For the second
time in less than a month President Barack Obama will address the nation for
his fifth State of the Union address on Tuesday, Feb. 12. This will be the
president’s fourth time standing in front of the nation to deliver the address,
but this year’s State of the Union address may be a little different than his
previous four.
In
the previous four years Obama has delivered this address with his re-election
in mind. The president had to do this if he wanted any chance to get another
four years in office. He could not go out and blatantly criticize or call out
Republicans.
However,
this year I think the nation could see a bit of a change. Now, that is not to
say Obama will stand before a joint session of Congress and say Republicans are
the reason for all of the nation’s problems, because that is just not likely to
happen. I do think however, Obama will be a bit bolder in his speech and in the
topics he will discuss.
For
example, gun control to play a key role in the president’s speech. Following
the Newtown, Conn., shooting gun control has been at the center of the
political world. The Obama administration has already proposed a ban on certain
firearms, specifically assault rifles, that was met head on with opposition
from conservatives. Because he has already been elected, and he has already
made the proposal, Obama to speak strongly on this topic without fear of it
costing him votes.
Obama’s
strong push for stronger gun control has already begun on his website, www.barackobama.com,
Obama has urged his supporters to contact their representative to show their
support for Obama and his proposed ban.
A constant in Obama’s first four State of the
Union addresses has been his support of improving the nation’s education. Education
reform has been a major topic for Obama from his first address, when he said
reforming the nation’s education was one of the best ways to improve the down
economy.
The
president has echoed this statement in all of his State of the Union addresses,
and he will once again do the same. In his 2012 address Obama not only
expressed his concern for education reform, but said teachers were a crucial
part of American society and said we as a nation need to give them all the
resources they need.
According
to the Washington Post, the high school drop out rate still standing at nearly
25 percent. With that being said, education
will remain a major theme in Obama’s address.
Another
main point in President Obama’s address will be immigration and border control.
The issue has been a political hotbed for year now, but in recent weeks has
intensified greatly.
Since
stepping into office, Obama has repeatedly expressed his concern for illegal
immigration, including in his State of the Union Address. Last year he said he
believes more than ever the nation should take on illegal immigration, which is
exactly why I believe he will spend time discussing the topic. On his website,
President Obama has already made it clear saying it is a high priority in his
second term.
I
also believe Obama will talk about the troops, maybe not for long, but he will
address them. Obama will more than likely discuss the recent change that now
allows women to participate in combat, and even if he does not directly discuss
this, he will discuss the members of the nation’s military.
Each
time Obama has delivered this speech, he has thanked the troops for their brave,
selfless sacrifices, and this year I expect nothing less.
The
surprise of the address, and I say that sarcastically, will be when Obama says
the State of the Union is strong just as he has the past four years. Regardless
of what the actual state of the union is, no president has or will stand before
Congress and the nation and say, “the state of the union is in bad shape.” That
may be the last thing a president will ever say in a State of the Union
address.
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