 | Well, it's certainly a campaign appearance... |
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama, offering a glimpse of next week's State of the Union address, made clear on Saturday that he will deliver a starkly partisan election-year call for a "return to American values" of economic fairness.
"I'm going to lay out a blueprint for an American economy that's built to last," Obama said in a campaign video sent to supporters. "And most importantly, a return to American values of fairness for all, and responsibility from all."
Obama, who delivers his annual State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday night, is running for re-election on his claim of being a champion for the middle class, while trying to paint Republicans as the party for the rich.
| Curious middle-class champion. First destroy the middle class, then, pose as its champion... |
"We can go in two directions. One is towards less opportunity and less fairness. Or we can fight for where I think we need to go: building an economy that works for everyone, not just a wealthy few," Obama said.
| Oh, so Buffett and Soros are going to be shown the door... |
He is expected to use the speech to repeat calls for higher taxes on the wealthy, tax breaks to bring American manufacturing jobs home, steps to aid the housing market, and another nudge to China on currency flexibility to aid U.S. exports.
Republicans say he is an old-fashioned tax-and-spend liberal whose policies hurt business and jobs. Obama's suggestions are therefore unlikely to make much headway in Congress, where Republicans control the House of Representatives.
| Or in the Democratic controlled Senate where too many Dems are up for election and are fearing for their political lives... |
Attacking congressional Republicans on their own turf, during a prime-time televised joint session of Congress, signals a de-emphasis on appeals for cooperation that have marked Obama's previous State of the Union addresses.
| I think I missed those appeals. When were they again? |
Obama campaigned in 2008 on a message of reaching across the political aisle to change the way that Washington works, but now complains that Republicans have obstructed his efforts to collaborate and are only interested in seeing him fail.
| As Winston Churchill once said: "the duty of the opposition is to oppose." Of course Pubs opposed him; they had good reasons. |
Republicans say they oppose his policies because they view them as bad for the country, and say they are willing to work with the president on areas of genuine common ground.
| More Roooters Obama-boosterism at the link. |
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