What Was in the State of the Union (Mic-Drop) and What Wasn’t (Pessimism)
You didn’t need to hear the State of the Union to know that, for the umpteenth year in a row, the president said that the state of the union is “strong.’’ But there was more to President Barack Obama’s speech on Tuesday, including an impromptu burn from Obama and the first LGBT reference in a State of the Union address.
Here’s what was included and, just as importantly, what wasn’t included, in the president’s sixth State of the Union.
WHAT WAS IN THE SPEECH
A mic-drop moment:
The most immediately newsworthy part of his speech was Obama’s off-the-cuff zinger that flexed his two-term status.
“I have no more campaigns to run,’’ Obama said, to which Republican audience members cheered. Obama chuckled along, and then launched into this line: “I know, because I won both of them.’’
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Dang.
The timing of that quip wasn’t great; it came right after a call for more respectable politics. But man. Solid burn.
LGBT shoutout:
As FiveThirtyEight notes, Tuesday’s speech was the first time the words “lesbian,’’ “bisexual,’’ or “transgender’’ had ever been mentioned in a State of the Union address.
“As Americans, we respect human dignity, even when we’re threatened,’’ Obama said. “That’s why we … condemn the persecution of … people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.’’ Count that as another first for the rapidly changing political atmosphere around same-sex marriage and LGBT rights.
Ernest Moniz:
Moniz, the U.S. Secretary of Energy and a Fall River native, was given a nice close-up when Obama spoke about lowering gas prices. As that close-up showed, Moniz has a, well, unique haircut.
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American Founding Father? Willy Wonka? Beethoven? How about all of the above! That curling white mane was basically the only reason the Boston College alum made news during the speech, but it’s hard to argue that that attention wasn’t warranted. I mean, just look at that ’do.
WHAT WAS NOT IN THE SPEECH
Pessimism:
The crux of Obama’s message was that the U.S. has been through tough times and hit a low point during the economic crisis. But those days are over. “It has been, and still is, a hard time for many,’’ Obama said. “But tonight, we turn the page.’’
Obama confidently ticked off the good news: The stock market is thriving, jobs are increasing, and gas prices are way down. He particularly boasted about the economic downturn of Russia and the roll-back of Ebola, two recent international crises that roiled his administration but have since faded.
“We have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on Earth,’’ he said.
Gun control:
Remember gun control? The call for increasing restrictions on weapons was a forceful point in Obama’s 2013 State of the Union addresses, which came not long after the shooting of 20 children and six adults in Newtown, Connecticut.
After two years of fruitlessly trying to pass legislation for stricter background checks and limits on assault rifles, the issue appears to have faded from Obama’s primary agenda. The speech had an oblique reference to the Newtown tragedy (“I’ve mourned with grieving families in Tucson and Newtown’’). Aside from that, though, Obama stayed away from any references to shootings, guns, weapons, or any related topics.
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