Obama warns against giving into election year cynicism

Obama said on Tuesday evening. I want to focus on the next five years, ten years, and beyond. Obama asked. “Or will we face the future with confidence in who we are, what we stand for, and the incredible things we can do together?”

“It will only happen if we fix our politics”. But his advocacy for a “big-hearted”, diverse America sounded like one big rejection of the presidential candidate who dominated 2015.

“The president touted his nuclear deal with Tehran, yet what the President didn’t say is that, since the deal, we have seen an increasingly bellicose regime flouting the worldwide community, daring us to take action against its illicit behavior and then threatening to walk away from the nuclear deal if we do respond”, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the chairwoman of the House Middle East subcommittee said in a statement.

The party tapped South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, whose parents are Indian immigrants, to deliver the GOP response to Obama.

“The President’s record has often fallen far short of his soaring words”. The president appeared liberated by his decision not to present the usual menu of legislative proposals and spoke more informally and with occasional flashes of humour.

“Second, how do we make technology work for us, and not against us – especially when it comes to solving urgent challenges like climate change?”.

“We did not, in the words of Lincoln, adhere to the ‘dogmas of the quiet past, ‘Ÿ” he said. “It says America will always act, alone if necessary, to protect our people and our allies; but on issues of global concern, we will mobilize the world to work with us, and make sure other countries pull their own weight”.

“There are a whole lot of folks in this chamber – good people – who would like to see more cooperation, a more elevated debate in Washington, but feel trapped by the imperatives of getting elected, by the noise coming out of your base”.

He did not mention any particular Republicans he thinks may be clinging to those old dogmas and acting on their fears.

Obama is eager for a Democrat to win the White House to preserve his legacy, but anger over his policies and fears about security threats have helped push non-traditional candidates to the fore in the Republican and, to a lesser extent, the Democratic races to succeed him.

No longer must-watch television, the State of the Union has suffered a major drop-off in viewers amid the proliferation of cable channels and other tempting distractions on a Tuesday night. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can.

President Barack Obama is set to deliver what will be his final State of the Union Address Tuesday night.

He talked about preparing the workforce for the changing marketplace, and pushing for universal pre-kindergarten and college affordability while also safeguarding Social Security and Medicare. Most everyone rose when the president said there is “red tape that needs to be cut” and pressed for a new initiative to try and cure cancer.

“Democracy grinds to a halt without a willingness to compromise; or when even basic facts are contested, and we listen only to those who agree with us”, he said.

Representatives of the Little Sisters of the Poor, guests of Speaker Paul Ryan, are challenging the birth-control mandate in Obama’s health care law.

Obama is expected to address various issues such as gun control, trade, climate change and criminal justice reform. That will not stop him from pushing for it, advisers say.

White House aides earlier said that Obama would use the annual showpiece speech at 9 p.m. ET to paint a picture of a country empowered by its ethnic diversity and infused with possibility, while signaling he has no plans to be ushered from center stage.

The president planned to speak optimistically about America’s future in his speech in Congress, one of his few remaining chances to capture and hold the attention of millions of Americans before the November 8 election of a new president who will take office next January.

“There is more than enough blame to go around”, she said.

The phrase is a reference to the Supreme Court’s 2010 “Citizens United” decision that took the reins off big-money contributions from corporations and labor unions and arguably broadened the influence of the wealthy and powerful.

In a prime-time televised speech that was more a broad statement of vision than a policy prescription, Mr Obama sought to present an ambitious portrait of the nation after seven years of his leadership, with a resurgent economy and better standing in the world despite continuing challenges of inequality at home and terrorism overseas. “We just might surprise the cynics again”.