Obama opens post-State of Union road show in Nebraska

Americans are slightly more likely to want the Republican-led Congress to have more influence over the direction of the country than President Obama ahead of his final year in office. In that speech, he said, “There’s not a liberal America and a conservative America; there’s the United States of America”.

Cruz quickly countered in a statement. Americans have a choice to make in November, he said, and he spelled out the case for his side.

Hailing an epoch of “extraordinary change” laden with risk and opportunity, Obama called for a new “moonshot” to cure cancer, a shift away from dirty energy to power the world’s biggest economy and for a thaw in the last remnants of the Cold War by ending the embargo on Cuba. But Obama is painting with too broad a brush when he says his naysayers are describing a fictional reality.

“The president wanted to travel to a state that demonstrated his commitment to talking to people other than just his supporters”, Earnest said.

Unemployment in both states has fallen significantly since he took office and more than 2.5 million residents have gained coverage under his health care law, which the Republican presidential candidates unanimously oppose and have voted to repeal if elected.

“You’ll be debating our military, most of America’s business leaders, the majority of the American people, nearly the entire scientific community, and 200 nations around the world who agree it’s a problem and intend to solve it”.

Democratic strategist Brad Bannon said Obama “made the argument very well that leadership is not bombing the crap out of someone”.

Finally, Barack Obama defended his decisions, mentioning that Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner, should stop making Americans stigmatize all Muslims, despite all the threats from the Islamic state. GOP lawmakers hoped to use the appropriations process to impose policy “riders” blocking White House priorities, but during spending negotiations last year, party leaders instead used what leverage they had to win an end to the 30-year-old ban on oil exports.

Democrats have successfully filibustered most Republican attempts to overrule the administration’s regulatory actions, and Obama has vetoed the handful that have made it to his desk.

In the Republican response, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley also took a few shots at Trump, without naming him. That remains the dream of all of us, and in this country we have seen time and again that that dream is achievable.

“Look, anything’s possible. And I think, you know, we shouldn’t be complacent”. The president also thanked the new Speaker, Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, for his concerned effort to address poverty.