Obama targets the rich in speech
COMMENTARY: War on IS, climate, cyber-attacks themes of State of Union address
WASHINGTON — Claiming to be “turning the page” on 15 years of war and recession, U.S. President Barack Obama returned Tuesday to his Robin Hood theme of strengthening the middle class with a State of the Union address that outlined tax reforms that would take from the rich and give to everybody else.
“Will we accept an economy where only a few of us do spectacularly well? Or will we commit ourselves to an economy that generates rising incomes and chances for everyone who makes the effort,” he asked. Many Republicans immediately condemned his tax reforms as non-starters.
In light of the recent North Korean hacking of Sony emails, Obama also urged Congress to pass legislation “to better meet the evolving threat of cyber-attacks.”
“No foreign nation, no hacker, should be able to shut down our networks, steal our trade secrets, or invade the privacy of American families,” he said.
Obama’s speech came on the same day as rebels invaded the capital of Yemen. As the rebels threatened the U.S. embassy, Obama called on Congress to pass a “use of force” resolution that would broaden his powers to expand the war against Islamic State, also known as ISIL or ISIS. He said that while an American-led coalition is “stopping ISIL’s advance,” the ultimate destruction of ISIL will take time.
Claiming that “no challenge — no challenge — poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change,” Obama vowed to “not let this Congress endanger the health of our children by turning back the clock on our efforts” to combat climate change. Then he referred to, but did not mention, Keystone XL, saying, “So let’s set our sights higher than a single oil pipeline.”
Republicans quickly condemned his tax reforms as non-starters, even demanding that Obama approve the Keystone XL pipeline as a sign that he is serious about job creation.