President Obama will use his State of the Union address Tuesday night to strike a populist tone, challenging Republicans on wealth inequality and wage stagnation.
“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?” Obama will say, according to early excerpts of the address.
“So the verdict is clear,” he will add. “Middle-class economics works. Expanding opportunity works. And these policies will continue to work, as long as politics don’t get in the way.”
The president will roll out a proposal to raise taxes on the wealthy to pay for middle-class tax relief. He also will highlight his plan to offer free community college, among other progressive ideas.
Obama will devote most of his speech to defending his economic record.
“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,” he will argue.
As for foreign policy, Obama will insist that his administration is committed to stopping the spread of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
“In Iraq and Syria, American leadership — including our military power — is stopping [the terrorist organization’s] advance,” he will say. “Instead of getting dragged into another ground war in the Middle East, we are leading a broad coalition, including Arab nations, to degrade and ultimately destroy this terrorist group.”
