Obama delivers fifth State of the Union, compliments U.S. House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, Ohio State Representative John Barnes Jr. tells Cleveland Urban News.Com that speech was key to 'the poor, women's rights, Civil Rights,' Ohio State Senator Shirley Smith applauds Obama's courage on controversial issues
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| United States President Barack Obama |
Ohio's Most Read Online Black Newspaper and Newspaper Blog. Tel: 216-659-0473. (Kathy Wray Coleman is a 20-year investigative journalist and legal reporter who trained for 17 years at the Call and Post Newspaper, Ohio's Black press)
(www.clevelandurbannews.com) / (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com)WASHINGTON, D.C.- President Barack Obama delivered his fifth State of the Union address Tuesday night to a joint session of Congress and drew no less than 13 standing ovations, the longest State of the Union speech of his presidency, other than the one he delivered in congressional chambers in 2010.
America's first Black president, a year into his second four-year term, lobbied for the poor, women, children, military personnel, and the middle class, in addition to promoting domestic oil and national gas production, a hike in minimum wage, restoration of unemployment benefits by Congress, and ObamaCare, his controversial healthcare initiative. He preached against gun violence, said the war in Iraq is over and that war in Afghanistan is coming to an end, and he said that as commander-in-chief he would do everything in his power to "prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon."
Obama said during his 65 minute speech that he advocates justice, fairness and equality under the law, "regardless of race, religion, creed, or sexual orientation." And he said that Americans must cherish the right to vote, and fight against efforts to undermine that right .
"Citizenship means standing up for everyone's right to vote," said Obama, a Democrat.
The president said that sexism is still alive and well in the country and that women make .77 cents on the dollar in comparison to their male counterparts.
"I believe that when women succeed, America succeeds," said Obama. "Women deserve equal pay for equal work."
Obama said that the working poor are among disenfranchised Americans that should get support from Congress through revised economic policies and that increasing the minimum wage should be a viable step toward that goal.
"No one who works full time should ever have to raise a family in poverty," the president said. "Give America a raise.
He pledged to use his executive powers to influence an increase in the national minimum wage, if Congress keeps stalling, he said.
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| U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner (R-8) |
"The son of a barkeeper is speaker of the House," Obama said.
But the president did not apologize for polls that show a reduction in his approval ratings since ObamaCare took effect late last year. And he said that he does not expect overwhelming support of it across partisan lines.
"I do not expect to convince my Republican friends on the merits of the law," said Obama," adding that over nine million have signed up for private health insurance or medicaid coverage, that Americans cannot be dropped by insurance companies for preexisting health conditions, and that "no woman can be charged more [for healthcare insurance] just because she's a woman."
On public education Obama called for more challenging curricula and demanding parents, and better trained teachers, and he stressed the need to assist young men of color in reaching their potential in-spite of the odds they face on a routine basis.
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| Ohio State Representative John Barnes Jr (D-12) |
Ohio state Rep. John Barnes Jr. (D-12), a Cleveland Democrat, told Cleveland Urban News.Com, Ohio's most read digital Black newspaper, that Obama touched on key points crucial to women and the Black community.
"The president's speech was timely and I am so happy that issues of Civil Rights, poverty and women's rights were the focus," said Barnes.
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| Ohio State Senator Shirley Smith (D-21) |
State Sen. Shirley Smith (D-21), also a Cleveland Democrat, said that Obama has courage where it counts.
"I am proud of the president for having courage to speak out on many hard hitting and controversial issues," Smith told Cleveland Urban News.Com. "His State of the Union address uplifted the spirit of our nation and gives hope for an increase in our quality of life. "
(www.clevelandurbannews.com) / (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com)
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