Intro:
US President Barack Obama has been setting out his priorities for the next year in office in his annual State of the Union address. Speaking on Capitol Hill, he urged Americans to 'turn the page' on years of economic troubles, terrorism and war, arguing that his presidency's brought in a growing economy and smarter leadership. Mr. Obama also proposed higher taxes on the wealthy to fund middle class tax credits. But Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress, argued that the economic recovery isn't being felt by everyone. Lorna Shaddick reports from Washington.
IN: UPSOT Applause
OUT: Lorna Shaddick, Washington
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Script:
UPSOT applause
He's supposed to be a lame duck – but Barack Obama sounded pretty feisty for a President supposedly on his way out.
SOT - Barack Obama – I have no more campaigns to run. (Laughter). I know, coz I won both of 'em.
With no more elections to fight, but two years still to go in the White House, he's a man with an eye on his legacy…. And for him, it's clear that means sharing the benefits of the economic recovery.
SOT - Barack Obama - With a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry and booming energy production… 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?
Of course, Mr. Obama wants the second option – that's why he's been criss-crossing the US over the last couple of weeks giving sneak previews of some of his headline announcements.
So we already knew, for example, about his plan to help nine million students pay for community college, for lower mortgage premiums and a higher minimum wage.
And Mr. Obama's announcements seem formulated with the 2016 election in mind – these are policies calculated to flag up the differences between his party and the Republicans… and they're not happy about it, using their rebuttal to flag up the fact that THEY won control of both chambers of Congress in last year's midterms.
SOT – Joni Ernst
We heard the message you sent in November, loud and clear. And now we're getting to work to change the direction Washington has been taking our country. We'll propose ideas to cut wasteful spending and balance the budget – with meaningful reforms, not higher taxes like the President has proposed.
But it wasn't all disagreement. There were some announcements in this year's State of the Union address which can attract bipartisan support. Overhauling corporate tax codes, liberalizing trade rules and bolstering cybersecurity protections are all topics Republican lawmakers can get behind.
Christina Bellantoni is editor of Washington newspaper Roll Call. She's optimistic about the chances of both parties working together:
SOT - Christina Bellantoni - Republicans are well aware that they don't just need the numbers that they have, they need to get some Democrats to work with them to get anything to the president's desk or to override a veto if he were to issue that threat. So you're hearing a lot of tones of moderation coming from members of Congress on the Hill right now, which is actually a positive time for progress.
In the meantime, in a speech mainly dominated by domestic issues, Mr. Obama also flagged up what he saw as successes in his foreign policy:
In Iraq and Syria, American leadership is stopping ISIL's advance. Instead of getting dragged into another ground war in the Middle East, we're leading a broad coalition, including Arab nations, to degrade and ultimately destroy this terrorist group… We stand united with people around the world who've been targeted by terrorists, from a school in Pakistan to the streets of Paris.
Mr. Obama also reiterated his belief that the US can negotiate an agreement over Iran's nuclear programme, and became the first President ever to call for an end to the U.S. embargo on Cuba during a State of the Union speech.
This is Barack Obama's penultimate State of the Union – but it's the last one that really counts. This time next year, all eyes will be on the race for his successor. Lorna Shaddick, Washington.