Let's work together, Obama urges
Source: Agencies |
January 27, 2011, Thursday
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UNITED States President Barack Obama called on Republicans and Democrats to work together to revive the US economy in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night.
It was his first appearance before Congress since opposition Republicans took control of the House of Representatives earlier this month. It also marked the midpoint of his presidential term, as he rebounds from the Democrats' electoral defeat in November.
And whatever Obama's attempts to rise beyond politics, the speech came as he began positioning himself for his 2012 re-election campaign.
Obama kept the focus on the economy, the issue that dragged down his party in last year's election and will likely be pivotal in 2012. He called for both parties to unite behind his program of cuts and spending, saying: "We will move forward together or not at all."
He proposed no major initiatives comparable to the health care overhaul that dominated the first two years of his presidency. Instead, he outlined a balanced agenda aimed at both ends of the political spectrum.
For Democrats, he defended his health care plan, opposed privatization of the Social Security pension program and called for an end to tax cuts for the rich. He also proposed more spending on education, research, technology and transport to make the US more competitive with emerging economic powers such as China and India.
But Obama also backed some top Republican priorities. He called for freezing some federal spending, cutting the corporate tax rate, shaking up the federal government and eliminating lawmakers' pet projects.
Though Obama won some cheers from Republicans, they remain dissatisfied with his efforts to cut the deficit, their core issue. They have dismissed his investment proposals as merely new spending.
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, giving the official Republican response, said the US was at "a tipping point" leading to a dire future if federal deficits aren't trimmed. "We are at a moment, where if government's growth is left unchecked and unchallenged, America's best century will be considered our past century," Ryan said.
Calling for a new day of cooperation, Obama said: "What comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight but whether we can work together tomorrow."
Obama used the stories of some of the guests sitting with his wife, Michelle, to illustrate his points, including a business owner who designed drilling technology that helped rescue trapped Chilean miners.
There was less of the see-saw applause typical of past State of the Union speeches, where Democrats stood to applaud certain lines and Republicans embraced others. Members of both parties found plenty of lines worthy of bipartisan applause.
Obama appeared to close the door on any significant military presence in Iraq beyond the end of the year. "This year, our civilians will forge a lasting partnership with the Iraqi people while we finish the job of bringing our troops out of Iraq."
Obama spoke to a television audience in the millions and a Congress sobered by the assassination attempt on one if its own members, Gabrielle Giffords. She was seriously wounded in the shooting rampage in Tucson, Arizona, that killed six people. Her seat sat empty.
Giffords' husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, watched Obama's speech from her bedside at a Houston hospital.
It was his first appearance before Congress since opposition Republicans took control of the House of Representatives earlier this month. It also marked the midpoint of his presidential term, as he rebounds from the Democrats' electoral defeat in November.
And whatever Obama's attempts to rise beyond politics, the speech came as he began positioning himself for his 2012 re-election campaign.
Obama kept the focus on the economy, the issue that dragged down his party in last year's election and will likely be pivotal in 2012. He called for both parties to unite behind his program of cuts and spending, saying: "We will move forward together or not at all."
He proposed no major initiatives comparable to the health care overhaul that dominated the first two years of his presidency. Instead, he outlined a balanced agenda aimed at both ends of the political spectrum.
For Democrats, he defended his health care plan, opposed privatization of the Social Security pension program and called for an end to tax cuts for the rich. He also proposed more spending on education, research, technology and transport to make the US more competitive with emerging economic powers such as China and India.
But Obama also backed some top Republican priorities. He called for freezing some federal spending, cutting the corporate tax rate, shaking up the federal government and eliminating lawmakers' pet projects.
Though Obama won some cheers from Republicans, they remain dissatisfied with his efforts to cut the deficit, their core issue. They have dismissed his investment proposals as merely new spending.
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, giving the official Republican response, said the US was at "a tipping point" leading to a dire future if federal deficits aren't trimmed. "We are at a moment, where if government's growth is left unchecked and unchallenged, America's best century will be considered our past century," Ryan said.
Calling for a new day of cooperation, Obama said: "What comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight but whether we can work together tomorrow."
Obama used the stories of some of the guests sitting with his wife, Michelle, to illustrate his points, including a business owner who designed drilling technology that helped rescue trapped Chilean miners.
There was less of the see-saw applause typical of past State of the Union speeches, where Democrats stood to applaud certain lines and Republicans embraced others. Members of both parties found plenty of lines worthy of bipartisan applause.
Obama appeared to close the door on any significant military presence in Iraq beyond the end of the year. "This year, our civilians will forge a lasting partnership with the Iraqi people while we finish the job of bringing our troops out of Iraq."
Obama spoke to a television audience in the millions and a Congress sobered by the assassination attempt on one if its own members, Gabrielle Giffords. She was seriously wounded in the shooting rampage in Tucson, Arizona, that killed six people. Her seat sat empty.
Giffords' husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, watched Obama's speech from her bedside at a Houston hospital.
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