Economy to be focus of Obama's State of the Union speech, aides say

President Obama's State of the Union address will sound a lot more like his re-election stump speech and less like his second inaugural address, aides familiar with the process said.

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While Mr. Obama will mention the three biggest early areas of emphasis in his second term - gun control, immigration reform and climate change - the references will be condensed and relatively minor next to an emphasis on economic themes such as job creation, wage growth and mobility into the middle class. These themes will dominate and serve, aides said, as a springboard to place the economic message above all others.

The uncharacteristically early White House preview of the speech suggests as sense of internal nervousness. In the past week, some Democrats have warned Mr. Obama he risked losing touch with economic concerns as he dealt repeatedly with guns, immigration and, to a lesser extent, climate change.

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"The early themes of the second term have been focused on the constituent groups that helped get the president re-elected," said a Democratic strategist with deep ties to the White House. "But the economy is still the No. 1 issue for the country and I've worried the president was missing that."

The speech is done except for some microscopic revisions, aides said. New chief White House speechwriter Cody Keenan penned the address with Mr. Obama. Keenan succeeds Jon Favreau who leaves the White House on March 1 but historically left the drafting of State of the Union addresses to Keenan. Favreau has told White House colleagues he may soon try his hand at scriptwriting, possibly in Hollywood.

[knsn_for_cmn_sense]

In other news. No one here really knows what that has to do with the price of tea in China.

[BenJordons-Mom]

Isn't Obama's usual focus on blaming others for his economic failures and dividing the American people as a distraction?
Nothing to see there Jan. 21st unless you like wasting your time.

[Ulgnud]

Obama has failed to produce a viable US budget proposal that he is mandated to do for 4 years now. He wants to keep the spending going with no means to pay for it. Yet he wants us to think he has the answers for the economy. Why waste time even listening to this fiscally irresponsible socialist fool?

[jgg000010]

ahhh, chucky, chucky, chucky, you are a union goon.
That explains it all.

[Barry-been-inhalin]

How many can match the correct president to the correct avg. rate of un-employment rates during their term as president.

1. Ronald Reagan
2. Bush Senior
3. Bill Clinton
4. George W. Bush
5. Obama

The avg. rate of un-employment rates are
1. 6.35
2. 7.51
3. 5.95
4. 9.42
5. 5.54

Bet everyone gets Obama's right.

I'm sure Reagan would love to have had a U3 rate given during his time in office and the more reflective real unemployment rate hidden.

[jgg000010]

chucky, chucky, chucky, the bush recession was over in the summer of '09. You do remember the "Summer of Recovery", don't you? So what's happened since? We've had the longest post world war recovery in history. And in case you haven't noticed, the unemployment rate 7.8% is exactly what it was when obama took office - and that's after a $1T stimulus and QE's I,II, and now III which have done nothing but drive us deeper in debt and devalue the dollar. Keep drinking the kool-aid.

[tsigili]

Translation.........more calls to tax the wealthy AGAIN!

It didn't help the first time, and it will not make a difference NOW, either.

All economists told us that, to start with, and that Obama's campaign to tax the wealthy was a sham.

Time to wise up America. It is STILL a sham!

The only way to raise the kind of money Obama wants to SQUANDER.......is to tax the middle class. If you want to have that.......then listen to Obama. If you don't want to have that.......then listen to people that tell you the TRUTH!

[jgg000010]

chucky, chucky, chucky, bush has been out of office going on 5 years, and reagan is decomposing as I type. This is obama's economy, these are obama's wars, and this is obama's foreign policy, and they are all utter failures.

[aintfakin]

Barry-been-inhalin says:
".....like a virgin; hard pivot to laserlike focus on jobs for the very first time.....like a virrr irrr irrrgin....."
-------------------------
maybe you should talk to the guys you voted for....who have been sending jobs all over the world.....from here
hypocrisy
the lifeblood of the right wing

[Barry-been-inhalin]

".....like a virgin; hard pivot to laserlike focus on jobs for the very first time.....like a virrr irrr irrrgin....."

[Barry-been-inhalin]

I thought you libs would appreciate the Madonna song. You know, her being a big Obama supporter and all. Giving him shout outs at her concerts. Oh, I see you don't like her because she said she was proud to support Obama because he is a Muslim. Yeah I can see how you would be sensitive to that.

[knsn_for_cmn_sense]

LOL T4T!

[ammo17]

four years in office and nothing has improved for our economy.what makes anyone think that he will only talk about the economy and still do nothing about it,but he gave us obamacare another tax and he wants to give 12-20 million illegals amnesty.but not once has he said anyhing about who and how we can pay for this nonsense.there is only three ways he do this,put them on welfare,unemployment or hit the social security again,which is going to be mr.president?

[Barry-been-inhalin]

Stellar record of failure.

[Barry-been-inhalin]

Actually I do. I am working my best to get all of my money out of the U.S legally as I am not ever forced to distribute to the lazy gov't parasites as yourself.

[Barry-been-inhalin]

Gluttons for punishment. After 4 years gas prices are up, food up, more people out of work than in 2008. We have the largest number on food stamps and welfare than ever a time in history and yet this nincompoop gets elected again.

After 4 more years.....libs and Obama's excuse- just didn't have enough time.
There is no cure for stupid.

[diddy_back_again]

Mr. President, I wonder if the State of the Union will be like your weekly marxist address. Karl, Saul, and Frank would be so pround of you.

[Barry-been-inhalin]

"economy to be focus"
if he tells us the truth his whole speech could be summarized in three words:
we are broke.