NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – President Barack Obama laid out priorities, challenges and opportunities in his annual State of the Union address on Tuesday night.
President Obama said he believes the United States is poised for opportunity after five years of struggling through the Great Recession.
He discussed expanding opportunity to middle class families, creating more jobs, making college more affordable, tapping into available energy resources, fixing the broken immigration system, equal pay for women and raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.
Obama also took on climate change, noting, “The debate is settled. Climate change is a fact. And when our children’s children look us in the eye and ask if we did all we could to leave them a safer, more stable world, with new sources of energy, I want us to be able to say yes, we did.”
One of the evening's most notable moments was when Obama paid tribute to Army Ranger Cory Remsburg, who he had met at Omaha Beach on the 65th anniversary of D-Day. Months later, Remsburg – while on his 10th deployment – was nearly killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.
Remsburg – who was found with shrapnel in his brain – has struggled with numerous surgeries, struggles with his left side and is blind in one eye.
He was present for the speech, and he received a two-minute standing ovation. A smiling Remsburg was helped to his feet by his father, and gave a thumbs up to the president.
“My fellow Americans, men and women like Cory remind us that America has never come easy. Our freedom, our democracy, has never been easy. Sometimes we stumble; we make mistakes; we get frustrated or discouraged. But for more than two hundred years, we have put those things aside and placed our collective shoulder to the wheel of progress – to create and build and expand the possibilities of individual achievement; to free other nations from tyranny and fear; to promote justice, and fairness, and equality under the law, so that the words set to paper by our founders are made real for every citizen,” Obama said.
“The America we want for our kids – a rising America where honest work is plentiful and communities are strong; where prosperity is widely shared and opportunity for all lets us go as far as our dreams and toil will take us – none of it is easy. But if we work together; if we summon what is best in us, with our feet planted firmly in today but our eyes cast towards tomorrow – I know it’s within our reach.”
The president's full address can be seen at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/01/28/president-barack-obamas-state-union-address . The speech also can be viewed above.
Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, chair of the Republican Conference, delivered the Republican response.
She said Republicans and the president want to improve the lives of Americans, but they part ways on how that should happen.
Instead, she offered a vision emphasizing free markets that she said will protect families while making Washington, DC play by the same rules as the rest of America.
She blamed the Obama Administration for opportunity gaps and allowing for too many people to fall further behind. “The president’s policies are making people’s lives harder,” through unprecedented spending, higher taxes and fewer jobs, McMorris Rodgers said.
McMorris Rodgers also took the opportunity to fault the Affordable Care Act, another administration policy the Republicans believe is creating hardships not opportunities.
The members of Congress who represent Lake County gave Obama high marks for the agenda he presented.
“The president spoke to almost every concern, hope and aspiration of the American people. It was a humble speech because he really credited the American people for how far we’ve come from the depths of the Great Recession,” said U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA).
“Tonight the President laid out a clear agenda to expand economic opportunities, create jobs and strengthen the middle class. Many of the steps being taken by President will further this agenda, and as the President said, these actions must be met by a year of action from Congress,” said Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena)
“Right now, people across our country feel like no matter how hard they work, they can’t get ahead,” he said. “Though our economy continues to recover, the middle class has seen their wages stall and their bills soar. When these hard working families look to Washington for answers, all they see is partisan fighting.”
Like Obama, Thompson called for an end to partisan gridlock in Congress. “We need to work across the aisle to raise the minimum wage, pass immigration reform, expand affordable educational opportunities, and make job-creating investments in infrastructure, manufacturing and renewable energy. By taking these actions we can strengthen our middle class, lower our deficit and grow our economy.”
Thompson also wants to see more done to protect against gun violence, noting that since the shooting at Newtown, Conn., in December 2012, more than 12,000 people have been killed by someone using a gun. “Too many lives are being cut short and Congress is doing nothing.”
He added, “America has always been place where, if you work hard and play by the rules, you get a job, buy a house, send your kids to college and save for retirement. That’s the American Dream, and our top goal must be to make sure everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve that dream, no matter on what side of the aisle we sit.”
Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA) said he was pleased that the president is focused on shaping an economy that creates more opportunity for hardworking Americans.
“Today, President Obama touched on three key themes that should resonate with every American: opportunity, action, and optimism,” Congressman Garamendi said.
“Opportunity: we must provide ladders of mobility to the middle class. Action: Congress and the Administration should work together on behalf of the American people. Optimism: Since the Great Recession, we’ve been through a rough patch in our country, but America’s best days are still to come,” Garamendi said.
“I still believe that there is nothing wrong with America that can’t be fixed by what is right with America, and I will do all I can to work with the president and my colleagues to build the middle class,” he said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.