State Of The Union Reflection

In January 2016, President Obama stood before a Joint Session of Congress, his cabinet, members of the Supreme Court, diplomats, and guests and spoke his final annual State of the Union Address. In it, he described the State of the Union in a “time of extraordinary change — change that’s reshaping the way we live, the way we work, our planet and our place in the world.” The change, he said, came through a variety of ways, but these changes are not without fault, however, as they both “broaden[ed] opportunity” and “widen[ed] inequality.” During his State of the Union address, President Obama brought up both domestic and foreign issues that have been worked on, solved, or needed to be solved to provide the security and prosperity for the …show more content…
In his speech, Obama stated that the way to fight against climate change was to transition from more expensive and dirtier means of energy, such as crude oil and coal, to a cheaper and cleaner alternative that we have already utilized. President Obama understood the amount of time needed for this change and said so, stating that “none of this will happen overnight, and yes, there are plenty of entrenched interests who want to protect the status quo. But the jobs we’ll create, the money we’ll save, and the planet we’ll preserve — that’s the kind of future our kids and grandkids …show more content…
The instances during the speech where President Obama took the role of the Chief of State included restoring diplomatic relationships with Cuba, which had been severed since 1961, and dealing with issues in Iran that threatened the livelihood of both its and America’s people. He showed his role as a Chief Executive by dealing with our economy, including the creation of manufacturing jobs as previously noted and decreasing the deficit. President Obama also showed his role as Commander in Chief when discussing terrorist groups, such as ISIL, and dealing with Osama Bin Laden. By stating that there needed to be a change in “outdated regulations,” he also demonstrated his role as a Shaper of Public Policy. His role of Chief Legislator was shown through his introduction and continued support of the Affordable Care Act, which was discussed in his State of the Union address. Finally, Obama spoke in the context of Chief of Party by describing how there needs to be changes in the political process “in not just who gets elected but how they get elected” and that there are questions to be answered “regardless of who the next President is, or who controls the next Congress.” While this is not a direct avocation for Democrat candidates, it is a slight hint that he feels there