Locals react to president’s address

In President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address, he described his seven years in office as a time of positive change. “I want to focus on our future”.

“The future we want, all of us want — opportunity and security for our families; a rising standard of living and a sustainable, peaceful planet for our kids — all that is within our reach”. “That’s the way we make the new economy work better for everyone”.

The President said he’d like Congress’ help in closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but Republicans have made clear that is unlikely to happen.

“We have to end the practice of drawing our congressional districts so that politicians can pick their voters, and not the other way around”.

Obama began his speech by stating he needed to get out of Washington, D.C. That can not continue. Lawmakers have an obligation to approve meaningful actions and laws, no matter from which side of the political spectrum they come.

The president called out real estate mogul Donald Trump, though not by name, saying, “When politicians insult Muslims… that doesn’t make us safer”. “It’s just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world”.

“Tonight President Obama appealed to the very best in the American people”. He encouraged Americans to participate in the political process and critiqued efforts to prevent people from doing so. Well, so is all the rhetoric you hear about our enemies getting stronger and America getting weaker.

“The United States of America – right now – has the strongest, most durable economy in the world. Period. Period. It’s not even close”. Nielsen says Obama’s ratings peak was his first State of the Union in 2009, which was seen by 52.4 million people. He says references to World War III just play into the extremist group’s hands.

“Masses of fighters on the back of pickup trucks, twisted souls plotting in apartments or garages: they pose an enormous danger to civilians; they have to be stopped”.

“And although non of these trends are unique to America, they do offend out uniquely American believe that everybody who works hard should get a fair shot”, he said. Yet Congress has not taken a vote to authorize the use of military force against the Islamic State, a complete dereliction of duty. “We need to start pushing our elected officials”.

Obama compared finding a cure to the USA putting a man on the moon.

Legendary Congressman John Lewis (D-Ga.) commented on the president’s speech.

Prior to its delivery, White House officials had described the president’s speech as “non-traditional”.

“So who knows, we just might surprise the cynics again”, he said.

Biden lost his son Beau to brain cancer previous year.

“President Obama is a great speech maker, and I think he did that again last night”, she said.

State of the Union 2016, instead, focused squarely on economics. That’s what makes me so hopeful about our future.