On Wednesday night at 9 .pm., President Obama will give his State of the Union Address. The State of the Union Address is when the President reports on the condition of the nation and outlines the agenda for the upcoming year. Basically, he talks about where we are and where we are going.
Over the past year, President Obama has seen his approval rating dwindle and, recently, Gallup polls have announced Obama is, after his first year in office, the most polarizing President they have ever recorded.
In his speech Wednesday night, Obama needs to reassure the American people he is working for their best interest and not special interest groups or his personal ideology. He needs to reassure the American people he can accomplish more than simply initiate bickering among congressmen on issues like the environment and health care reform. If President Obama wants to regain confidence from the public, he should address these issues:
Economy. Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. The ten percent of Americans who are unemployed want to be reassured their government is fostering an environment where job growth can occur. Recently, a Middle Class Task Force has been headed up by Vice President Biden to prevent middle class erosion. It will be interesting to hear what solutions Obama has for the shrinking middle class. Obama should also discuss his opinion about the U.S. debt and whether or not he will begin to lower it.
Domestic Protection. Last year, two terrorist attacks have occurred on our soil: the underwear bomber and the brutal attack on Fort Hood. President Obama should discuss what the government will be doing to prevent terrorist attacks in the future.
Health Care Reform. So far, not much has been accomplished and Americans are not happy. After losing the Massachusetts Senate seat to a Republican, the Democrats cannot pass the Health Care bill they initially drew up. Now they will have to strike something bipartisan with Republicans if they are going to achieve reform.
Expectation for Afghanistan. Over the past year, the President has approved an additional 34,000 troops to Afghanistan. To get the American people to buy into sending additional troops, he should discuss why he made this decision and what the goals in Afghanistan are.
Preventing Another Economic Collapse. Everyone has theories why we went into a recession. Greed, easy loans, not enough financial regulation. In the next year, I anticipate Obama will try to pass some sort of financial regulation, but what kind will it be? It would be comforting to the American people if he talks about what he believes will prevent another deep recession.
Reorganize NBC’s Late Night Television. I’m kidding, but really, NBC sucks. They’ll be paying Conan O’Brien $33 million to leave the network and sip cosmos on the beach. Someone over there screwed up big time.
Don’t forget, a democracy doesn’t function well unless the people are proactive, so watch the State of the Union Address on Wednesday night at 9pm to see where our country is heading.
