President Barack Obama achieved two of his greatest campaign promises in 2010, but he did not dwell on these Tuesday in his State of the Union speech.
Although health care reform and the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” were two important measures passed by Congress, Obama said it is now time to “move forward” and “win the future for America.”
Obama acknowledged the debate surrounding health care reform, which House republicans have voted to repeal. He said he is willing to work with them to improve the plan.
“If you have ideas about how to improve this law by making care better or more affordable, I’m eager to work with you,” Obama said.
To sway republicans, Obama cited a few ways health care reform is helping struggling senior citizens and students.
“As we speak, this law is making prescription drugs cheaper for seniors and giving uninsured students a chance to stay on their parents’ coverage,” he said. “So instead of refighting the battles of the last two years, let’s fix what needs fixing and move forward.”
Obama’s way of moving forward includes funding innovation, reforming education and repairing America’s infrastructure. Although the economy is an important aspect of each of the areas Obama outlined, he did not give an in-depth plan of how to fix the economy.
He did, however, acknowledge the deficit, saying the government cannot afford to extend tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans.
“Before we take money away from our schools, or scholarships away from our students, we should ask millionaires to give up their tax break,” Obama said.
He pointed out that ending the tax break should not be seen as a punishment on those who earn more, but should be seen as ensuring everyone is on an even playing field.
The government should also help tackle the deficit, Obama said. He proposed freezing annual domestic spending, which would reduce the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade.
A big contributor to the deficit is the war in Afghanistan. Since the war began in 2003, the government has sunk billions of dollars into the region. In his 2010 State of the Union speech, Obama proposed withdrawing all troops from Afghanistan by August 2011. Obama has since changed that plan, saying Tuesday troops would begin to arrive home in July.
Obama pointed out that not everyone in the military comes from the same background. He said some are white, black, Latino, Asian, Christian, Jewish, Muslim and some are gay.
“Starting this year, no American will be forbidden from serving the country they love because of who they love,” Obama said, referring to the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which prohibited homosexuals from serving.
Perhaps the biggest theme of the night, however, was bipartisanship. In support of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., who was shot Jan. 8 in Tuscon, some members of Congress elected to break tradition and sit together despite political party. However, Obama said this new seating arrangement doesn’t mean anything if they can’t work together.
“What comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight, but whether we can work together tomorrow,” the president said.
Throughout the speech, Obama encouraged democrats and republicans to work together and put party politics aside.
“We have our differences in policy, but we all believe in the rights enshrined in our constitution,” Obama said.
Bipartisanship is another of Obama’s big campaign promises. He has already delivered on two. Let’s see if he can make it three.
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