A Superb State of the Union

On Tuesday, January 24, President Obama delivered his State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress and the American people. The main theme of the speech was “An America Built to Last.” If we have learned anything about Barack Obama over the last five or so years, it is that he is an excellent speaker. That was evident again in this speech.

He began by referencing the end of the Iraq War. This is one of the few things he has accomplished in his first term that people give him credit for. The President also ended the speech by highlighting the mission he set forward to capture Osama bin Laden. By bookmarking the State of the Union Address with his two major accomplishments, many believe this was more of a campaign speech than a State of the Union Address. I disagree with this.

Although the President skipped over major issues such as the debt and deficit crisis, he touched on many issues the average American’s are most concerned about. The majority of people in this country belong to the middle class and are worried about the struggling economy. By addressing plans of job creation, I believe he got the attention of most people. His ideas seem to make sense. Bring back manufacturing jobs from oversees and make America the industrial powerhouse it once was. America is a country who can’t stop talking about freedom this and freedom that at every turn. Why not give Americans a fair shot to become successful in their own terms. What I think the President understands that the Republican candidates do not, is that middle class Americans are not envious of the one percent. We do not want them to give us their money as many of them probably worked hard to earn it. We simply want a chance to work in a decent paying job, pay a fair amount of taxes, and have the opportunity to live comfortably within our means.

The President stayed true to the things he has supported for years. He discussed American energy which has become very important to environmentally conscious generation of young voters. He also addressed the rising cost of a college education. For years, this generation has been told to go to college because without a higher education we cannot and will not succeed in America. Now that we have finished our education, we are strapped with hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt and we are no closer to obtaining a job than we would have been with a simple high school diploma.


There are some issues the President skipped over that the GOP has repeatedly pointed out. They are annoyed that Obama neglected to discuss the national debt and deficit crisis. However, I believe at this point in the recession, most if not all Americans are aware of the fiscal crisis that the entire global economy is facing right now. What good does it do to dwell on things that cannot be fixed within a one year period? Instead the President offered solutions to tangible problems that the American people deal with on a daily basis. Creating jobs is good for the economy. A boost in the American economy is good for the global economy. More money coming into America means less money we have to borrow from others.

Overall I appreciated the message of unity that the President try to convey. He gave an example of a military unit going out on a mission. They don’t care about race, gender, sexual orientation, or social class. It only matters that they are all Americans and they all must work together to find solutions to the problems that directly or not are negatively affecting our country as a whole. If he was trying to make this speech a campaign speech, it may have worked. I think the frustrated middle class appreciated that he fought for us. I think his blatant reprimanding of Congress’s inability to work together looked good for him. It took some blame we tend to place on the President and put it where it really deserves to be. One person can’t fix our problems by himself; our system doesn’t work that way. It’s a democracy not a dictatorship.

Kayla Mattioli 

Communication Studies

Wilkes 2012