Republicans found little to cheer about in President Obama’s last State of the Union speech aside from the looming end of his time in the White House, while congressional Democrats cheered it as a victory lap celebrating Obama’s two terms in office.
“I’m glad it’s the last one,” said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, as he exited the House chamber where Obama delivered final address.
“It was terrific, it was the best speech,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., gushed in contrast as she headed back to the Senate.
Obama did not address the 10 U.S. sailors now being held by Iran after two Navy vessels reportedly strayed into Iranian-claimed waters on Tuesday. Nor did he outline a new strategy to combat the threat of the Islamic State, Republicans noted after the speech.
“And he talks about being the strongest we’ve ever been?” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said. “I feel there is a greater threat out there. And we have stepped back and let others fill that void and it has made the world unsafe. We need to take a stronger position.”
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., downplayed it by saying he didn’t expect much, so he wasn’t disappointed.
“As usual, the president tried to manage people’s perceptions instead of confronting reality: His policies aren’t working,” Ryan said.
But Democrats, who had more to say about Obama’s final performance, praised the accomplishments Obama took credit for in his address, including a decrease in the unemployment rate, a reduction in the budget deficit and the rebounding of the U.S. auto market. Still, Democratic leaders said there was much more to be done to fix the economy and shore up national security.
“Tonight, President Obama called on us to embrace the boundless possibility that is America,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said. “For our nation to succeed, we must recognize the grit, the ingenuity and the spirit of the American people to build a new future of strength and sustainability.”
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., the number-three Senate Democrat, said Obama gave a speech aimed at the next generation and that he “stood in sharp contrast to the nastiness of the Republican Presidential primary.”
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., called the speech “a great vision for the future as well as looking back,” but said he wanted Obama to provide more specifics on his plans, particularly on the economy, foreign policy and national security.
“He said at the beginning he wasn’t going to give a laundry list,” Blumenthal said. “The president is entitled to give his own speech. This was his last. And he wanted to outline in general terms his vision for the future. I personally would have preferred more emphasis on creating jobs and advancing our economy as well as some greater specificity on our national security.”
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., had little praise for Obama’s pledge to limit oil and coal and instead pivot to green energy sources.
“The energy he’s talking about made us the greatest nation on earth,” Manchin, an opponent of Obama’s coal regulations, said after the speech. “We’d like to find new technology,” for cleaner coal. “We’d like the government to help us develop it,” Manchin added. “Let’s see what he has in store. I haven’t seen anything yet.”
