Mr. Obama said for the American leadership to sustain, the country had to fix its internal politics.
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At times of dislocation and change in American history, the president said, “there have been those who told us to fear the future; who claimed we could slam the brakes on change, promising to restore past glory if we just got some group or idea that was threatening America under control”.
He specifically called for ending the practice of drawing up some congressional districts in a manner that gives parties an iron grip on House seats.
He also spoke of how politics in Washington and around the country has gotten so rancorous.
Obama even threw in a line directed at US Senator Ted Cruz of Texas for good measure. “That may work as a TV sound bite, but it doesn’t pass muster on the world stage”. “He would have us believe that global warming is our greatest threat, our military is as strong as it can be, the economy is working for American families, and that the key to alleviating poverty is more government dependence”. Responding to the speech, the billionaire said it was “boring” and “non-substantive”.
It also trailed the final State of the Union of George W. Bush, which was watched by 37.5 million viewers in 2008 and was the lowest since Bill Clinton’s finale in 2000, a State of the Union that was watched by 31.4 million viewers. Speaking for the Republican Party, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley agreed with Mr. Obama that there were lots of “irresponsible talk”, but blamed him for that.
“During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices”.
“We must resist that temptation”.
It was an apparent reference to the heated rhetoric about immigrants and minorities from Republican front-runner Donald Trump that has unnerved some Republican leaders.
In a speech that otherwise catered far more than his previous State of the Union addresses to liberal domestic policies, the warmongering was stark.
How President Obama’s final address compares to others he’s given in years past.
“You want to consolidate our leadership and credibility in the hemisphere?”
The president himself appeared to get momentarily caught up in the emotion of the moment.
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Vice-President Joe Biden and House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, who sat right behind Mr. Obama through the one-hour speech, represented the extreme emotions that Mr Obama evokes – adulation among supporters and total rejection among critics.
