President Obama’s final State of the Union address did not contain the usual legislative laundry list of goals he’d like accomplished. Those have a tough time gaining traction in an election year. However, he did urge this “clear-eyed, big-hearted” and “optimistic” nation to reject the politics of tribalism and fear that seem a subtext of the presidential campaign. Correspondent David Cruz breaks down the speech.
Cruz: Obama seemed concerned about the tone that seems to be out there and he seemed to counter this notion that the nation is somehow in decline, economically and militarily. On those two points, he was emphatic:
“The United States of America — right now — has the strongest, most durable economy in the world. We’re in the middle of the longest streak of private sector job creation in history. … Anyone claiming that America’s economy is in decline is peddling fiction. … Let me tell you something. The United States of America is the most powerful nation on earth. Period. Period. It’s not even close.”
Williams: He also seemed to be acutely aware of the rhetoric coming from the opposition party, no?
Cruz: Indeed, this wasn’t supposed to be a political speech, but Obama was listening to a lot of the stuff that was going on out there — especially on the Republican side — and made some pointed references to Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Ted Cruz and, of course, Donald Trump:
“As we focus on destroying ISIL, over the top claims that this is World War III just plays into their hands … The world will look to us to help solve these problems and our answer needs to be more than tough talk or calls to carpet bomb civilians. That may work as a TV soundbite, but it doesn’t pass muster on the world stage. … This is not a matter of political correctness. … When politicians insult Muslims, whether they’re abroad or our fellow citizens, when a mosque is vandalized or a kid is called names, it doesn’t make us safer, that’s not telling it like it is. That’s just wrong.”
Williams: Telling it like it is. A shot at Christie? What was your takeaway from this speech?
Cruz: My takeaway from all this was that the president wants Americans to up their citizenship game. He said, “It’s not enough to change a congressman or a senator or a president. We have to change the system to reflect our better selves”:
“Our public life withers when only the most extreme voices get all the attention, and most of all democracy breaks down when the average person feels like their voice doesn’t matter, that the system is rigged in favor of the rich or the powerful or some special interest. Too many Americans feel that way right now.”
Cruz: It was a powerful speech from the orator in chief, but how much lasting impact its going to have on this political year, probably not so much.
Williams: It was at the very end of the State of the Union that he said this is what I’m sorry I didn’t accomplish, and that was the citizenship piece of it.
Cruz: Yes, he said the divisions and the rhetoric did not get any better, and that he regretted that he harkened back to Lincoln saying maybe someone like Lincoln could have been able to fix that. But he said it was one of the things that he said he was sad about, and you don’t normally hear presidents say something like that.