So the President Gave a Speech Last Night

So, last night was President Obama's sixth State of the Union address. Full video of the speech is here, and a transcript of his remarks as prepared for delivery is here. There were some highlights and lowlights, as always.

Highlights:

* President Obama used three words which have never before been used by a United States President in a State of the Union address: Lesbian, bisexual, and transgender. "As Americans, we respect human dignity, even when we're threatened... That's why we defend free speech, and advocate for political prisoners, and condemn the persecution of women, or religious minorities, or people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. We do these things not only because they are the right thing to do, but because ultimately they will make us safer."

* Obama announced he would be proposing new legislation guaranteeing paid sick leave for every worker: "Today, we're the only advanced country on Earth that doesn't guarantee paid sick leave or paid maternity leave to our workers. Forty-three million workers have no paid sick leave. Forty-three million. Think about that. And that forces too many parents to make the gut-wrenching choice between a paycheck and a sick kid at home. So I'll be taking new action to help states adopt paid leave laws of their own. And since paid sick leave won where it was on the ballot last November, let's put it to a vote right here in Washington. Send me a bill that gives every worker in America the opportunity to earn seven days of paid sick leave. It's the right thing to do."

* He exhorted Congress to pass legislation guaranteeing equal pay for women, overtime pay, and a higher federal minimum wage: "Of course, nothing helps families make ends meet like higher wages. That's why this Congress still needs to pass a law that makes sure a woman is paid the same as a man for doing the same work. Really. It's 2015. It's time. We still need to make sure employees get the overtime they've earned. And to everyone in this Congress who still refuses to raise the minimum wage, I say this: If you truly believe you could work full-time and support a family on less than $15,000 a year, go try it. If not, vote to give millions of the hardest-working people in America a raise."

* He introduced his plan to offer free community college: "By the end of this decade, two in three job openings will require some higher education. Two in three. And yet, we still live in a country where too many bright, striving Americans are priced out of the education they need. It's not fair to them, and it's not smart for our future. That's why I am sending this Congress a bold new plan to lower the cost of community college—to zero. ...And I want to work with this Congress, to make sure Americans already burdened with student loans can reduce their monthly payments, so that student debt doesn't derail anyone's dreams."

* He advocated for a robust infrastructure plan: "21st century businesses need 21st century infrastructure—modern ports, stronger bridges, faster trains and the fastest internet. Democrats and Republicans used to agree on this. So let's set our sights higher than a single oil pipeline. Let's pass a bipartisan infrastructure plan that could create more than thirty times as many jobs per year, and make this country stronger for decades to come."

* He called out the bullshit partisan gridlock making Washington, D.C. utterly ineffective:

You know, just over a decade ago, I gave a speech in Boston where I said there wasn't a liberal America, or a conservative America; a black America or a white America—but a United States of America. ...Over the past six years, the pundits have pointed out more than once that my presidency hasn't delivered on this vision. How ironic, they say, that our politics seems more divided than ever. It's held up as proof not just of my own flaws—of which there are many—but also as proof that the vision itself is misguided, and naïve, and that there are too many people in this town who actually benefit from partisanship and gridlock for us to ever do anything about it.

I know how tempting such cynicism may be. But I still think the cynics are wrong. I still believe that we are one people. I still believe that together, we can do great things, even when the odds are long. ...Imagine if we broke out of these tired old patterns. Imagine if we did something different. ...A better politics is one where we appeal to each other's basic decency instead of our basest fears. ...If we're going to have arguments, let's have arguments—but let's make them debates worthy of this body and worthy of this country.

This section of the speech also contained a terrific unscripted moment: The Shade Heard 'Round the World.

Over the past six years, the pundits have pointed out more than once that my presidency hasn't delivered on this vision. How ironic, they say, that our politics seems more divided than ever. [edit] I know how tempting such cynicism may be. But I still think the cynics are wrong. I still believe that we are one people. I still believe that together, we can do great things, even when the odds are long. [applause] I believe this because over and over in my six years in office, I have seen America at its best. [edit] I have no more campaigns to run. My only agenda— [sarcastic cheers and applause from Republicans; the President smiles knowingly] I know 'cuz I won both of 'em. [laughter and cheers and applause; the President smiles and winks]

Hahaha YES.

Lowlights:

* The President had an opportunity to say Black Lives Matter, and he didn't take it: "We may have different takes on the events of Ferguson and New York. But surely we can understand a father who fears his son can't walk home without being harassed. Surely we can understand the wife who won't rest until the police officer she married walks through the front door at the end of his shift. ...I want our actions to tell every child, in every neighborhood: your life matters, and we are as committed to improving your life chances as we are for our own kids."

* Warrrrrrrr! WAR! War war war! War.

* Lots and lots of economic talk centered on "middle-class economics." Which is great—if you're already in the middle-class. And, theoretically, "middle-class economics" is supposed to help eradicate poverty by giving people opportunities to "lift themselves" out of poverty, but that's honestly just not enough. "Middle-class economics" has never been enough. To meaningfully address entrenched poverty, we need to talk about poverty, not just about "strengthening the middle class" and telling people in poverty to pull themselves up by the bootstraps and reach for the middle-class stars.

* Following immediately after one of the best parts of his speech—"If we're going to have arguments, let's have arguments—but let's make them debates worthy of this body and worthy of this country."—came this total bummer: "We still may not agree on a woman's right to choose, but surely we can agree it's a good thing that teen pregnancies and abortions are nearing all-time lows, and that every woman should have access to the health care she needs." No, actually—we can't agree that "every woman should have access to the healthcare she needs" if we don't agree on a woman's right to choose [NB: Not only women need access to abortion], because abortion is healthcare.

During a time when abortion rights are being rolled back in state legislatures across the country, "disagreement" over abortion access should not even have been invoked as something on which we can all agree to disagree. Abortion should not have been used as an example here, but, if it had to be, what the President should have said is: "We might not all have the same personal views on abortion, but surely we can all agree that women have the right to make their own choices."

For abortion to be referenced in the State of the Union by an ostensibly pro-choice president as something on which people of good faith can have disagreements is just dreadful. Fail.

Anyway! What did you like? What did you not like? Have at it comments!