PRESIDENT Barack Obama delivered his final State of the Union (SOTU) to the American people last Tuesday, Jan. 12. According to a CNN/ORC instant poll of those who watched the speech, a majority of Americans — 53 percent — gave “very positive” feedback. This matched the highest rating of his presidency reached following his 2013 address.
CNN further reported that another 20 percent said they had a somewhat positive reaction to his speech, while a quarter of those surveyed reported negative reviews.
Obama started his speech by a rundown of issues and advocacies he wanted to fulfill in the remaining 12 months oh his presidency — “from helping students learn to write computer code to personalizing medical treatments for patients. And I’ll keep pushing for progress on the work that still needs doing. Fixing a broken immigration system. Protecting our kids from gun violence. Equal pay for equal work, paid leave, raising the minimum wage. All these things still matter to hardworking families,” Obama said, and vowed that he “would not let up until they are done”.
Then he segued to looking forward to the future, building on the foundation of history that has chronicled how over time, and amid all changes and challenges that has beset the American people, they did not act out of fear, but rather “thought anew, and acted anew. We made change work for us, always extending America’s promise outward, to the next frontier, to more and more people. And because we did — because we saw opportunity where others saw only peril — we emerged stronger and better than before.”
Obama then lauded the American people on how collectively they were also able to surmount the crises and challenges the nation faced in the past seven years.
“What was true then can be true now,” he said. “ Our unique strengths as a nation — our optimism and work ethic, our spirit of discovery and innovation, our diversity and commitment to the rule of law — these things give us everything we need to ensure prosperity and security for generations to come.
The president then highlighted some of these successes, — “it’s that spirit that made the progress of these past seven years possible. It’s how we recovered from the worst economic crisis in generations. It’s how we reformed our health care system, and reinvented our energy sector; how we delivered more care and benefits to our troops and veterans, and how we secured the freedom in every state to marry the person we love.”
Then, he looked to the future he has envisioned for America, posing four big questions that he said the American people should answer together as one nation:
“First, how do we give everyone a fair shot at opportunity and security in this new economy?
Second, how do we make technology work for us, and not against us — especially when it comes to solving urgent challenges like climate change?
Third, how do we keep America safe and lead the world without becoming its policeman?
And finally, how can we make our politics reflect what’s best in us, and not what’s worst?”
In presenting these, Obama discussed the progress under his administration and the principles and visions of how the next president, the lawmakers, and the American public can work together to build upon these successes for a better future for America.
It was “hope and change” that fired up the nation in 2008 all over again, although the president acknowledged that the biggest frustration of his presidency was the division among the people that has grown even more.
But the President ended his speech reminding the American people on what is good about them that gives him the optimism that they can collectively overcome whatever differences and challenges they still have to overcome:
“That’s the America I know. That’s the country we love. Clear-eyed. Big-hearted. Optimistic that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. That’s what makes me so hopeful about our future. Because of you. I believe in you. That’s why I stand here confident that the State of our Union is strong.”
The CNN/ORC poll further revealed that most speech watchers say the policies Obama is proposing would move the country in the right direction (68 percent), a smaller group feel they would take the nation the wrong way (29 percent).
CNN said those figures are not far off the mark Obama set last year when 72 percent thought the policies he proposed would move the nation in the right direction, the highest mark of his presidency.
CNN further clarified that the poll is representative only of those who watched Tuesday’s State of the Union, a group that tends to be more supportive of the President giving it than the population as a whole. Breaking down the political leanings of those surveyed, 42 percent consider themselves Democrats, 24 percent Republicans, a more Democratic tilt than Americans as a whole.
More data reported by CNN:
“That’s reflected in their views of Obama’s policies on several key issues, with majorities across-the-board saying they think the President’s policies would move the nation in the right direction. Speech-watchers were most apt to say they would move the nation in the right direction on climate change (73 percent), with smaller majorities saying so about the economy (67 percent), gun policy (66 percent), terrorism (64 percent), health care policy (63 percent) and immigration (57 percent).
But 48 percent of those who watched the speech said that overall, Obama’s presidency has fallen short of their expectations, compared with just 18 percent who say the president exceeded their expectations over his nearly seven years in office. Another 33 percent said the President’s time in office met their expectations.
Majorities see Obama’s presidency as a success in addressing the economy (66 percent), climate change (68 percent), health care policy (60 percent) and terrorism (54 percent), but most speech-watchers say it’s been more of a failure when it comes to immigration (52 percent) and gun policy (53 percent).”
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
