President Barack Obama delivers the State of the Union address. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
President Barack Obama delivers the State of the Union address. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
President Barack Obama delivered a 7,000 word State of the Union address last night, calling for Congress to raise the federal minimum wage and vowing to use the power of his office to accomplish his agenda without them when necessary. Below are the highlights from his speech, plus some other things that got our attention.
The Speech
“Give America a raise”: Perhaps the strongest takeaway line from the night was Obama’s call for Congress to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, meaning the annual wage for a full time worker would be $21,008 per year. The president said he will sign an executive order to raise the minimum wage for government contract workers to $10.10 an hour: “Because if you cook our troops’ meals or wash their dishes, you shouldn’t have to live in poverty. Of course, to reach millions more, Congress needs to get on board.”
“America does not stand still — and neither will I”: While the president said he’s “eager” to work with members of Congress, he vowed to “take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families.”
“It’s time to do away with workplace policies that belong in a Mad Men episode”: Obama referenced the AMC show Mad Men to make a point about equal wages for women: “Today, women make up about half our workforce. But they still make 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. That is wrong, and in 2014, it’s an embarrassment. A woman deserves equal pay for equal work. She deserves to have a baby without sacrificing her job. A mother deserves a day off to care for a sick child or sick parent without running into hardship – and you know what, a father does, too. It’s time to do away with workplace policies that belong in a Mad Men episode.”
“For decades, few things exposed hard-working families to economic hardship more than a broken health care system. And in case you haven’t heard, we’re in the process of fixing that”: The president did not apologize for the troubled rollout of his healthcare websites, instead focusing on the positives for formerly uninsured Americans: “I don’t expect to convince my Republican friends on the merits of this law. But I know that the American people aren’t interested in refighting old battles. So again, if you have specific plans to cut costs, cover more people, and increase choice – tell America what you’d do differently. Let’s see if the numbers add up. But let’s not have another forty-something votes to repeal a law that’s already helping millions of Americans like Amanda. The first forty were plenty. We got it.”
“Let’s get immigration reform done this year”: Obama renewed his call for Congress to pass immigration reform: “Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have acted. I know that members of both parties in the House want to do the same. Independent economists say immigration reform will grow our economy and shrink our deficits by almost $1 trillion in the next two decades.”
“Men and women like Cory remind us that America has never come easy”: Obama’s State of the Union address ended with an emotional and powerful tribute to Sergeant First Class Cory Remsburg, who was “nearly killed by a massive roadside bomb in Afghanistan” on his tenth deployment. After the president told Remsburg’s story, the entire crowd rose to their feet for the night’s longest standing ovation.
First lady Michelle Obama applauds as US Army Ranger Sergeant First Class Cory Remsburg is acknowledged by U.S. President Barack Obama during the State of the Union address.(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The Rest
Rep. Randy Weber from Texas’ 14th District started off the night with some really fun tweets calling Obama the “Kommandant-In-Chef” and a “Socialistic dictator who’s been feeding US a line or is it ‘A-Lying.'” The tweets are still up today. The State of Political Discourse, everyone!
Members of Congress were asking for the autograph of a person from Duck Dynasty.
Willie Robertson of the television show Duck Dynasty waits for U.S. President Barack Obama to deliver the State of the Union address. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
At least we have @Darth.
And these GIFs, via NY Magazine.
