The state of the union address takes place every year in the United States. On this occasion, the president states in the nation the strides the country has made with respect to the development agenda. The president also outlines the legislative agenda to be pursued in the near future. President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech was delivered January 28, 2014 in a joint sitting by the congress (Obama, 1).
In the state of the union speech, president Obama started by acknowledging different groups which included; the teachers, farmers and the technicians. This only showed that the president was trying to acknowledge other people's contribution in building the nation. While this was a speech to outline the state of the nation, the president sought to show appreciation to the different respective groups for their contribution in building the United States. The government has a role to play with respect to fulfilling the pledges to the people. However, the citizenry is a key contributor to any country’s development (Obama, 1).
The president went ahead to state different areas of achievement in the past few years. Increased employment rate, oil production at home as well, and deficit cut in the budget. From the remarks, the president was indirectly trying to state his achievements, and that of his government (Obama, 2014). In fact, the president notes that the successes were the first in many years. In this context, President Obama tried to show to the nation how hard his regime had tried to put things in order after a long time. To some extent, the president attempted to scoff at the congress. The argument about the size of the government was apparently what the president was referring to and according to him; this talk had stopped crucial debates on critical issues that could help the American population.
The president continued to show his commitment by stating that the working for the people was his priority. To some extent, the president sought to play a reconciliatory tone when he talked about Republicans and Democrats passing a budget that produced some great incentives as in education. In a way, the president tried to state that a healthy working relationship between the two political outfits was a recipe for cultivating success in the United States and by extension the citizenry (Obama, 1).
While it was clear that the president sought to outline the achievements of his regime, there was a sense of candidacy when he talked about some of the challenges that were facing the country (Obama, 1). The recession problems and the technological challenges that had messed up a number of people were some of the issues that the president highlighted. This statement by the president was an indication of the challenges that needed to be dealt with for the prosperity of America. It was clear that the president sought a middle ground from the two political divides. In his speech, the president notes that there needs to be areas of commonality where the people have to join hands and work together. Action plans that would ensure that the nation does not slide back to the previous challenges (Lichtenstein, 16).
In the president’s speech, Obama sought to submit to the nation how impactful the first lady had been in building the nation. The basis of that part of the speech can be understood in the context where the role of the first lady is concerned. Being a woman, her impact to the larger society is as important as that of the president. To this end, the president was only showing that he does not do all the work alone. Most of the speech focused on elevating the living standards of the citizenry in the United States. Jobs seemed to be a major point of emphasis for the president (Obama, 1). The nation's economic prospects, according to the president depended on how well people could be empowered for the sake of excelling.
It is critical to note that the president was more optimistic in his speech about the future despite the challenges the nation was facing. When the president talks about listening to the business leaders and other voices of opinion, he acknowledges the importance of such people in offering better alternatives for the country. To some extent, based on his speech, president Obama tried to show that he needed the support of everyone in order to succeed. The input of everyone, including those outside the governments is critical for the prosperity in the United States (Obama, 1).
Works Cited:
Chopin, Thierry, and Michel Foucher. State of the Union 2010: Schuman Report on Europe.
Paris: Springer, 2010. Internet resource.
Lichtenstein, Nelson. State of the Union: A Century of American Labor. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, 2003. Internet resource.
Obama, Barack. ‘State of the Union address’: Office of the press secretary. White house.
Washington. 2014. Press. Retrieved from: <http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press- office/2014/01/28/president-barack-obamas-state-union-address>
