If you had been in a coma for the last five years and you woke up last night and turned to any news station you would have thought that you were still dreaming.
This short little white man speaks loudly at the top of his voice. He yells “THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES” as he introduces the nations president.
Then out comes this tall handsome,, wait.. Is that a black man? I must be dreaming.
President Obama walks out onto the red carpet through a crowd filled with multiple races, shaking hands embracing everyone. (MLK had a dream) They whisper things in his ear and give him words of encouragement. The line is sprinkled with not one or two but many older, well dressed black women in the front. One black woman goes in for her embrace before Obama quickly and jokingly tells her don’t get lipstick on me.. She laughs in embarrassment after a hug from The President. She will always remember this moment.
Another tells Obama “We got your back!” He continues to shake hands. He winks at someone, tells a white guy in the back “Good job tonight.” He stops to embrace a white lady in a red suit.. It’s a very long embrace.. He is embracing Arizona representative Gabrielle Giffords who was shot, in a coma and nearly died in January 2010. This will be her last state of the union before retiring the next day.
It’s January 24, 2012 and these are some moments that I will reflect on when I’m 90. I lived during a time period when a country witnessed it’s first black President. That thought never gets old to me.
Although I wasn’t living during slavery, although it’s been 3 years since I watched this same man deliver his victory speech in crowd filled Humboldt park in Chicago, IL. The sight once again reminds me that this is very real.
The United States of America has a black man for a President. And he is running for a second term. Will he get it? It’s the State of the Union Presidential Address and the handsome Barack Obama steps to the podium to address HIS nation. The crowd claps and cheers. Right before Obama starts his speech the camera zooms in to a beautiful black woman in a blue shirt. That’s the President’s wife, Michelle Obama.
I don’t know what he said after that. I turned it off.. So you tell me what important things he said?
Kidding.
Obama started out with major applause from both Democrats and Republicans when he stated 1. For the 1st time in 9 years there are no soilders fighting in Iraq 2. For the 1st time in 2 decades Osama Bin Laden is a non mthfking factor.
President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address layed out a vision of America in which everybody gets a fair shot at economic success and everybody — including the wealthy — plays by the same rules as the average citizen.
“Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules every day deserve a government and a financial system that do the same,” Obama said. “It’s time to apply the same rules from top to bottom. No bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts. An America built to last insists on responsibility from everybody.”
The bottom line, he said, is that America was built on the promise that if you work hard, you can do well enough to raise a family, own a home, send kids to college and put away money for retirement.
Ahead of the address, senior administration officials who spoke only on background and wouldn’t be quoted, said the underlying message of the speech is that Obama’s economic policies have been working and should be continued. The country had already lost 4 million jobs to the recession before Obama came into office and lost another 4 million before his policies took effect, they said. By contrast, Obama’s policies have created more than 3 million private sector jobs in the past two years.
Obama laid out some notable new policy proposals, including :
- He wants to turn the unemployment system into a re-employment system that teaches people skills that will get them a specific new job. This includes a new initiative to place 2 million people in jobs through new partnerships with businesses and community colleges. Steve Jobs, the recently deceased CEO of Apple, had pressed Obama for proposals like this in a past meeting.
- Dropping out of high school – OBama wants states to make it illegal to drop out of high school until you are 18.
- Refinancing privately held home mortgages at lower interest rates.
- The senate either passes or rejects laws (up down votes) within 90 days.
During his remarks, Obama reiterated his support for instituting the “Buffett rule,” a concept that he and congressional Democrats have been pushing for months as a way to pay for their legislative priorities. Named after billionaire Warren Buffett, the rule would require people making more than $1 million to pay a minimum effective rate of at least 30 percent.
During Obama’s speech lots of applause came from the Democrats. Although there were occasional moments where the entire chamber erupted into cheers. But the republicans mainly sat in silence chewing bubblegum.
At the end of his speech President Obama and the crowd applauded his First Lady.
P.S. The President said that companies in the field of SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY have job openings but can’t seem to find the right candidates for those jobs. (Tell your kids). Overall Obama did a great job on his speech! He’s definitely a leader.
Obama’s State Of The Union Address:
If you want more in depth coverage I would suggest you go to CNN. I’m just giving you my tidbit on the speech.
