President Barack Obama delivered his sixth State of the Union address on Tuesday, calling for Americans to “turn the page” after years of recession, war and the threat of terrorism. The President proposed policies to “restore the link between hard work and growing opportunity for every American” include making community college free, improving tax credits for education and childcare and instituting new taxes on wealthy Americans and financial institutions. He also proposed using force against the Islamic State and shutting down Guantanamo Bay. In response to the address, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus tweeted that the "proposals are so out of touch you have to ask if there is any point to the speech." What was the most critical thing President Obama said during the State of the Union address, and how do you react to it?

Dor Cohen ’16

It may be unfair to expect any meaningful discussion of strategy and America’s security position in a State of the Union address, but it is clear that President Obama’s statement that U.S. foreign policy is succeeding contained all spin and no substance. President Obama stated that ISIS is being stopped, yet despite countless airstrikes ISIS has not been significantly repressed. Obama’s assertion that diplomacy has hindered Iran’s nuclear ambitions is false; Tehran has only been set back by a couple months, and has suspended aspects of the program that no longer need significant advancement while working on others and stonewalling the International Atomic Agency. Further, despite his contention that the terrorist threat has been been reduced, a State Department report on terrorism issued in April 2014 shows a massive rise in total terrorist activity from 2010 to 2014. These and various other examples, including a lack of a clear strategy regarding Afghanistan and Russia, evince that some six years after taking office President Obama still finds it difficult to get down to actual substance and provide credible data and viable strategies.

Dor Cohen '16is the vice president of Brandeis Republicans and an undergraduate departmental representative in the Politics department. 

Zixuan Xiao ’16

In my opinion, the most important part of the State of the Union address 2015 was not any specific proposal that the President made but the left-wing standing point he held throughout the speech. Without legislative viability in both the House and the Senate, ambitious ideas including making community college free and providing more government assistance to childcare and retirement savings are highly unlikely to be realized anytime soon. Ignoring the major defeat of his party in the midterm election during the entire address, President Obama demonstrated his determination to keep moving forward on his progressive track in a unilateral manner. The disconnection between the Congress and President is therefore widened to a greater extent. However, it would be inaccurate to say that the address is merely a manifesto. The State of the Union is always a critical moment that the President can bring his ideas into the conversation effectively. Hopefully the progressive agendas that the President proposed in this address will draw the attention of the public, even though significant steps might not be taken in the federal level.

Zixuan Xiao ’16 is an undergraduate departmental representative in the Politics department.


Cynthia Jackson ’16

As a future teacher and someone who has worked with students who do not believe they can reach this milestone, President Obama’s idea to make two years of community college free immediately caught my attention. The proposal was marketed as a cheaper option, and the costs of books and living expenses still chase students away from college. Although 85% of community college students do not finish their bachelor’s degree within a 6 year period, I have to believe that reducing the overall costs will lower this statistic. Since 66% of jobs will require some higher education by 2020, I think making two years free will encourage more students to explore their options. While his proposal leaves me with a few questions, it allows me to look towards the future with hope as well.

Cynthia Jackson '16 is an undergraduate departmental representative in the Education department.


Prof. George Hall (ECON)

This year's #SOTU was an impressive speech. I applaud President Obama’s proposal to expand access to higher education by making two years of community college free. While the president discussed reforming the tax code to temper the extreme income and wealth disparity we face, moneyed interests on both sides of the aisle benefit from the status quo, so I doubt we’ll see any true action or reform to address this growing problem. For me, the most poignant part of the speech came toward the end when the President returned to the themes he first ran on and that resonated so forcefully throughout the electorate; the notion that “we are one people. I still believe that together, we can do great things, even when the odds are long.” We must get beyond the gridlock. We look small and petty to the rest of the world when simply passing a budget is celebrated as a great bipartisan achievement. 

Prof. George Hall (ECON) is a professor of Economics. He teaches ECON 70a: American Fiscal Policy.


Brian Hough '17

During President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday, the President cited many key areas of policy in line with the Democratic Party, such as unemployment and tax reform. However, President Obama's most critical point in his address was the theme of populism for the middle class. Consistently, Obama has advocated for the preservation and protection of the middle class, even standing up to Republican Congressional leadership when bipartisan cooperation was not possible. The new tax benefits Obama has announced include increases in child tax credits and new tax breaks for the middle class, as well as free community college for two years to further educational and economic opportunities to more Americans. Coming out of the 2008 financial crisis, the middle class has been severely impacted, and it is up to the rest of Congress to stand up for Americans through bipartisanship. 

Brian Hough '17 is the membership director of College Democrats of Massachusetts.