The White House notes that unemployment in the pair of Republican-leaning states has fallen significantly since Obama took office.
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Obama addressed a Congress now run by emboldened GOP majorities already planning their agenda under a potential Republican successor, starting with repealing the president’s health care law.
With income inequality helping drive the Democratic presidential primary – and with Hillary Clinton’s rival Sen. So I hope we can work together this year on bipartisan priorities like criminal justice reform, and helping people who are battling prescription drug abuse.
Congressman Chris Collins says says it was a bad speech and he’s looking forward to someone else reporting the State of the Union in a year.
“Surveys show our standing around the world is higher than when I was elected to this office, and when it comes to every important global issue, people of the world do not look to Beijing or Moscow to lead? they call us”, Obama said. ABC’s Jon Karl has covered the Obama presidency from the start and joins us from the white house now.
Biden lost his son Beau to brain cancer past year.
Finally, Barack Obama defended his decisions, mentioning that Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner, should stop making Americans stigmatize all Muslims, despite all the threats from the Islamic state.
BARACK OBAMA: After years now of record corporate profits, working families won’t get more opportunity or bigger paychecks just by letting big banks or big oil or hedge funds make their own rules at everybody else’s expense.
But he emphasizsd: “They do not threaten our national existence”.
“I told you earlier all the talk of America’s economic decline is political hot air”, he said.
In plainspoken, heartfelt language, Obama again called on Americans to embrace a civility in our public discourse.
While it’s not uncommon for Obama to use the bully pulpit to push back on the rhetorical arguments of Republican candidates, on Monday his message was augmented by the fact that he will soon be succeeded by a new leader. “That may work as a TV sound bite, but it doesn’t pass muster on the world stage”.
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South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley made the official Republican response and she’s already being criticized for being too soft on Obama. The president said one of the few regrets is failing to overcome the bitter partisan divide in Washington but his critics are just plain wrong, America under his leadership is booming. “I know a lot of you disagree with him, but we grew up with him and it’ll be weird when he’s gone”‘ wrote an anonymous Yik Yak user from the University of Virginia.
