Actually, yes. Most years, presidents use State of the Union speeches to offer a laundry list of policy proposals, which often lead to partisan scenes in the House chamber where half the members (those from the president’s party) stand and applaud as the opposition party sits silently.
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YouTube announced today that President Barack Obama will once again answer questions from the public live on the video sharing platform after his State of the Union address, and follow with another round of interviews with YouTube stars later in the week.
“The president’s optimism about the country is not because he isn’t concerned about the future”, said White House press secretary Josh Earnest. But if a liberal president used the word “environment” frequently and did not mention terrorism much, then his speeches would be placed farther away from (and likely to the left of) the conservative president’s addresses.
The Obama Presidency has been an interesting one when it comes to technology, as it is the first administration to exist with the proliferation of social media.
While White House aides were careful to avoid describing Tuesday’s speech as a victory lap, Obama planned to call attention to his administration’s successes, both during the a year ago and throughout his two terms in office. He could use the speech to highlight other issues on his agenda that he’ll address without the help of Congress, like Guantanamo Bay, echoing previous executive actions on everything from immigration, carbon dioxide emissions and re-starting diplomatic relationship with Cuba. “With Snapchat as with other social accounts, we’ll be fully compliant with PRA requirements, saving and preserving snaps for archives”, an official told BuzzFeed News.
The president’s message should be optimistic Tuesday night – about the year ahead, as well as the years beyond that.
Some presidential candidates, including Republican senator Marco Rubio of Florida will be on hand for Mr Obama’s address. He’s expected to keep up his appeals for broader actions to address gun violence, reform the criminal justice system and formally approve a sweeping Asia-Pacific trade pact.
As usual, first lady Michelle Obama will host people in her seating area during the speech who reflect the president’s priorities.
The president’s address will be streamed live on Youtube.
Following the president’s speech, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will deliver the Republican response.
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