The speech was skillfully crafted to avoid any overt re-election rhetoric, but it gave the president the largest audience he will have to cast his record of the last three years in the most favorable light. He also acknowledged the nation remains in the grip of economic problems, but said its better than it was and he's got an extensive strategy for making it better still.
"The state of our Union is getting stronger," declared Mr. Obama. "And we've come too far to turn back now." He spent more than an hour discussing his approach to moving the nation forward.
Relying on his sizeable rhetorical skills, the president devoted most of his speech to the economy, laying out plans for creating jobs, including:
Using the tax code to end outsourcing and bring jobs abroad back to the U.S.
New help for dislocated workers
Expanded worker training
Establishment of a Trade Enforcement Unit to act against foreign trade violations
More investment in research and development.
Scratch the surface of his State of the Union and key elements of his political fundraising speeches could be heard.
He reminded Congress and the nation of the auto industry bailout he arranged. "We bet on American workers," he said. "We bet on American ingenuity. And tonight, the American auto industry is back."
He called for more government funding to rebuild crumbling bridges, roadways and schools. He suggested that half the money no longer needed for the war in Iraq be used to pay down the debt and the rest for "some nation-building right here at home."
He spoke of his determination to help states and localities keep from laying off teachers while at the same time demanding more be done to keep kids from dropping out. (watch the full speech at left)
He served notice on college and university leaders: "If you can't stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down."
He reaffirmed support for immigration reform while portraying himself as tough on border enforcement.
He offered a new plan to help troubled homeowners refinance their mortgages while keeping the banking industry in line: "No bailouts, no handouts and no copouts," declared Mr. Obama.
And he made clear he would not stand for the repeal of his controversial programs led by health care reform.
Further, he spoke with new determination for his long-stated plan to get the richest Americans to pay higher taxes.
He invoked the words of billionaire Warren Buffett who has found fault in a tax code that let him pay a lower effective tax rate on his investment income than does his secretary on her salary.
Mr. Obama even invited Buffett's secretary to be in the House Chamber and watch the speech from the First Lady's box.
In speech after speech over the last year - Mr. Obama called on the rich to be made to pay their "fair share."
And he finally put a number to that phrase declaring:
"If you make more than $1 million a year, you should not pay less than 30 percent in taxes."
He acknowledged that Congress may be unwilling to enact the lengthy agenda he put forward, but he wanted to sound like the "warrior of the middle class" that he sees as his path to a second term.
"I intend to fight obstruction with action," he told Congress to its face.
And as candidates know, if you can't win an election by delivering on your agenda, you can often win by running against those you blame for blocking your plans.
And with his campaign in mind, the president takes his State of the Union plan on a three day swing starting Wednesday to five battleground states he needs to win re-election: Iowa, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Michigan.
The trip is billed as official presidential business and it won't cost his campaign a nickel.
Skilfully crafted? It was a rehash of his last two SOTU speeches with bumper sticker slogans and radical rhetoric. Totally useless.
America is blood boiling mad. These guys won't know what hit them in Nov.
I listened to the President Obama's third State of the Union Address, and I have come to the conclusion that he is a schizophrenic. He talked about everyone playing by the same rules, after giving out $100s of billions of taxpayer dollars to corporations of his choice while allowing other businesses to fend for themselves. He talked about reducing federal regulations on business, after burying American businesses under increased regulations contained in his disastrous health care law, He talked about national unity, after he has divided Americans and pitted one group of Americans against another for three years. He announced that "America is back", after burying the nation under deficit spending like no other President in American history. He announced "no more bailouts", after being the king of bailouts. He talked about energy independence, after stopping a oil pipeline that would have made American less dependent on middle-eastern oil and would have created more than 20,000 jobs. I have never heard a more twisted, muddled, and conflicted speech in all my life.
I don't get why so many people hate rich people. So what if someone took big investment risks, and had the business smarts to make a lot of money. Good for them. Romney released his tax returns for the last two years, and I understand that it shows that he gave more than 15% of his earnings to his church and charities. I would like to know what percentage the Obama's gave to a church and to charities. President Obama is big on giving taxpayer money away, but not out of his own pocket. President Obama's idea of "fairness" basically boils down to taxing rich Americans more. What a shallow concept of fairness. Is his massive deficit spending "fair" to our children and grandchildren, who will be stuck with these bills? Is it "fair" to expand government while diminishing private sector jobs? This President is a disaster, and he has to go.
How does a right winger like this look at themselves in the mirror knowing they are just lying and deceiving themselves? Knowing that everything they have stood for since Reagan is a complete failure. And how their obsolete party of clowns is almost gone and should be hastened into the trash heap of history.
To save America, the world and its workers and middle class from corporate fascism.
Yeah, they want to pay their fair share along with the other Top 1%. But the self-hating Americans LOVE for the giant corporations to rape and pillage them. You can't make this up.
Aw quit your whining Mark. It's too bad that the facts have a liberal bias. It's too bad that Obama has made these bozo Republicons look like the sad, simple, pathetic jerks they are. Go cry into your soup as you contemplate finally, the end of the failed and obsolete Republicon Party of the Top 1%.
What I find incredible is Obama promoting Apple Corp at the State Of Union speech and then complaining that too many jobs have gone overseas, and need to come back the United State. I guess Obama doesn't understand that Apple has sent 10's of thousands of jobs overseas. It is just like his good friend who is the CEO of GE and the head of his jobs council, and he stated in an interview a few months ago he is proud of sending more jobs overseas. This shows Obama is so out of touch and really is hurting union workers when he just doesn't get it.
Just look at the republican field-the tax dodger vs the corrupt womanizer with no integraty, and no understanding of trust. Yes, both heartless. Why would any one with common sense want to vote for them, unless you own a big corperation.
Does the republicans know that government motor is now the number one auto maker in the world today. Left to the republicans GM will be known as a former American auto maker. Thanks Mr. President for believing in the American workers.
Anything, and we mean ANYTHING will be better than the pile of trash Obama and his shop-o-holic abortion loving wife of his. The Obama's are truly the most disgusting, divisive, awful people to ever hold office!
I have a small business and at times our business has struggled. I do not expect taxpayers to help my business stay afloat. And I do not want my tax money going to bailing out other businesses. As far as I am concerned, GM should have been left on their own, succeed or fail.
Does Mark Knoller think we are all idiots? Every sitting President who has been up for re-election has used the State of the Union speech as a campaign platform. Obama is doing nothing different from anyone else who has sat in that chair.
And the fact is that the circus the GOP is making out of the Republican nominating process has sucked most of the attention in the press to them. The attention given to the SOTU address will be a drop in the bucket then tomorrow we will be back to watching Gringrich the clown make a fool of himself.
Any state of union speech is about the president's report card and what he thinks the future priorities are. A campaign speech would cover the same topics, with added sharp edge to contrast the opponent. But the president carefully avoided any direct attack. I believe that the president successfully delivered a presidential speech without the partisanship.
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Pool,AP Photo/Saul Loeb
While billed as a blueprint for "An America Built to Last," President Obama's State of the Union Address was also a game plan to help him win a second term. 
America is blood boiling mad. These guys won't know what hit them in Nov.
I don't get why so many people hate rich people. So what if someone took big investment risks, and had the business smarts to make a lot of money. Good for them. Romney released his tax returns for the last two years, and I understand that it shows that he gave more than 15% of his earnings to his church and charities. I would like to know what percentage the Obama's gave to a church and to charities. President Obama is big on giving taxpayer money away, but not out of his own pocket. President Obama's idea of "fairness" basically boils down to taxing rich Americans more. What a shallow concept of fairness. Is his massive deficit spending "fair" to our children and grandchildren, who will be stuck with these bills? Is it "fair" to expand government while diminishing private sector jobs? This President is a disaster, and he has to go.
To save America, the world and its workers and middle class from corporate fascism.
http://chasvoice.blogspot.com/2011/09/barack-buffett-scratch-each-others-back.html
Does the republicans know that government motor is now the number one auto maker in the world today. Left to the republicans GM will be known as a former American auto maker. Thanks Mr. President for believing in the American workers.
And the fact is that the circus the GOP is making out of the Republican nominating process has sucked most of the attention in the press to them. The attention given to the SOTU address will be a drop in the bucket then tomorrow we will be back to watching Gringrich the clown make a fool of himself.