated on the very serious subjects of jobs and the economy.
There were no sweeping new initiatives, but Mr Obama sought to repackage his existing priorities, such as health care reforms and clean energy legislation, by promoting their beneficial impact on creating new jobs.
Critics saw last week’s Senate seat defeat as a referendum on the administration’s health care overhaul, but – while it did take him more than 20 minutes to broach the subject – the president insisted he was not giving up the fight.
He appealed to lawmakers to take another look at the controversial plan to offer government-run alternatives to the private health insurers that dominate the American health system.
‘Do not walk away from reform,’ he appealed to Republicans. 'Not now. Not when we are so close. Let’s find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people.’
But he was quickly back to the overriding theme of his speech, which sought to find the populist groove missing since hjs campaign days.
‘Jobs must be our number one focus in 2010. People are out of work. They are hurting. They need our help,’ he said.
'I do not accept second-place for the United States of America. As hard as it may be, as uncomfortable and contentious as the debates may be, it's time to get serious about fixing the problems that are hampering our growth.'
Mr Obama compared the U.S. to other nations: 'Washington has been telling us to wait for decades, even as the problems have grown worse. Meanwhile, China's not waiting to revamp its economy. Germany's not waiting. India's not waiting.'
He set a goal of doubling exports over the next five years, an increase he claimed would create two million jobs and, as he promised earlier in the week, he proposed a series of programmes aimed at helping improve the lot of America’s disgruntled middle class.
They included doubling tax credits for childcare and more aid for people struggling with student loans.
Mr Obama looked to change the conversation from how his presidency is stalling — over the messy health care debate, a limping economy and the missteps that led to Christmas Day's barely averted terrorist disaster — to how he is seizing the reins.
He spoke to a nation gloomy over double-digit unemployment and federal deficits soaring to almost £1 trillion, and to fellow Democrats dispirited about the fallen standing of a president they hoped would carry them through this autumn's midterm elections.
Republicans applauded the president when he entered the chamber, and even craned their necks and welcomed Michelle Obama when she took her seat. But the warm feelings of bipartisanship disappeared early.
Democrats jumped to their feet and roared when Mr Obama said he wanted to impose a new fee on banks, while Republicans sat stone-faced. Democrats stood and applauded when Mr Obama mentioned the economic stimulus package passed last February. Republicans just stared.
On national security, the president proclaimed some success, saying that ‘far more’ al Qaeda terrorists were killed under his watch last year than in 2008.
Hoping to salve growing disappointment in a key constituency, Mr Obama said he would work with Congress ‘this year’ to repeal the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military.
But in a concession to concern about the move among Republicans and on his own party's right flank, Mr Obama neither made a commitment to suspend the practice in the interim nor issued a firm deadline for action.
Declaring that ‘I know the anxieties’ of Americans' struggling to pay the bills while big banks get bailouts and bonuses, Mr Obama prodded Congress to enact a second stimulus package ‘without delay,’ specifying it should contain a range of measures to help small businesses and funding for infrastructure projects.
Acknowledging frustration at the government's habit of spending more than it has, he said he would veto any bills that do not adhere to his demand for a three-year freeze on some domestic
In the Republican response to Mr Obama's speech, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell showed no sign of his party capitulating to the president.
In fact, the choice of McDonnell to represent Republicans was symbolic, meant to showcase recent election victories by him and others.
In a remarkable shift from past addresses, and notable for a president whose candidacy first caught fire over Iraq war opposition, foreign policy took a relative back seat. It came behind the economy and was largely devoid of new policy.
And Mr Obama made no mention of three of the toughest challenges he faced in his first year: failing to close the terrorist prison compound at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, failing to get Israel and the Palestinians to resume peace negotiations, and struggling with the al Qaeda havens in Pakistan that are at the core of the terrorist threat to America.
The president is keeping to the tradition of taking his themes on the road.
He will travel to Florida today to announce £5 billion in grants for high-speed rail development, to Maryland tomorrow to a House Republican retreat, and to New Hampshire next Tuesday to talk about job creation.
Citing a "deficit of trust" in government by the American people, President Obama's first State of the Union address urged Congress to erode the influence of special interests and work together to confront the nation's most pressing problems.
In the nationally televised speech Wednesday night to a joint session of Congress, Obama sought to reassure Americans angry and nervous about the pace of economic recovery that his government understands the challenges and would act boldly to meet them.
Obama called for a new political climate of "common sense" approaches that invest in the American people without building "a mountain of debt."
"We have to recognize that we face more than a deficit of dollars right now. We face a deficit of trust -- deep and corrosive doubts about how Washington works that have been growing for years," Obama said.
Key areas where Obama wants to build that trust include: the economy, education, energy, health care and national security.
Democrats applauded the remarks of their party's leader."He outlined a road map that, if followed with bipartisan support in Congress, can reduce our deficit, rebuild our economy and create a new foundation of prosperity for American families and businesses," said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.
"It was a serious speech -- reached out to Republicans," said Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, the House majority leader.
Republicans, however, were skeptical of Obama's ability to change the partisan atmosphere in Washington.
"Real bipartisanship requires more than just lip service; it demands both sides coming together in a real and meaningful way. It's time for the administration to abandon this big-government agenda and start working in a meaningful way with Republicans to find common-sense solutions to move the country forward," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.
"I would have liked to have seen him emphasize reaching out to the other side of the aisle and bringing us together," said Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio.
Analysts, too, were mixed in their reactions to what Obama had to say Wednesday night.
CNN political contributor John Avlon said Obama was targeting independents with his remarks, but questioned his success.
"They still hear The Who's 'Won't Get Fooled Again' in the back of their minds," Avlon said.
Democratic strategist James Carville said Obama made progress. "He picked up a first down tonight," Carville said.
And a post-speech opinion poll shows a divided public.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey indicated that 48 percent of speech watchers had a very positive reaction, with three in 10 saying they had a somewhat positive response and 21 percent with a negative response.
The 48 percent who indicated they had a very positive response is down 20 points from the 68 percent of speech watchers who felt the same way a year ago about the president's February 24 primetime address to a joint session of Congress.
"Wednesday night's State of the Union audience is more Democratic than the nation as a whole, but speech-watchers were less Democratic this year than they were last year," said Keating Holland, CNN polling director. "That may be one reason why the number who gave his speech a 'very positive' rating is lower this year. But part of the reason also may be that speech-watchers didn't necessarily hear a new agenda and aren't confident that the president can improve health care or lower the deficit."
--------
-------
--------
---------
0 comments:
Post a Comment