Rather than informing the public about current issues the government is facing, this year President Obama’s State of the Union address focused too much bipartisanship and patriotism.
Much of the hour -and-a-half-long speech was spent trying to encourage both parties to work together in Congress. Obama used examples in history to create a sense of patriotism that would overpower the divide the two parties are experiencing.
“I’m a Democrat. But I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln believed: That government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more,” he said.
Adding this sense of unity between the two parties was critical, as Congress is known to be less productive during election years.
However, the speech also included a lot of personal stories, which were not as valuable.
“My grandfather, a veteran of Patton’s Army, got the chance to go to college on the G.I. Bill. My grandmother, who worked on a bomber assembly line, was part of a workforce that turned out the best products on Earth,” he said.
While statements like this added a more personal touch to the speech and were very patriotic, he should have been addressing the issues at hand, like the economy, healthcare, job creation and foreign policy.
Also, the address repeated many of the themes that were expressed in last year’s State of the Union. Both this year and last year’s speeches focused on finding ways to make college affordable and encouraging students to consider majors in math, science and technology. While these are important topics to cover, they made the speech seem like a repeat of last year’s.