Jan 13, 2016:
Susan Page of USA Today did an interview with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. Page asked Ryan for some of his thoughts on Obama's State of the Union address. Here are some highlights from the interview.
Responding to Obama's characterization of ISIS and the threat they pose, Ryan said:
Apparently ISIS is a bunch of guys riding around in trucks and a picture of a good foreign policy is Syria.
Regarding polarized politics, Ryan said:
I'm glad he talked about the polarization in our politics in America, but I got the sense that he was basically saying it was other people's fault. It's not just the President's fault, but there is culpability here, particularly when it's the President of the United States.
Responding to Obama's statement about the strong U.S. economy and foreign policy, Ryan said:
My observation is that he looks at the world as if it is as he wishes it would be and not as it is. So, I believe he just looks at the landscape of things, whether it's domestically or particularly the foreign policy, and he sees through a lens of what he hopes and wishes it was as if that's what it is, when it really isn't...And I think it's very myopic.
Responding to Obama's statement "When politicians insult Muslims [a reference to Donald Trump], when a mosque is vandalized, or a kid bullied, that doesn't make us safer. That's not telling it like it is. It's just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world. It makes it harder to achieve our goals. And it betrays who we are as a country.", Ryan said:
But, I think it sort of degrades the Presidency to then talk about primary politics in the other party during primaries. That's not really what Presidents ought to be talking about in State of the Union addresses.
Commentary:
Regarding Ryan's comment about political polarization ("I got the sense that he was basically saying it was other people's fault"), I don't understand how Ryan comes to that "sense" based on what Obama said. Obama said simply that he can't depolarize people in Washington all by himself. For Ryan to suggest that Obama is culpable because he is the President puts way too much responsibility on any President given that political polarization has been on the increase long before Obama assumed the Presidency, and given that Republicans have fought him "tooth and nail" from the day he took office.
Regarding Ryan's statement that Obama sees the world "as if it is as he wishes it would be and not as it is", I think this is just Ryan trying to make Obama look bad by analyzing him and playing "psychologist". What "is" is highly debatable and subjective. Present the same set of circumstances to two people and each will perceive them in different ways. For Ryan to suggest that Obama is not seeing the world as it "is" is, in my opinion, Ryan suggesting that Ryan's "is" is the "correct reality". To suggest that Obama's vision is "myopic", I think it depends on what exactly Ryan means by "myopic". If he means not prudent, then that's just a difference in what Ryan and Obama consider prudent. If Ryan means short-sighted, a narrow-minded vision, or lacking of understanding, I think he's just dead wrong because that's not the Obama I have seen in action over the last seven years.
Regarding Ryan's statement about Obama's brief reference to a policy put forth recently by Donald Trump regarding Muslims, and how him saying that degrades the Presidency, how does that "degrade" the Presidency? Obama was simply making a point about what makes the United States strong, and that policies like those suggested by Trump (and the other things Obama mentioned - mosque vandalism and bullying) are very detrimental to the state of our union and don't make the United States strong.
Source:
Page, Susan. (January 13, 2016). "Paul Ryan: Obama's State of the Union 'degrades the presidency'". USA Today. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
Jan 12, 2016:
President Obama delivered his last State of the Union address.
Obama talked about four big questions that we as a country have to answer:
- How do we give everyone a fair shot at opportunity and security in this new economy?
- How do we make technology work for us, and not against us – especially when it comes to solving urgent challenges like climate change?
- How do we keep America safe and lead the world without becoming its policeman?
- How can we make our politics reflect what's best in us, and not what's worst?
How do we give everyone a fair shot at opportunity and security in this new economy?
Regarding the economy:
Let me start with the economy, and a basic fact: the United States of America, right now, has the strongest, most durable economy in the world. We're in the middle of the longest streak of private-sector job creation in history.
Anyone claiming that America's economy is in decline is peddling fiction. What is true – and the reason that a lot of Americans feel anxious – is that the economy has been changing in profound ways, changes that started long before the Great Recession hit and haven't let up. Today, technology doesn't just replace jobs on the assembly line, but any job where work can be automated. Companies in a global economy can locate anywhere, and face tougher competition. As a result, workers have less leverage for a raise. Companies have less loyalty to their communities. And more and more wealth and income is concentrated at the very top.
Regarding education:
We agree that real opportunity requires every American to get the education and training they need to land a good-paying job. The bipartisan reform of No Child Left Behind was an important start...And we have to make college affordable for every American...Providing two years of community college at no cost for every responsible student is one of the best ways to do that, and I'm going to keep fighting to get that started this year.
Regarding Social Security and Medicare:
Of course, a great education isn't all we need in this new economy. We also need benefits and protections that provide a basic measure of security...That's why Social Security and Medicare are more important than ever; we shouldn't weaken them, we should strengthen them.
Obama talked about Wall Street and corporate profits. He said that outdated regulations need to by changed, that large corporations should not be able to "make their own rules at the expense of everyone else", and that attacks on collective bargaining must not go unanswered.
How do we make technology work for us, and not against us – especially when it comes to solving urgent challenges like climate change?
Obama announced a "new national effort" to find a cure for cancer, and he put Vice President Joe Biden in charge.
Speaking about climate change and clean energy:
Look, if anybody still wants to dispute the science around climate change, have at it. You'll be pretty lonely, because you'll be debating our military, most of America's business leaders, the majority of the American people, almost the entire scientific community, and 200 nations around the world who agree it's a problem and intend to solve it. But even if the planet wasn't at stake; even if 2014 wasn't the warmest year on record – until 2015 turned out even hotter – why would we want to pass up the chance for American businesses to produce and sell the energy of the future?
In fields from Iowa to Texas, wind power is now cheaper than dirtier, conventional power. On rooftops from Arizona to New York, solar is saving Americans tens of millions of dollars a year on their energy bills, and employs more Americans than coal – in jobs that pay better than average...Meanwhile, we've cut our imports of foreign oil by nearly sixty percent, and cut carbon pollution more than any other country on Earth.
Now we've got to accelerate the transition away from dirty energy. Rather than subsidize the past, we should invest in the future – especially in communities that rely on fossil fuels.
How do we keep America safe and lead the world without becoming its policeman?
I told you earlier all the talk of America's economic decline is political hot air. Well, so is all the rhetoric you hear about our enemies getting stronger and America getting weaker. The United States of America is the most powerful nation on Earth. Period. It's not even close. We spend more on our military than the next eight nations combined. Our troops are the finest fighting force in the history of the world. No nation dares to attack us or our allies because they know that's the path to ruin.
As someone who begins every day with an intelligence briefing, I know this is a dangerous time. But that's not because of diminished American strength or some looming superpower. In today's world, we're threatened less by evil empires and more by failing states.
Priority number one is protecting the American people and going after terrorist networks. Both al Qaeda and now ISIL pose a direct threat to our people, because in today's world, even a handful of terrorists who place no value on human life, including their own, can do a lot of damage.
But as we focus on destroying ISIL, over-the-top claims that this is World War III just play into their hands. Masses of fighters on the back of pickup trucks and twisted souls plotting in apartments or garages pose an enormous danger to civilians and must be stopped. But they do not threaten our national existence. That's the story ISIL wants to tell; that's the kind of propaganda they use to recruit. We don't need to build them up to show that we're serious, nor do we need to push away vital allies in this fight by echoing the lie that ISIL is representative of one of the world's largest religions. We just need to call them what they are – killers and fanatics who have to be rooted out, hunted down, and destroyed.
That's exactly what we are doing. For more than a year, America has led a coalition of more than 60 countries to cut off ISIL's financing, disrupt their plots, stop the flow of terrorist fighters, and stamp out their vicious ideology. With nearly 10,000 air strikes, we are taking out their leadership, their oil, their training camps, and their weapons. We are training, arming, and supporting forces who are steadily reclaiming territory in Iraq and Syria.
If this Congress is serious about winning this war, and wants to send a message to our troops and the world, you should finally authorize the use of military force against ISIL. Take a vote. But the American people should know that with or without Congressional action, ISIL will learn the same lessons as terrorists before them.
We also can't try to take over and rebuild every country that falls into crisis. That's not leadership; that's a recipe for quagmire, spilling American blood and treasure that ultimately weakens us. It's the lesson of Vietnam, of Iraq – and we should have learned it by now. Fortunately, there's a smarter approach, a patient and disciplined strategy that uses every element of our national power. It says America will always act, alone if necessary, to protect our people and our allies; but on issues of global concern, we will mobilize the world to work with us, and make sure other countries pull their own weight.
That's our approach to conflicts like Syria, where we're partnering with local forces and leading international efforts to help that broken society pursue a lasting peace. That's why we built a global coalition, with sanctions and principled diplomacy, to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. As we speak, Iran has rolled back its nuclear program, shipped out its uranium stockpile, and the world has avoided another war.
Regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP):
You want to show our strength in this century? Approve this agreement. Give us the tools to enforce it.
Regarding Cuba:
You want to consolidate our leadership and credibility in the hemisphere? Recognize that the Cold War is over. Lift the embargo.
How can we make our politics reflect what's best in us, and not what's worst?
That's why we need to reject any politics that targets people because of race or religion. This isn't a matter of political correctness. It's a matter of understanding what makes us strong. The world respects us not just for our arsenal; it respects us for our diversity and our openness and the way we respect every faith.
The future we want – opportunity and security for our families; a rising standard of living and a sustainable, peaceful planet for our kids – all that is within our reach. But it will only happen if we work together. It will only happen if we can have rational, constructive debates. It will only happen if we fix our politics.
But democracy does require basic bonds of trust between its citizens. It doesn't work if we think the people who disagree with us are all motivated by malice, or that our political opponents are unpatriotic. Democracy grinds to a halt without a willingness to compromise; or when even basic facts are contested, and we listen only to those who agree with us. Our public life withers when only the most extreme voices get attention. Most of all, democracy breaks down when the average person feels their voice doesn't matter; that the system is rigged in favor of the rich or the powerful or some narrow interest.
But, my fellow Americans, this cannot be my task – or any President's – alone. There are a whole lot of folks in this chamber who would like to see more cooperation, a more elevated debate in Washington, but feel trapped by the demands of getting elected. I know; you've told me. And if we want a better politics, it's not enough to just change a Congressman or a Senator or even a President; we have to change the system to reflect our better selves.
Too many Americans feel that way right now. It's one of the few regrets of my presidency – that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better.
We have to end the practice of drawing our congressional districts so that politicians can pick their voters, and not the other way around. We have to reduce the influence of money in our politics, so that a handful of families and hidden interests can't bankroll our elections – and if our existing approach to campaign finance can't pass muster in the courts, we need to work together to find a real solution. We've got to make voting easier, not harder, and modernize it for the way we live now. And over the course of this year, I intend to travel the country to push for reforms that do.
But I can't do these things on my own. Changes in our political process – in not just who gets elected but how they get elected – that will only happen when the American people demand it. It will depend on you. That's what's meant by a government of, by, and for the people.
What I'm asking for is hard. It's easier to be cynical; to accept that change isn't possible, and politics is hopeless, and to believe that our voices and actions don't matter. But if we give up now, then we forsake a better future. Those with money and power will gain greater control over the decisions that could send a young soldier to war, or allow another economic disaster, or roll back the equal rights and voting rights that generations of Americans have fought, even died, to secure. As frustration grows, there will be voices urging us to fall back into tribes, to scapegoat fellow citizens who don't look like us, or pray like us, or vote like we do, or share the same background. We can't afford to go down that path. It won't deliver the economy we want, or the security we want, but most of all, it contradicts everything that makes us the envy of the world.
So, my fellow Americans, whatever you may believe, whether you prefer one party or no party, our collective future depends on your willingness to uphold your obligations as a citizen. To vote. To speak out. To stand up for others, especially the weak, especially the vulnerable, knowing that each of us is only here because somebody, somewhere, stood up for us. To stay active in our public life so it reflects the goodness and decency and optimism that I see in the American people every single day.
Source:
Obama, Barack. (January 13, 2016). "Transcript: President Obama's Final State Of The Union Address". NPR. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
Read a transcript of the GOP response to Obama's address delivered by South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley here.
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