This evening President Obama will address a Joint Session of Congress and the American people during the State of the Union. While it will be the fifth State of the Union of his presidency, it will be his first since re-election. This speech is expected to unite him with other second-term president like Ronald Regan, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush who all emphasized their first term successes and gave a road map for what lies ahead.
While we don’t know exactly what tonight’s speech will include, it is clear that jobs and the economy will take center stage. Insiders also say to watch for a tighter focus on the middle class, infrastructure, and the environment, all issues which President Obama touched on during his Inaugural Address.
According to Senior White House officials a last minute addition to the State of the Union is that the president will address North Korea’s nuclear test. This third atomic test is the first one overseen by the North’s new young leader, Kim Jong Un, and comes in direct defiance of U.N. warnings. The president will emphasize that the nation’s leaders will only further isolate their country from the rest of the world if they continue these threats and that they cannot help legitimize their government.
Joining today’s show to help preview the State of the Union is NBC News Capitol Hill Correspondent Luke Russert and Politico’s Jonathan Allen. Are you excited to hear the president’s vision for the country and where we are headed? Let us know on our Facebook page.
Abby Borovitz