This was not your typical State of the Union address. There was no litany of initiatives to be achieved this year. And despite what many pundits have suggested, this wasn't really about Obama's legacy either. This was instead the Obama we knew before he was president; the man who sold "hope" to the American people and beyond; the man who described for us the best of America. In this, his last State of the Union address, he goes back to this same message - his vision of the nation as he sees it.
At the same time, this is a very political statement. As he lays out his vision, he also recognizes that not all is good in the land. That there are many who have not been able to take advantage of the progress America has made over the past seven years. In this he is laying the groundwork for Hillary Clinton. He is speaking to the dissatisfied - those who are currently polling for Bernie Sanders (on the Democratic side) and Donald Trump (on the Republican) in the presidential primaries. This is about ensuring that his vision for America is the one that succeeds.
Obama's idea of America is one of possibility and inclusivity. He quotes Martin Luther King, describing Americans as having "voices of unarmed truth and unconditional love." It is one where Americans see themselves, "not first and foremost as black or white or Asian or Latino; not as gay or straight, immigrant or native born; not as Democrat or Republican; but as Americans first, bound by a common creed."
This vision of the United States is focused on four principal areas: technology, the economy, security and politics. Together these can uphold his vision, but also bring it down.
Technology has brought the energy revolution to the United States that is driving new industry and manufacturing. It is connecting people through the Internet and it is sharing knowledge. But those who do not have the education or skills to take advantage of technology are being left behind.
President Obama describes an economy that provides the base on which his vision can grow. Unemployment is down to 5 percent with almost 14 million new jobs created since the beginning of the recovery. Median household income is back where it was at the beginning of the recession. Obama pushes hard against the Republican narrative of a failing economy. But, of course, the recovery has been unequal - poverty is at 14.8 percent today, higher than when Obama took office, and inequalities are rising.
On politics, Obama really falls back to earth. One of his few regrets remains "that the rancour and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better." Some would argue here that it is not just that he hasn't done enough, but that his actions have made the situation worse. His use of executive orders to move policy, thus cutting out the checks and balances for which the U.S. tripartite system of government was designed (and in particular, cutting out the Republican-held Congress) has angered many. Perhaps Republicans acted first by blocking his initiatives, but Obama too must take some blame. Without progress here it is unlikely that his vision has any hope of being realized, and it is hard to see how this can change. A precedent has been set which the next president will likely continue.
Security is perhaps the least interesting part of his speech for Americans. He has to mention the challenges ahead, most notably terrorism, as it is an area he is currently being pummelled on (and which Hillary Clinton will be). But there is little new here.
It is more interesting for an international audience, however. Obama says that America "can't try to take over and rebuild every country that falls into crisis; that it will act ‘alone if necessary' but will ‘make sure other countries pull their own weight." Given public aversion to committing troops abroad, this vision of "mobilz[ing] the world to work with us" rather than being a unilateral "global policeman" is likely to remain the code by which the United States acts. There is a clear message here for allies and adversaries for the foreseeable future.
Perhaps most powerful for the international listener was, again, Obama's national vision - America the exceptional nation. Of course, this is what so many non-Americans object to most: the idea that America is so much better than they; the American ego on display. And it will again prove to many foreigners that America's rhetoric and its actions are worlds apart. Less than 2,000 Syrian refugees have been accepted into the United States since 2012, and more than half of U.S. governors have said they oppose the entry of such refugees into their state. Additionally, we have seen America's racial divide arguably widen in response to several police killings of black citizens. America as an inclusive nation? Not so much.
Nonetheless, it is a worthy aspiration. And, interestingly, it is not dissimilar to that laid out by Nikki Haley, Governor of South Carolina and possible Republican candidate for vice president, who gave the GOP's response. She too focused on inclusivity, noting that no one who works hard, obeys the law and loves U.S. traditions should "ever feel unwelcome in this country" and that "we would respect differences in modern families." While Obama may have failed to bridge the divide between the two parties, putting aside Cruz and Trump (whose campaigns have been less than kind about Haley's comments), it seems his vision of America is one which both Democrats and Republicans can aspire to.
