State of the Union, Sanctions on Iran — Capitol Edge

(Cruz) “This was less a State of the Union than it was a state of denial”.

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) “Before the president takes his victory lap, he ought to consider this: The majority of Americans – a total of 70 percent – believe this country is on the wrong track, and with good reason”.

It’s an election year.

However, the Republican says he’ll support criminal justice reform, something barely mentioned by Obama Tuesday night.

“I want to be clear about this”. Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty, from helping students learn to write computer code to personalizing medical treatments for patients. “That’s why I’m going to push to change the way we manage our oil and coal resources, so that they better reflect the costs they impose on taxpayers and our planet”.

Second, and this has been the problem with this presidency since its inception: Obama, for one last time, proved that he’s failed to grasp that fixing a dysfunctional Washington always required recognizing himself not just as part of the solution but also as a big part of the problem-something seemingly beyond his political makeup.

Obama on Wednesday hit numerous same themes of the speech, in which he called for tolerance toward people of different faiths, recounted what he’s doing to protect America from the spread of Islamic State-inspired terrorism and described an economic rebound that has seen the national unemployment rate drop to 5 percent, half of what it was when he took office in 2009.

The economy remains on the precipice of disaster, terrorism romps the globe, our mortal enemies are hoarding nuclear material and test nukes, illegal immigration goes virtually unchecked, unemployment and underemployment haunt towns and families everywhere and the president’s signature achievement on health care – by nearly any standard – has only made things worse. “We live in a time of extraordinary change”, Obama said.

“We’ve got to accelerate the transition away from dirty energy. Too many Americans feel that way right now”.

“Who knows? We might surprise the cynics again”, Obama said. ABC’s Jon Karl has covered the Obama presidency from the start and joins us from the white house now. We did not, in the words of Lincoln, adhere to the “dogmas of the quiet past”.

Instead we heard none of that.

“I have no doubt that if we act with proper focus, we can protect our borders, our sovereignty and our citizens, all while remaining true to America’s noblest legacies”, she said.

What was true then can be true now. “And over the past seven years, we’ve nurtured that spirit”. It is the result of choices we make together. But here in California we haven’t faced that obstacle. Will we respond to the changes of our time with fear, turning inward as a nation, and turning against each other as a people? “So let’s talk about the future, and four big questions that we as a country have to answer – regardless of who the next president is or who controls the next Congress”.

First, how do we give everyone a fair shot at opportunity and security in this new economy?

Third, how do we keep America safe and lead the world without becoming its policeman? The United States of America is the most powerful nation on Earth, period.

“We’re in the middle of the longest streak of private-sector job creation in history”, he said.

On his first full day in office Tuesday, Louisiana’s new Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards, signed an executive order to begin the process of expanding Medicaid. And more and more wealth and income is concentrated at the very top.

As old power sources fade, he said, he wants to help “communities that rely on fossil fuels” – to “put money back into those communities and put tens of thousands of Americans to work building a 21st century transportation system”. And despite all the political arguments we’ve had these past few years, there are some areas where Americans broadly agree.

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