2012 State of the Union Address
(first 15 minutes)
(first 15 minutes)
Barrack Obama
As he is the president, despite any political misgivings the audience may have, Obama’s authority on matters of national policies is indisputable. He was elected by the people to not only be an expert on such policies but also to create them.
As he is the president, despite any political misgivings the audience may have, Obama’s authority on matters of national policies is indisputable. He was elected by the people to not only be an expert on such policies but also to create them.
Summary:
In an hour, Obama summarizes the accomplishments of 2011 and his plans for the upcoming year of 2012. In the first 15 minutes, he only begins to delve into his plans for controversial topics such as tax breaks and the job market. Primarily, for the entire first ten minutes, he appeals to the audience and gets them riled up.
In an hour, Obama summarizes the accomplishments of 2011 and his plans for the upcoming year of 2012. In the first 15 minutes, he only begins to delve into his plans for controversial topics such as tax breaks and the job market. Primarily, for the entire first ten minutes, he appeals to the audience and gets them riled up.
Analysis:
This is a very critical speech for Obama. His audience, educated future voters who follow and are interested in politics, are also watching the progression of the republican primaries. Obama’s concerns lie not only in national job security, but also in his own in the upcoming election. While this is by no means a campaign speech, it is his chance to show that under his administration the nation has progressed.
This is a very critical speech for Obama. His audience, educated future voters who follow and are interested in politics, are also watching the progression of the republican primaries. Obama’s concerns lie not only in national job security, but also in his own in the upcoming election. While this is by no means a campaign speech, it is his chance to show that under his administration the nation has progressed.
The very first thing he does is address his audience, ending with “fellow Americans”. He then embarks on a journey of appeals, beginning with acknowledging the soldiers in and returning from the war. He sings their praises for several minutes and offers them a “proud salute”. He knows these views are most likely shared by all American citizens, for even those that don’t support the war do support those forced to fight it. Obama then, cleverly, incorporates this military into a larger analogy, or hypothetical situation. After mentioning how focused there are on their missions, how they can set aside their differences to work together, he encourages viewers to “imagine” a country that could follow that example. He then supports this with solid evidence, post WWII US. This not only serves to provoke feelings of nationalism but to preserve ethos when he talks about his American grandparents of the time.
We then leap from the flash back to a modern America. Obama utilizes a lot of contrast to show not only how far we’ve come since his administration took office, but also to show how far we can go “As long as I’m president”. He then, very systematically, presents a “blueprint” of his plans for the future, and puts thrusts the fate of America into the voters’ hands.
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