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2010 State of the Union Address

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2010 State of the Union Address
Full video of the speech as published by theWhite House
DateJanuary 27, 2010(2010-01-27)
Time9:00 p.m.EST
Duration1 hour, 9 minutes
VenueHouse Chamber,United States Capitol
LocationWashington, D.C.
Coordinates38°53′19.8″N77°00′32.8″W/ 38.888833°N 77.009111°W/38.888833; -77.009111
TypeState of the Union Address
Participants
Previous2009 Joint session speech
Next2011 State of the Union Address

The2010 State of the Union Addresswas given by the 44thpresident of the United States,Barack Obama,on January 27, 2010, at 9:00 p.m.EST,in the chamber of theUnited States House of Representativesto the111th United States Congress.[1][2]It was Obama's firstState of the Union Addressand hissecond speechto ajoint session of the United States Congress.Presiding over this joint session was theHouse speaker,Nancy Pelosi,accompanied byJoe Biden,thevice president,in his capacity as thepresident of the Senate.

The theme for President Obama's speech was “Rescue, Rebuild, Restore – a New Foundation for Prosperity”.[3][4]Among the topics that Obama covered in his speech were proposals for job creation andfederal deficitreduction.[5]

Newly inauguratedVirginia GovernorBob McDonnelldelivered theRepublican responsefollowing the speech[6]from the floor of theHouse of Delegatesat theVirginia State Capitolin front of over 300 people.[7]

Legislative initiatives and policies[edit]

The following items were mentioned by the President as potential policy changes, legislative initiatives, or goals coming out of the address:

  • Fees on the country's largest banks (to follow up on theTroubled Asset Relief Program(TARP))
  • Giving $30 billion from recovered TARP money to community banks to extend credit to small businesses
  • Job creation
    • Building clean energy facilities
    • Giving rebates to Americans who make their homes more energy-efficient
    • Slash tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas (giving those breaks to companies that create jobs in the U.S.)
  • Encourage American innovation (focus onclean energy)
    • Building nuclear power plants
    • Exploring off-shore areas for oil and gas
    • Investment in advanced biofuels andclean coal technologies
    • Comprehensive energy and climate bill to make clean energy profitable
  • More exports of goods (goal: double exports in 5 years)
    • Launch of a National Export Initiative
  • Invest in the skills and education of our people
    • Renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
    • Revitalize community colleges
    • Ending taxpayer subsidies to banks for student loans
    • $10,000 tax credit for families for four years of college
    • IncreasePell Grants
    • Only 10% of income to student loans
    • All student loan debt forgiven after 20 years, or after 10 years if they choose a career in public service
    • Cost cutting at colleges and universities
  • Middle Class
    • Nearly double the child tax credit
    • Giving access to a retirement account for every worker
    • Expanding the tax credit for those who start a nest egg (retirement fund)
    • Refinancing to make more mortgages affordable
  • Tackling childhood obesity (headed by the First Lady, Michelle Obama)
  • Health care reform
  • Deficit reduction
    • Starting in 2011, freeze government spending for 3 years on discretionary programs (excluding national security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security)
    • Eliminate programs that are unaffordable or don't work
    • Extend middle-class tax cuts
    • Bipartisan fiscal commission to provide solutions (created by Executive Order, if necessary)
    • Restoring pay-as-you-go law
  • Require lobbyists to disclose every contact they make
  • Limits on contributions that lobbyists give to candidates
  • Reform for earmarks, publish them in a single location on the web
  • Crack down on violations of equal pay laws
  • Immigration reform
  • RepealingDon't ask, don't tellpolicy within the year to allow homosexuals to serve in the militaryopenly
  • Treating the nation of Israel with respect

Supreme Court Justices' response[edit]

During the address, Obama condemned theCitizens United v. Federal Election Commissionruling, stating, "Last week, the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests – including foreign corporations – to spend without limit in our elections." JusticeSamuel Alitowas seen frowning and mouthing the words "not true" when Obama criticized the Supreme Court.[8][9][10][11][12]

Chief JusticeJohn Robertslater commented on the subject at theUniversity of Alabama,saying, "The image of having the members of one branch of government standing up, literally surrounding the Supreme Court, cheering and hollering while the court – according to the requirements of protocol – has to sit there expressionless, I think is very troubling."[13]

In response to Roberts,Justice Breyersaid he would continue to attend the address: "I think it's very, very, very important—very important—for us to show up at that State of the Union, because people today are more and more visual. What [people] see in front of them at the State of the Union is that federal government. And I would like them to see the judges too, because federal judges are also a part of that government."[14]

Technical information[edit]

Housing SecretaryShaun Donovanwas chosen as thedesignated survivorand did not attend the address, in orderto keep a presidential line of succession should a catastrophic event have wiped out the administration.[15]Secretary of StateHillary Clintonwas also out of the country at the time of the address for a conference in London regarding the country of Yemen and the upsurge in terrorist activity in that country.

Republican response[edit]

The Republican response to the State of the Union Address was delivered byBob McDonnellwho had been sworn in as the Governor of Virginia 11 days before. McDonnell sought to replicate the trappings State of the Union Address by giving a speech in the chamber of the Virginia House of Delegates with the audience filled with his supporters and included shots of McDonnell entering the chamber while shaking hands as he walking down the aisle. He also selected ten guests to stand behind him as he delivered the speech, including a member of the armed forces wearing his uniform[16]that critics alleged to be a violation of military regulations.[17][18]In addition, the use of House chamber for McDonnell's speech did not comply with House Rule 82.[19][20]In his prepared text, McDonnell stated, "Today, the federal government is simply trying to do too much."[21]

Scheduling[edit]

Originally, theWhite Housewas considering two dates for the State of the Union Address:[22]January 26 and February 2.[23]Were the latter date selected,ABCwould have then preempted the already scheduled premiere of thesixth and final seasonof the TV seriesLost,sabotaging months of promotion for "The Final Season" and forcing some awkward rescheduling of the season, which had no leeway for interruptions.[24]This prompted an online protest among fans and the story was picked up by dozens of media outlets.[25]On January 8, White House press secretaryRobert Gibbsannounced "I don't foresee a scenario in which millions of people who hope to finally get some conclusion withLostare preempted by the president ",[26]to which the show's co-creatorDamon Lindelofresponded via his Twitter account with "OBAMA BACKED DOWN!!!! Groundhog Day is OURS!!!!!!! (God Bless America)".[27]

Ben East of the United Arab EmiratesThe Nationalnewspaper summed up the story with "confirmation of just how important [Lost] is came with an almost unbelievable communiqué from the White House last week... That's right. Obama might have had vital information to impart upon the American people about health care, the war in Afghanistan, the financial crisis—things that, you know, might affect real lives. But the most important thing was that his address didn't clash with a series in which a polar bear appears on a tropical island. After extensive lobbying by the ABC network, the White House surrendered. "[28]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Obama's first State of the Union address set for January 27".AFP. January 18, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon January 22, 2010.RetrievedJanuary 18,2010.
  2. ^Bazinet, Kenneth R. (January 19, 2010)."President Obama won't be 'Idol' on January 27 when he delivers State of the Union address to Congress".Daily News.New York.Archivedfrom the original on January 30, 2010.RetrievedJanuary 24,2010..ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and PBS online schedules as of January 24, 2010.
  3. ^Zeleny, Jeff (January 27, 2010)."Obama's Themes: 'Rescue, Rebuild, Restore'".The New York Times.RetrievedFebruary 1,2011.
  4. ^"Obama Vows to Restore a 'Tested' Nation".January 28, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon March 14, 2012.RetrievedFebruary 1,2011.
  5. ^"After spending binge, White House says it will focus on deficits".Politico.com. November 13, 2009.RetrievedJanuary 8,2010.President Barack Obama announced in next year's State of the Union address that he wants to focus extensively on cutting the federal deficit in 2010 – and downplayed other new domestic spending beyond jobs programs, according to top aides involved in the planning.
  6. ^"2010 Republican Response".BBC News.January 27, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on January 30, 2010.RetrievedJanuary 28,2010.
  7. ^"McDonnell Trumps Obama's State of the Union Speech".Human Events. January 28, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon April 8, 2010.RetrievedFebruary 22,2010.
  8. ^Silverleib, Alan (January 28, 2010)."Gloves come off after Obama rips Supreme Court ruling".CNN.Archivedfrom the original on February 13, 2010.RetrievedFebruary 22,2010.
  9. ^"If Alito Did Say 'Not True' About Obama's Claim, He May Have Had A Point – The Two-Way – Breaking News, Analysis Blog".NPR. January 28, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on April 8, 2010.RetrievedFebruary 22,2010.
  10. ^"Alito Mouths 'NOT TRUE' At State Of The Union (VIDEO) – Huffington Post – Yahoo! Buzz".Buzz.yahoo.com. January 28, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon January 31, 2010.RetrievedFebruary 22,2010.
  11. ^Nagraj, Neil (January 28, 2010)."Justice Alito mouths 'not true' when Obama blasts Supreme Court ruling in State of the Union address".Daily News.New York.RetrievedFebruary 22,2010.
  12. ^"Alito: 'Simply Not True' – CBS News Video".Cbsnews.com. January 29, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on February 2, 2010.RetrievedFebruary 22,2010.
  13. ^"Roberts questions SOTU attendance | POLITICO 44".Politico.Archived fromthe originalon March 12, 2010.RetrievedMarch 11,2010.
  14. ^Blake, Aaron (December 12, 2010)."Justice Breyer: I'll go to State of the Union".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on December 3, 2011.RetrievedDecember 13,2010.
  15. ^"HUD secretary stays home from Obama speech".Washington Post/AP. January 27, 2010.RetrievedJanuary 28,2010.[dead link]
  16. ^Kumar, Anita (January 27, 2010)."McDonnell's guests at tonight's State of the Union response".Washington Post.RetrievedApril 10,2010.
  17. ^"Bob McDonnell's Republican Response to the SOTU: A Military Misstep".January 28, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on April 7, 2010.RetrievedApril 10,2010.
  18. ^"Military Directive 1344.10: Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces"(PDF).February 19, 2008. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on August 25, 2009.RetrievedApril 10,2010.Use or allow the use of photographs, drawings, and other similar media formats of themselves in uniform as the primary graphic representation in any campaign media, such as a billboard, brochure, flyer, Web site, or television commercial.
  19. ^Kumar, Anita (February 2, 2010)."Howell challenged on use of House chamber".Washington Post.p. B4.RetrievedApril 8,2010.
  20. ^Slipek Jr., Edwin (February 9, 2010)."Hollow Hall".Style (Richmond, VA).RetrievedApril 8,2010.
  21. ^Falcone, Michael (January 27, 2010)."Bob McDonnell Speech (FULL TEXT): Republican State Of The Union Response".Huffington Post.RetrievedMay 10,2010.
  22. ^Roberts, Soraya (January 7, 2010)."ABC's 'Lost' premiere may be replaced by President's Obama State of the Union address".Daily News.New York.Archivedfrom the original on January 18, 2010.RetrievedJanuary 17,2010.
  23. ^Adalian, Josef (January 6, 2010), "White House Could DerailLostPremiere PlansArchivedJune 10, 2010, at theWayback Machine",The Wrap.Retrieved on January 17, 2010.
  24. ^Anderson, Kyle (January 7, 2010), "President Obama'sLostControversy: The Solution!ArchivedAugust 19, 2010, at theWayback Machine",MTV. Retrieved on January 17, 2010.
  25. ^de Moraes, Lisa (January 9, 2010)."Obama's State of the Union won't preempt season premiere of 'Lost' after all".The Washington Post.RetrievedJanuary 17,2010.
  26. ^Godwin, Jennifer (January 8, 2010), "LostVersus Obama:LostWins!",E!.Retrieved on January 17, 2010.
  27. ^Barrett, Annie (January 8, 2010), "State of the Union Will Not Interfere withLostPremiere; We Can All Breathe AgainArchivedJanuary 14, 2010, at theWayback Machine",Entertainment Weekly.Retrieved on January 17, 2010.
  28. ^East, Ben (January 17, 2010), "Fans May Forever BeLostfor AnswersArchivedJanuary 21, 2010, at theWayback Machine",The National.Retrieved on January 17, 2010.

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