G11

Proposed Policies:

"Medical bills shouldn't be based on the number of hours in the hospital, but by the quality of care our patients receive"

"We must keep the promises we already made"

"We can get this done."

"So what are we waiting for? Take a vote, and send me that bill"

"Not a bigger government we need, but a smarter government"

"We can fix this, and we will. The American people demand it, and so does our democracy."

"They deserve a simple vote."

Obama proposed a policy of tax reform and company codes that closes loopholes for companies that send jobs overseas, and benefit companies that keep the jobs here in America. He urged Congress to come together to come up with a plan to control climate change; he proposed starting an energy preservation trust and cutting in half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses in twenty years. Obama proposed a rebuilding effort that will supply infrastructure on highways and bridges, and help families refinance and buy homes in a responsible manner. He proposed working with states to make high-quality early childhood education (pre-schooling) available to every family in the U.S. Obama urged the House to follow suit in passing the Violence Against Women Act as the Senate did today. He also proposed raising the minimum wage amount to $9/hour in order to raise the incomes of millions of working-class families. He proposed a non-partisan commission to improve the voting procedures in the U.S., and background checks and regulations to make it harder for criminals to have access to guns.

Style:

I thought that Obama sounded strong. He was confident in what he was saying, and with many hand motions he spelled out exactly what he wanted to get done in the upcoming years. He spoke rather quickly, not stumbling over his words or taking many deliberate pauses. However, although he spoke with determination, the beginning of his speech sounded like re-hashed campaign speeches, not exactly lacking the broad statements without specific plans (although later on in the address he mentioned specific proposals). I was concerned when he proposed giving more funding to education and research in math, science, and engineering "that will help grow our economy," for that inherently entails giving less funding to the arts and humanities, which are equally important disciplines. Obama did tell a personal story about a young girl who was shot and killed in a Chicago park after school - sentimental, hits home on the gun violence issue.

Media/Audience Response:

Many attendants wore green ribbons to commemorate the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. John Boehner seemed to be trying very hard to remain straight-faced, and he did not join in clapping for most of Obama's statements. When Obama spoke about such policies like rebuilding efforts and education, the camera panned to Sean Donovan and Arne Duncan (and a random kid in the audience), respectively.

Standing ovations for: tax reform, "Not a bigger government we need, but a smarter government", when he actually said the words "climate change," infrastructure on highways and bridges, raising the minimum wage, gun control, and more.