President Obama will give his State of the Union address on Tuesday where jobs is expected to be the key focus. Image by VinothChandar.
Everyone is speculating about President Barack Obama’s upcoming State of the Union address. Most agree jobs will be the focus of Tuesday’s speech that addresses the jointly assembled Congress.
One White House correspondent, Peter Baker of the New York Times, believes “jobs” and “competitiveness” will be two words that will come up together a significant number of times during the President’s speech. He feels the President will challenge American businesses to step up their competitiveness with the increasing pressure from countries like China and India.
This is not only an opportunity for him to build a case for some things that have been on his agenda for a while now, but focus on something that appeals to both parties, building some consensus.
This State of the Union address is even more critical for the President Obama as he begins to consider his campaign for re-election. He needs to build some bridges with Republicans to help his “Good Guy” perception. He needs to strike a balance, however, between this and asserting the strength he established during his last State of the Union speech.
Regardless of the agenda laid out in Tuesday’s speech, the President will set the tone for the coming year. This is a time, according to Baker, that the entire government comes together to establish what is important to focus on for the year.
