Live Blog: President Obama’s final SOTU 2016
Posted: January 12, 2016 Filed under: Live Blog | Tags: live blog, President Obama, State of the Union Address 2016 106 CommentsThe President’s final State of the Union Address is tonight. We will also get good look at the scowling face of Speaker Paul Ryan–undoubtedly clutching ball bearings and muttering about strawberries–followed by the rebuttal by South Carolina Republican Governor Nikki Haley. There will be no more crying orange man on the dais so Haley will get to represent Republican “diversity” tonight. 
In his final State of the Union address, President Obama plans to talk about the need to “fix our politics” in order to ensure that opportunity and security in America are strong.
A White House official says this is slated to be President Obama’s shortest State of the Union speech. His shortest State of the Union address to this point clocked in at 52 minutes in 2009.
Below are excerpts of the speech as released by the White House.
“We live in a time of extraordinary change – change that’s reshaping the way we live, the way we work, our planet and our place in the world. It’s change that promises amazing medical breakthroughs, but also economic disruptions that strain working families. It promises education for girls in the most remote villages, but also connects terrorists plotting an ocean away. It’s change that can broaden opportunity, or widen inequality. And whether we like it or not, the pace of this change will only accelerate.
America has been through big changes before – wars and depression, the influx of immigrants, workers fighting for a fair deal, and movements to expand civil rights. Each time, there have been those who told us to fear the future; who claimed we could slam the brakes on change, promising to restore past glory if we just got some group or idea that was threatening America under control. And each time, we overcame those fears. We did not, in the words of Lincoln, adhere to the “dogmas of the quiet past.” Instead we thought anew, and acted anew. We made change work for us, always extending America’s promise outward, to the next frontier, to more and more people. And because we did – because we saw opportunity where others saw only peril – we emerged stronger and better than before.”
—
“The future we want – opportunity and security for our families; a rising standard of living and a sustainable, peaceful planet for our kids – all that is within our reach. But it will only happen if we work together. It will only happen if we can have rational, constructive debates.
It will only happen if we fix our politics.
President Barack Obama is set to strike an optimistic and hopeful tone in his final State of the Union address.
The president will focus on cementing his legacy rather than unveiling new policies, officials have said.
Mr Obama is expected to frame some of the key issues in a way that fellow Democrats can embrace during campaigning for the upcoming election.
However, recent polls suggest that seven in 10 people in the US do not share their leader’s optimism.
A response by the Republican party will be delivered by South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
In excepts from the speech released in advance, Mr Obama urges Americans to make world changes work for them and overcome fears.
He will say the future the US wants is only possible if the country “fixes its politics” and works together.
“A better politics doesn’t mean we have to agree on everything… But democracy does require basic bonds of trust between its citizens,” the speech reads.
Many Democrats will be bringing Muslim Americans to the speech to show that the United States has no second class citizens or religions.
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) is urging lawmakers to bring Muslim Americans as their guests to President Obama’s last State of the Union address. (Photo by Linda Davidson / The Washington Post)
Democratic Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Keith Ellison are urging colleagues to invite Muslim Americans as guests to Tuesday night’s State of the Union address. So far, more than a dozen lawmakers — mostly Democrats — have heeded their call.It’s not uncommon for lawmakers to choose State of the Union guests that make a political statement. Several Democrats are planning to bring guests who have been victims of gun violence, while two members of a Catholic religious order challenging the 2010 Affordable Care Act will attend after invitations from Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.).
The appeal from Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the chair of the Democratic National Committee, and Ellison (D-Minn.), the first Muslim elected to Congress, comes at a time of rising anti-Muslim rhetoric from politicians like Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and a wave of incidents targeting people of Muslim faith.
“This rhetoric and these actions are simply un-American,” Wasserman Schultz and Ellison wrote in a letter to colleagues last week. “They undermine our values and weaken our ability to be a force for good around the world.”
Ellison is one of two Muslim members of Congress. The Minneapolis Democrat, who converted to Islam at age 19, said it’s important for public officials to extend a hand to the Muslim community, in part to counteract rhetoric from the Islamic State, or ISIS.
“Each of these people are going to go back to their community and talk about the fact that they came here at the invitation of a member of Congress, were treated with honor and respect, and they’ll directly counteract the ISIS message, which is that America hates Muslims,” Ellison said in an interview last week.
Meanwhile, the Republicans will troll the President and the Democrats by bringing religious extremists and screaming WE’RE THE OPPRESSED WHITE MAJORITY! The nuns challenging the Affordable Healthcare Act on the grounds that every one should be denied birth control because of their strict religious beliefs will be there. Kentucky is bringing the Dread Clerk Kim Davis who all of us had hoped would be relegated to 2015’s 15 minutes of infamous bigot waste bin in 2016. Republicans continue to confuse denying others civil liberties with being judgmental and uncivil. What better way to demonstrate it than to let all that freakishness fly? I guess we get to see dueling definitions of religious liberty. My guess is there will also be a staged wrestling match of bald men where the winner gets a prized comb on Fox. Red State Republicans will undoubtedly be all aplomb.
The Kentucky county clerk who went to jail over her refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples will attend President Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, a group supporting her announced.
“While the President will be extolling his ‘accomplishments’ of the last seven years, Kim Davis and Mat Staver will be a visible reminder of the Administration’s attack on religious liberty and an encouragement for people of faith to stand,” the Liberty Counsel wrote in a press release. Staver is Davis’ attorney and the founder of the group.
“For seven years, people of faith have been in the crosshairs of the Obama Administration. The state of religious liberty is dire, but we cannot give up.”
Yes, yes! They’re so persecuted that none of us can have a reasonable end of the year without their railroaded version of ancient pagan holidays let alone be allowed to follow our own consciousness and creeds. Nothing like looking out at the smug faces of religious fanatics for a jolt back in time to the Iron Age.
Can we just go back to saying there’s a lot of beliefs out there and people need to STFU and keep it to themselves now? Guess every one should expect the Republican Inquisition these days!!
So, here’s the group of folks that will be sitting with the First Lady. It will include a vacant seat.
A VACANT SEAT FOR THE VICTIMS OF GUN VIOLENCE
Last week, the President took a series of commonsense steps to help reduce gun violence in America and make our communities safer.
We leave one seat empty in the First Lady’s State of the Union Guest Box for the victims of gun violence who no longer have a voice – because they need the rest of us to speak for them. To tell their stories. To honor their memory. To support the Americans whose lives have been forever changed by the terrible ripple effect of gun violence – survivors who’ve had to learn to live with a disability, or without the love of their life. To remind every single one of our representatives that it’s their responsibility to do something about this.
I wonder what Clint Eastwood will say to the chair? Will he be Fox’s guest commentator on the topic?
Anyway, it’s a live blog and a historic night. It should be interesting. Let’s have at it!!!
peej
Carissa
bostonboomer
ecocatwoman
mablue2
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
Just thought I’d let you know the first thing Louisiana’s new governor did now that Jindal’s been banished to the swamps.
John Bel Edwards signs Medicaid expansion to make 300,000 eligible for federal program
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/01/john_bel_edwards_medicaid.html
Hooray!!
Hi Pat! How’s your New Year going?
Not bad so far. I took a brief breather as I get too nervous over Hillary and the polls.
Many cheers for this!
Thank you for getting this up tonight.
Glad you’re here! I love to hear what y’all say!
Thanks for the live blog. I’m watching on MSNBC.
Michele is looking real good. What a wonderful woman!
No Alito, No Thomas, and No Scalia
First thought, Cruz wants to be president, but he doesn’t want to be in the same room as all those “people”.
I hate Cruz but then I hate all the others but it still leaves me enough venom to spread around,
Michelle looks gorgeous.
Obama looks and sounds so much more confident than back in 2008. He has really grown in office.
This reminds me of a campaign speech.
Yes. He’s setting the agenda for the campaign he wants to see.
Paul Ryan looks like a petulant teen.
Which he is.
He touches in everything that makes us liberal Democrats.
My eyes, as well as a lot of eyes will be on Ryan tonight. Note, he wouldn’t even applaud Veterans Care and Services. He wouldn’t do it.
Think of how much more could have been accomplished but for those goddamned Republicans who hate his guts,
Marco Rubio showed up. He looks petulant too.
And thirsty! 😀
lol
Gowdy has permanent stink eye .
Make college affordable! Not free!
We should strengthen Medicare and Social Security, Obama says.
534 senators and reps. Except one, Ted Cruz. So far, Paul Ryan hasn’t applauded anything. I jumped up, and said yes, when he said those getting the best benefits and retirement packages are those sitting right there in the chambers.
Paul Ryan has never had a job, he’s been a politician all his life.
Steve King skipped it. He said he was leaving a vacant seat for all the aborted fetuses.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/steve-king-abortion-sotu-empty-seat
That fucker.
I love the way he called out “Speaker Ryan”.
Bernie looked smug?
Biden and cancer medical research.
Also commitment to climate change. Lol, if you want to disagree with climate change you will be pretty lonely. Even if not true, why would we pass the the business opportunity?
He is addressing every issue the GOP derides,
Yep.
He’s making fun of every GOP lie and conspiracy theory.
don’t subsidize the past, change for the future; show fossil fuel based communities a way forward.
I don’t know how that translates to action.
we spend more on our military than the next 8 fighting nations together. we have the finest military. and our standing is high. people call us not china, russia.
Yes this ia a dangerous time, not evil empires failed states and they will be that way for a while from old tensions.
Its up to us to help set things right, priority one is going after terrorists. Even a handful can do damage.
Did we see the totem Syrian refugee yet?
Isil is not Islam they are killers and fanatics. Both sides stood!
Take a vote to authorize a ware against ISIL. However, with or without US will stand against ISIL.
Ask Bin Laden.
War.
I know the authorization question has been up for discussion. Garamendi was supporting it.
Even if we go to war we can’t remake every failed country, learn from Vietnam, Iraq. On issues of global concern we must mobilize other countries. See how well Iran worked with nuclear.
I related very well to that statement!
Yeah, though I don’t think we always set the right priorities when we go to war: http://www.womenundersiegeproject.org/blog/entry/where-is-red-line-on-rape-in-war
Never acceptable, never.
50 years of isolating Cuba did not restore democracy and hurt us.
Either Rubio has a case of dry eye or his blinking is his aggravation tell.
LOL!
He couldn’t even applaud.
Shut down Guantanamo.
The Republicans are not happy tonight. At all,
Waaaaah.
Lol.
He just hit Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. It’s important to reject any politics that attack people for their race or religion. Then quotes Pope Francis.
Beautiful!
Yep.
I liked that too.
The world respects us. Pope said imitate the hatred of tyrants is the best way to take their place. Don’t be a bigot.
Fix our politics keep our diversity. Our ancestors expected us to argue. But it doesn’t work if we don’t respect each other or listen to only those that agree with us; one of my few regrets is the rancor. He knows Congress feel trapped by the confines of being elected and the base. Campaign reform and dark money. We want to make it easier to vote. Obama will travel the country for voter
reform.
Make it easier not vote, not harder. He plans to travel the country this year to push for voting rights.
A shot of the 8 year old that raised 6000 meals for poor.
Rand Paul skipped the SOTU also.
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Ranting is always so useful when you have no idea what the point is. Does anyone know what the purported lie was?
Who knows? Who cares? Paul is just mad because he won’t be in the debate on Thursday night.
Lol.
He’s delusional. He doesn’t know bad Randian fiction from reality.
Petulant child!
He is showing his professor and community organizer side tonight, Very impressive,
Americans first, bound by a common creed, voices of unarmed truth and unconditional love…Ryan, glazed over yada yada yada .
He just told the GOP to kiss his ass! About time.
Pretty much.
How do you speak to a Congress that won’t pass our policies, speak to the future. Wanted to take on Trump.
Last thought, can you imagine, Trump up there speaking for an over an hour and half. Can you imagine Trump speaking on such a positive note? Nope.
I can if we kick or kill off everyone who isn’t blond and shaggy, or with a pneumatic chest.
Trump would just talk about himself and his poll numbers.
I don’t know, what a mess we are.
I just don’t know what to do about all those idiots that watch the absolute, utter lies on Fox News. If we jackbooted them into the next dimension, the rest of us could live pretty well.
I think we have to launch an assault on the FCC, Cable, Comcast and Xfinity.
I was so focused on Ryan finally clapping, that I wasn’t sure what he was clapping about. I notice earlier to that reference was made and they show Raul Labador playing on his Ipad.
Another thing the republicans didn’t believe in was science, and walking on the moon. I was glad to hear him mention Sally Ride, but the republicans know that 4/6 women are ready to go to the moon, they don’t want women on the moon.
Luv the Cure Cancer Connection for all, how we need this so much, and since I am fighting for hope for my bestie.
Follow that with Energy, Up on the Roof:
Cancer needs to go. It’s past time. I know how hard it is to watch a loved one go through this.
Luv you roofingbird……it is the most difficult time, and I am so friggin’ moody over this.
You take care of yourself fannie, eat and sleep right, get help. You can’t give what you don’t have and you need time for your feelings to gestate about what is happening.
Thank you, good advice, because I feel like a basket case right now. I did soak in the sun while taking a long nice walk by myself.
Yeah, take care of your own health first. Otherwise you’ll have nothing for anyone else either.
I went through it in 2013.
Nikki Haley. Each day can be better than the last. Wow, the woman only talks with her teeth.
I can’t even hear what she is saying I only see her teeth!
Girlfriend, I am trying damn hard not to listen to Nikki. There’s good immigrants, like her, and bad immigrants like YOU.
Obama may be black But I’m Indian and I’ve here to tell you we can’t allow immigrants who aren’t vetted, but must focus.
Yep, Republican values. NIkki Haley, bright star on a November ticket?
She is too smart to hook up with one of those losers imho.
I guess it isn’t very nice to talk about her speech pattern, it just seemed an exaggeration of the old “vaseline on your teeth” trick the hand wavers use.
that’s funny, heeheehee.
Tell ya, luv to see Tammy Duckworth, stand up, and couldn’t help see Paul Ryan wiggling when Pres. Obama, best fighting force in the world.
And why after 2 years, they refuse to take a vote. We know, it’s election year.
Reduce money in politics, come on Paul Ryan, stand up to that.
Sorry I missed the live blogging. Only my desktop is working, which is in my office, so I was stuck in front of the TV in another room for the duration.
I’m a little concerned about the bad mouthing I heard from MSNBC toward Hillary. It seems that they too won’t to play up the fact that Bernie is leading in NH and in a statistical tie in IOWA. I don’t understand what they believe that means, except Bernie might win the first two primaries. After that it’s the Nevada and SC primaries and she’s leading in both states. Then on to Super Tuesday and I can’t imagine Hillary not winning every State on that day.
I believe the Sanders campaign is trying to create the illusion that the tightening of the race means he can compete. I disagree completely. I think he will win NH, but lose IA and then lose all the way out.
Whoops. I do think he will win VT and possibly Maine, but I don’t believe that any of those wins will provide him with the impetus to push through the others.
Agreed.
The media like to put more drama into everything, and they probably have more than a few Berniebots in their ranks.
The thing about Iowa is that it’s a caucus and we know how the dudebros can game a caucus so even if she wins Iowa, it will be close and Bernie will claim victory. She will destroy him on Super Tuesday but the Bernie bots will be insufferable until then.
The caucus system is undemocratic. Yes, janicen, it is so easily gamed if you have enough loud obnoxious time-wasting supporters. No secret ballot, no 1 person = 1 vote, let alone that if you have to work, need transportation, or can’t get/afford childcare you can’t attend. 2004 was bad. 2008 was hideous. Then at the next level up caucus meeting I discovered that the names of the only 2 Hillary delegates (another person and I) in our precinct were “somehow” left off the official list. There are a ton of disincentives. Caucuses in our state are usually attended by less than 2% of the population — so they don’t mean anything in relation to the general election. TPTB love the caucus system for all the wrong reasons.
Hillary’s campaign has been working on the ground in Iowa for much longer than Bernie’s. We’ll have to wait and see if he can get his supporters to caucus if they’ve never done it before.
Hillary looked very confident on Good Morning America today.
Polls in Iowa don’t necessarily translate into caucus results.
I caucused in Washington State in ’04 and ’08. Yoooooge difference. A total of maybe 50 people in our precinct in ’04 compared to several hundred in ’08. Where did they all come from? They weren’t from our precinct but the DNC insisted that addresses NOT be checked. That’s why I’m saying that they know how to game a caucus. They just bus “voters” in from anywhere and everywhere.
Yep. I saw the same things.