President Barack Obama delivered the 2015 State Of The Union address Tuesday (Jan. 20) evening, speaking with his usual flair and wit even when he went off script. For those of you who didn’t watch the speech, here’s a tally of what you missed.
Pretty much all of what was delivered in the State Of The Union was common knowledge as press outlets and pundits were given copies of the speech. President Obama also shared his “checklist of proposals” beforehand, and even decided to move past them during the address.
And while much of the speech was the usual ebb and flow of such events, complete with rousing applause and a few comical moments, it pretty much played straight. There are some highlights of the speech, which you can read in full here, below.
The Middle Class Was The Focus
President Obama opened by focusing on his administration’s aims for growing the middle-class economy. It is typical that during the latter year’s of a president’s years in office that nothing promised will actually get done.
“At this moment – with a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry and booming energy production – we have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on Earth. It’s now up to us to choose who we want to be over the next 15 years, and for decades to come.”
The Price Of Oil, Gas And The Pesky Keystone Pipeline
Republicans in Congress want to desperately get a bill passed approving the construction of the Keystone oil pipleline from Canada despite record growth in oil production in America and lowered fuel costs. The GOP is pushing hard for this because of the potential jobs it could create and certain economic factors. President Obama slyly took a dig at the idea.
We believed we could reduce our dependence on foreign oil and protect our planet. And today, America is No. 1 in oil and gas. America is No. 1 in wind power. Every three weeks, we bring online as much solar power as we did in all of 2008. And thanks to lower gas prices and higher fuel standards, the typical family this year should save $750 at the pump.
The Tough Talk Was There
There’s no love lost between President Obama and House Speak John Boehner. It is clear these men disagree ideologically and openly. But the commander-in-chief threw a swift jab towards the new Congress.
We can’t slow down businesses or put our economy at risk with government shutdowns or fiscal showdowns. We can’t put the security of families at risk by taking away their health insurance or unraveling the new rules on Wall Street or refighting past battles on immigration when we’ve got a system to fix. And if a bill comes to my desk that tries to do any of these things, it will earn my veto.
Obama Pulled The Heartstrings A Few Times
There is no doubt that President Obama’s ability to deliver a speech is nearly without peer. Only former President Bill Clinton could boast as such. That said, several times during the address, the President spoke with passion, grit and what some hope was sincerity.
You are the reason I ran for this office. You’re the people I was thinking of six years ago today, in the darkest months of the crisis, when I stood on the steps of this Capitol and promised we would rebuild our economy on a new foundation. And it’s been your effort and resilience that has made it possible for our country to emerge stronger.
If you want to watch the address via the White House social media team’s innovative broadcast, click here. Big shout out to Vice President Joe Biden for largely keeping it together this time.
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Photo: White House/YouTube
