CDs Praise, CRs Condemn Obama's Address

President Obama focused on jobs, innovation, and education last night in his second State of the Union Address to Congress, highlighting bipartisanship and cooperation as the keys to success.

“Government will now be a shared responsibility,” exhorted the president. “We will move forward together or not at all.”

Obama stated that jobs are a priority and explained that if we fail to innovate, other countries in our globalizing world will overtake us, pointing to examples of China and India.

“In America, innovation doesn’t just change our lives, it’s how we make a living,” he stated. “This is our generation’s Sputnik moment.”



Touching on a priority progressive critics have criticized the president over, he reified the goal of “putting 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.” He also challenged the nation to generate 80 percent of our nation’s electricity from clean energy sources by 2035, using all methods, including nuclear energy, clean coal, and natural gas.

To achieve our goals, however, and “win the future,” the president urged a greater investment in, and emphasize on, education.

“We need to teach our kids it’s not just the winner of the Super Bowl who deserves to be celebrated, but the winner of the science fair,” Obama announced to a round of applause. “We want to reward good teachers and stop making excuses for the bad ones.”

Speaking directly to young people, the president implored them to consider a career in education.

“Become a teacher; your country needs you,” he stated.

Repeating a theme he recently discussed in an op-ed he wrote in the Wall Street Journal, the president discussed corporate taxes and regulations.

Though corporate tax rates are among the highest in the world, the tax code is “rigged” and benefits “particular companies and industries.”

Regulations need to be reviewed and in some cases simplified, though those that safeguard the American people will remain.

Addressing the growing national debt, Obama announced a five-year freeze of annual domestic spending, which “would reduce the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade.”

Turning to foreign policy successes, the president praised trade agreements with India, China, and South Korea, and upcoming deals with Panama and Colombia.

He also pointed to successes in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the continuing pressure on Iran and North Korea to give up their nuclear programs, and the New START Treaty with Russia, which will reduce weapons from both sides.

President Obama also emphasized the need to honor our veterans.

“Let us serve them as well as they served us,” he stated.

Also praising the repeal of the controversial policy Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, that prevented gay and lesbian soldiers from serving openly in the military, the president urged colleges to “open their doors to our military recruiters and ROTC.”

Josh Altman, President of the GW College Democrats, commended Obama’s State of the Union Address, describing it as “straightforward.”

“There were no flashy phrases,” Altman stated. “Nothing was scary. He helped us recognize the difficulty of our problems.”

Altman extolled the president’s message of economic growth and deficit reduction, explaining that it’s not a zero-sum game.

“The two issues should be solved in tandem,” he said. “Not at the expense of one another.”

Altman also stated the CD’s desire to “pushback against the myths” about President Obama.

The speech showed us he’s not a “socialist, bureaucrat-loving president,” he declared.

With a very different response to the president’s speech, Sinead Casey, Director of Public Relations for the GW College Republicans, described the address as “deceiving to all Americans.”

Casey lambasted the president for his lack of focus on the federal debt.

Praising Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) “honest solutions” in the Republican response, the CR’s official spokesperson pointed to her party’s successes and initiatives to create growth.

“The Republican Congress has already voted to cut its own budget, pledges to lower taxes, offer reasonable regulations, and limit government,” she stated. “That’s the true way to create jobs. Not investments disguised as debt-increasing stimulus.”

At the Heritage Foundation this morning, WRGW News reporter James Reed asked House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) about the need for federal investments in education after Obama’s address.

Pointing to a need for “accountability” and a review of “regulations,” Cantor explained that the Republican majority must serve as a “check on an unfettered agenda,” but “continuing to strengthen out academic institutions,” will be a priority.