WASHINGTON — President Obama tried to reboot his presidency Tuesday night after Republicans’ election gains, rolling out plans to boost the middle class and declaring it time to “turn the page” on war and a “vicious” recession.
In his sixth State of the Union address, Obama laid out a barrage of plans — most of which don’t stand much chance of passing — to help Americans who still haven’t dug from of the Great Recession or who have improved but still feel themselves lagging.
“At this moment — with a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry, and booming energy production – we have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on earth,” Obama said.
Buoyed by an uptick in his polls, Obama set up clashes with the GOP-controlled Congress, even as he interspersed his remarks with appeals for bipartisan cooperation.
When Obama reeled off statistics about the growing economy, he was met with silence from Republicans.
“That was good news, people,” he chided them.
Among Obama’s more ambitious proposals are free community college for qualifying students, tax breaks for two-income families, and a tripling of the child tax credit.
“Will we accept an economy where only a few of us do spectacularly well?” Obama asked.
Other proposals would:
- Set up a federal-state partnership to make preschool available to every 4-year-old in the nation, funded by a hike in the tobacco tax.
- Spend $2 billion to encourage states to require paid sick leave for workers.
- Increase the child tax credit to $3,000 per youngster.
- Tax investment gains at the time of death.
In his first address to Congress since Republicans seized control of the Senate, Obama didn’t hesitate to throw zingers at his opponents.
Referring to a favorite GOP priority, the Keystone Pipeline, he quipped: “Let’s set our sights higher than a single oil pipeline.”
Later, he took at dig at Republicans who applauded when he said, “I have no more campaigns to run” by ad libbing: “I know, because I won both of them.”
On issues such as, global warming, he ridiculed skeptics who “dodge” evidence by saying they’re not scientists. “Well, I’m not a scientist, either. But you know what? I know a lot of really good scientists at NASA and NOAA and at our major universities,” Obama said.
On Cuba, Obama said it was time for Congress to work to begin ending the embargo.
“When what you’re doing doesn’t work for 50 years, it’s time to try something new,” he said.
After months of tensions between communities and police in New York and Missouri, Obama called for a $263 million investment in body cameras for officers.
In one unifying moment, Obama referenced astronaut Scott Kelly, who is about to begin a yearlong stay in space.
“Good luck, Captain — and make sure to Instagram it,” the president said.
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