With much at stake for the nation and his own party, President Obama was aiming to redirect the course of his struggling administration with a State of the Union address freighted with new initiatives.
While acknowledging the anger and frustration many Americans feel about the economy, Obama also hoped to renew support for his leadership by striking a hopeful tone.
A recent BBC/Harris poll found 84 percent of Americans rate the current state of the union as negative.
“Though Washington believes that every day is Election Day, people in this country want to know that the president and the Congress are working hard to together to solve the challenges and the problems they have,” press secretary Robert Gibbs told ABC News.
With his comprehensive health care overhaul on life support, Obama was expected to fold a renewed plea for reform within a larger economic message, recasting health care as a way to spur the economy.
The centerpiece of the address, which writers were still working on in the hours leading up to the speech, was to be jobs — so far the most elusive and bedeviling issue for the administration.
The president will call for a three-year freeze on some categories of federal spending, excluding the military and homeland security, foreign aid, Social Security and more.
The list also was expected to include bioterrorism, deficit reduction and more.
Immigration reform also is expected to come up, but White House officials signaled that like health care reform, any initiative to proceed on the issue must come from Congress.
Still under discussion was whether Obama would resurrect the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays in the military. Having promised to reverse it, the president failed to act on the measure during his first year in office.
Even so, thorny topics like gay rights and immigration are a hard sell to Congress in any year, and especially in an election year. By raising them, Obama is making an appeal to constituencies that he has disappointed — including Hispanics and gays — rather than laying out a specific agenda.
The president in days leading up to the speech has repeatedly expressed frustration with the difficulty of getting things done in Washington, and is expected to offer a harsh assessment of partisan politics.
Obama’s tasks for the speech include giving Democrats an agenda they can build on toward the November midterm elections and reconnecting with voters — especially independents, who polls show have deserted him over his economic and other policies.
Guests for the speech in the first lady’s box will include Kim Munley and Mark Todd, Texas police officers who responded to the Fort Hood massacre last year. Others include guests from the military, students and dignitaries.
After the speech, Obama heads to Florida with Vice President Joe Biden to announce new high-speed rail funding. On Tuesday, Obama will be in New Hampshire. Both states are critical for both 2010 and 2012, and the visits signal the administration’s shift back into campaign mode.
On Friday, Obama will address a gathering of congressional Republicans in Baltimore — part of his renewed effort to show he wants to work with the other party.
