Shadow
01-25-2012, 01:04 AM
President Barack Obama (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/obama-state-union-congress-campaign-hits-capitol-hill/story?id=15424001#.Tx9M2YHNltk) tonight presented an argument for his presidency and a second term with a State of the Union address that outlined a sweeping vision for American exceptionalism sustained by an economy rooted in "fairness."
"The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important," Obama said of the need to enact an agenda that bolsters the middle class.
"We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules," he said.
"What's at stake are not Democratic values or Republican values, but American values," he added. "We have to reclaim them."
Obama's moment in the spotlight and on the national stage came at a crucial moment (http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/01/state-of-the-union-split-screen-mixed-messages-from-washington-and-florida-the-note/) in his first term, with the economy showing continued signs of progress, his job approval ratings up slightly, and his Republican rivals divided over choosing their nominee.
Obama seized the opportunity to highlight his accomplishments over the past three years and "set the tone" for his re-election campaign, tacitly framing the November election as a choice between two starkly different political philosophies, rather than a referendum on his controversial tenure.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/state-union-obama-makes-case-economic-fairness-term/story?id=15432673
"The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important," Obama said of the need to enact an agenda that bolsters the middle class.
"We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules," he said.
"What's at stake are not Democratic values or Republican values, but American values," he added. "We have to reclaim them."
Obama's moment in the spotlight and on the national stage came at a crucial moment (http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/01/state-of-the-union-split-screen-mixed-messages-from-washington-and-florida-the-note/) in his first term, with the economy showing continued signs of progress, his job approval ratings up slightly, and his Republican rivals divided over choosing their nominee.
Obama seized the opportunity to highlight his accomplishments over the past three years and "set the tone" for his re-election campaign, tacitly framing the November election as a choice between two starkly different political philosophies, rather than a referendum on his controversial tenure.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/state-union-obama-makes-case-economic-fairness-term/story?id=15432673