Repost: State of the Union (originally posted in assignment comment section)

“Political without being partisan” was the repeated post-speech quote from NBC White House Correspondent Chuck Todd. Through further analysis Todd explained that President Obama addressed all issues in a manner that did not divide the Democratic Party nor completely oppose the Republican Party. 

Income/job equality: President Obama’s speech linked education, immigration, and reforms back to improving the economy. President Obama specifically called for equal pay for female employees. “I believe when women succeed, America succeeds,” President Obama exclaimed after a strategically placed reference to the retrogressive society of the television program Mad Men. President Obama expressed the importance of a $10.10 minimum wag and how it will improve the economy; therefore working toward income equality for the middle class saying, “Say yes. Give America a raise.” More affordable education, including higher education and pre-kindergarten education, were topics President Obama used to support future improvement in job and income equality. Mr. President continued to reference the ideals of the “American dream” sighting both his own and Speaker of the House, John Boehner’s, humble beginnings. 

Health Care: President Obama took the time to speak highly of the Affordable Care Act. One example in the State of the Union Address that supported the Affordable Care Act was the story of a single mother who signed up for Health Care on January 1st and need the health insurance on the 3rd on January, essentially avoiding bankruptcy by signing up for Obamacare. During the Health Care portion of President Obama’s address, Mr. President explained that the American people continue to have both the power and responsibility to move America forward, and congress should not hinder that progress. 

American Diplomacy: President Obama concluded his speech in a way that supported NBC White House Correspondent, Chuck Todd’s summary of the address, “Political without being partisan.” President Obama finished the address with foreign affairs and the importance of trying American diplomacy to stop nuclear weapon development before stepping back into a war. Referencing both the upcoming Winter Olympic Games and a brave American soldier, Cory Remsburg, President Obama insured an ever-improving protection of the United States of America against terrorism and the ever-present American spirit.