Obama to focus on economy in address
US President Barack Obama will give his third State of the Union address on Tuesday at the US Capitol, against a backdrop of looming elections.
Against the backdrop of looming presidential and legislative elections, Obama will give his third State of the Union address at 9pm on Tuesday (1300 AEDT on Wednesday) at the US Capitol to a chamber packed with politicians and invited guests.
Though the White House has not released precise details of the annual speech and it was still being written, it will ‘bookend’ a speech Obama gave in Kansas late last year that focused on producing a fair economy in which the middle class can get ahead.
‘This is a make-or-break moment for the middle class,’ Obama stated in a video preview of the speech released on his campaign website.
‘We can go in two directions, one is toward less opportunity and less fairness or we can fight for where I think we need to go building an economy that works for everyone, not just a wealthy few,’ he said.
In a ‘blueprint’ for the economy, Obama will focus on US manufacturing, energy, skills for American workers and American values, White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
Obama is to leave on Wednesday on a three-day, five-state tour to sell his plan, but the White House has rejected characterisations that it is purely aimed at securing his reelection in November.
‘We can’t afford to waste those 10 months on campaigning alone – that there are things we can and must do to grow the economy, create jobs, ensure that everyone gets a fair shot and that everyone is held accountable for what they do; that if we all play by the same rules, then we all get ahead together,’ Carney stated on Monday.
But it could be a tough sell – the most recent job approval ratings for Obama released by pollster Gallup show 46 per cent of Americans disapprove of his performance, placing him among the lowest such ratings for US presidents in the third year of their presidencies.
Beyond convincing the American people, Obama must also win over a Congress that has been intent on halting his efforts over the last year.
Calls in last year’s State of the Union address to unite beyond the political ideology of his centre-left Democrats and centre-right Republicans quickly faded. The rhetoric was welcomed in the wake of an assassination attempt in January 2010 on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, but the spirit of conciliation disappeared as politicians got down to business on addressing the nation’s debt and budget woes.
In one likely highlight of the evening, however, Giffords will make a final appearance in the chamber before resigning her seat to focus on her recovery, while her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, sits alongside First Lady Michelle Obama.
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Submited at Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 at 11:00 am on Politics by hilman
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