NATION
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
East Oregonian
STATE OF THE UNION
Page 9A
With Democratic race
narrowing, Clinton
rips into Sanders
overhaul to the nation’s
health care system was a
AMES, Iowa — Facing major accomplishment.
“I wish that we could
a
narrowing
primary
contest, Hillary Clinton elect a Democrat who could
ripped into rival Bernie wave a magic wand and say,
Sanders on Tuesday, saying ‘We shall do this and we
the Vermont senator was shall do that.’ That ain’t the
offering unrealistic policies real world we’re living in,”
and overstating his anti-es- Clinton said. In Dubuque,
Clinton said she hoped that
tablishment credentials.
For days, Clinton has cast Sanders “hurries up” and
Sanders as a less forceful releases more details of
advocate for gun control, his tax plan “because you
honing in on a 2005 vote deserve to see the compar-
he cast that gave immunity isons side-by-side.”
In an emailed fund-
to gun manufacturers. On
Tuesday, she broadened raising appeal, Sanders
her critique, arguing that if campaign manager Jeff
Sanders wouldn’t combat Weaver dismissed Clinton’s
WKH 1DWLRQDO 5LÀH $VVRFL- criticism and instead reit-
ation, he can’t be trusted erated the senator’s goal of
to take on other special guaranteeing health care for
all Americans.
interests.
“It is a national disgrace
“If you’re going to go
around saying you stand WKDWWKH8QLWHG6WDWHVLVWKH
up to special interests, only major country in the
then stand up to that most world that does not offer
powerful special interest — health care as a right,”
stand up to the gun lobby,” Weaver said. “We need a
she said, as she accepted SUHVLGHQWZKRZLOO¿JKWIRU
the backing of a major gun the 29 million Americans
without health care.”
control advocacy group.
Clinton also touted her
Clinton added: “Don’t
talk to me about standing foreign policy creden-
up to corporate interests tials, drawing another,
and big powers. I’ve got the more implicit, contrast
with Sanders, who has
scars to show for it.”
Sanders
campaign made tackling economic
spokesman Michael Briggs inequality the focus of his
said the senator had “spent campaign. “I’m prepared to
a career standing up to do all parts to the job,” she
powerful special interests said, after offering voters
whether they be Wall Street, a detailed account of her
big banks or Big Oil or the time in the Situation Room
pharmaceutical industry, during the killing of Osama
bin Laden.
you name it.”
Though Clinton has the
Briggs added, “He has
also stood up to the National backing of Democratic
5LÀH $VVRFLDWLRQ´ QRWLQJ leaders and top donors,
that Sanders lost a 1988 polls show a tight race in
congressional race in part Iowa while Sanders has
because he supported a ban built a slight lead in New
Hampshire, which borders
on assault weapons.
The
fresh
critique his home state of Vermont.
marks an effort by Clinton Losses in both states could
to undermine the central raise worries among Demo-
argument of Sanders’ crats about her strength
campaign—
that
the against Sanders, who was
Vermont senator is an relatively unknown when
outsider offering liberals a he started the campaign but
“political revolution.” At has attracted big crowds.
A poll released on
one point, she alluded to his
mantra, telling supporters, Wednesday by Quinnipiac
“If that’s the kind of ‘revo- 8QLYHUVLW\VKRZHG6DQGHUV
lution’ he’s talking about, winning 49 percent of
likely Democratic caucus-
I’m worried, folks.”
With a touch of sarcasm, goers in Iowa, compared
Clinton derided Sanders’ to 44 percent for Clinton.
plans for a single-payer The same survey showed
Medicare-for-all
system Clinton leading in a 51-40
and said President Barack percent match-up just a
Obama’s work to pass an month ago.
Associated Press
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
President Barack Obama gives his the State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Capitol
Hill in Washington on Tuesday.
Obama warns against election year cynicism
WASHINGTON
(AP)
— Eyeing the end of his
presidency, Barack Obama
urged Americans Tuesday
night to rekindle their belief
in the promise of change that
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House, declaring that the
country must not allow elec-
tion-year fear and division to
put economic and security
progress at risk.
“All the talk of America’s
economic decline is political
hot air,” Obama said in his
¿QDO 6WDWH RI WKH 8QLRQ
address. “So is all the rhetoric
you hear about our enemies
getting stronger and America
getting weaker.”
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America is the most powerful
nation on Earth. Period. It’s
not even close,” he said.
The president’s address
to lawmakers and a prime-
time television audience
was meant to both shape his
legacy and put his imprint
squarely on the race to
succeed him. He defended
his record — and implicitly
urged the public to elect
another Democratic pres-
ident to build on it — but
acknowledged the persistent
anxieties of Americans who
feel shut out of a changing
economy or at risk from an
evolving terror threat.
While Obama did not
directly call out Republicans,
he sharply, and at times
sarcastically, struck back at
rivals who have challenged
his economic and national
security stewardship.
In one of his most pointed
swipes at the GOP candi-
dates running to succeed
him, Obama warned against
“voices urging us to fall
back into tribes, to scapegoat
fellow citizens who don’t
look like us or pray like us or
vote like we do or share the
same background.”
His words were unex-
pectedly echoed by South
Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley,
who was selected to give
the Republican response to
2EDPD¶V DGGUHVV 8QGHU-
scoring how the heated
campaign rhetoric about
immigrants and minorities
from GOP front-runner
Donald Trump in particular
has unnerved some Repub-
lican leaders, Haley called on
Americans to resist the temp-
tation “to follow the siren call
of the angriest voices.”
“No one who is willing to
work hard, abide by our laws
and love our traditions should
ever feel unwelcome,” said
Haley, whose parents are
Indian immigrants.
Focused on his own
legacy, Obama ticked off a
retrospective of his domestic
and foreign policy actions in
RI¿FHLQFOXGLQJKHOSLQJOHDG
the economy back from the
brink of depression, muscling
through a sweeping health
care law, taking aggressive
action on climate change and
ending a Cold War freeze
with Cuba.
He touted implementation
of the landmark nuclear
deal with Iran, but made no
mention of the 10 American
sailors picked up by Iran
Tuesday. The Pentagon said
the sailors had drifted into
Iranian waters after encoun-
tering mechanical problems
and would be returned safely
and promptly.
Tackling one of the
most vexing foreign policy
AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool
Vice President Joe Biden and Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin applaud President
Barack Obama during the State of the Union address.
challenges of his presidency,
Obama vowed a robust
campaign to “take out” the
Islamic State group, but
chastised Republicans for
“over the top claims” about
the extremist group’s power.
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the back of pickup trucks
and twisted souls plotting in
apartments or garages pose
an enormous danger and
must be stopped,” he said.
“But they do not threaten our
national existence.”
The president’s words
were unlikely to satisfy
Republicans, as well as
some Democrats, who say he
underestimates the Islamic
State’s power and is leaving
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Obama was frank about
one of his biggest regrets:
failing to ease the persistently
deep divisions between
Democrats and Republicans.
The GOP-led Congress
Obama stood before Tuesday
night is hostile to his ideas
and angry about his executive
orders on issues from guns to
immigration.
On the campaign trail,
Trump’s heated rhetoric is
seen by some voters as a
welcome contrast to Obama’s
cool calls for civility. On his
Twitter account Tuesday
night,
the
candidate
dismissed Obama’s speech
as “really boring.”
As for political disagree-
ment, Obama conceded, “The
rancor and suspicion between
the parties has gotten worse
instead of better. There’s no
doubt a president with the
gifts of Lincoln or Roosevelt
might have better bridged the
divide, and I guarantee I’ll
keep trying to be better so
ORQJDV,KROGWKLVRI¿FH´
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ending the gerrymandering
of
some
congressional
districts that gives parties
an iron grip on House seats.
He also urged steps to make
voting easier and reduce
WKH LQÀXHQFH RI PRQH\ LQ
politics.
Mindful of the scant
prospect for major legis-
lative action in an election
year, Obama avoided the
traditional litany of policy
proposals. He did reiterate
his call for working with
Republicans on criminal
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and he also vowed to keep
pushing for action on polit-
ically fraught issues such as
curbing gun violence and
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immigration laws.
The
president
also
touted a new effort led by
Vice President Joe Biden
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increasing public and private
resources and breaking down
barriers to collaboration
among researchers. Biden’s
46-year-old son died last year
from brain cancer.
Yet Obama was eager to
look beyond his own pres-
idency, casting the actions
he’s taken as a springboard
for future economic progress
and national security. His
optimism was meant to draw
a contrast with what the
White House sees as doom-
and-gloom scenarios peddled
by the GOP.
Republicans were largely
dismissive of the president’s
address. House Speaker Paul
Ryan, assuming the speaker’s
traditional seat behind the
SUHVLGHQW IRU WKH ¿UVW WLPH
said Obama’s “lofty plati-
tudes and nostalgic rhetoric
may make for nice sound-
bites, but they don’t explain
how to” solve problems.
Tuesday’s address was
one of Obama’s last oppor-
tunities to claim a large tele-
vision audience as president.
However, the State of the
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drop-off in viewers in recent
years. Last year, Obama’s
speech reached 31.7 million
viewers,
according
to
Nielson, down from 52
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George W. Bush in 2003.
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some of the gauzy nostalgia
that was a hallmark of his
political operation. Among
WKRVH VLWWLQJ LQ ¿UVW ODG\
Michelle Obama’s guest box
was Edith Childs, the South
&DUROLQD ZRPDQ ZKR ¿UVW
introduced Obama to the
“Fired up! Ready to go!”
chant that was a staple of his
2008 campaign.
The president himself
appeared to get momentarily
caught up in the emotion of
the moment. As he walked
toward the exit after his
hour-long speech, he turned
back to the crowded House
chamber and said, “Let me
take one more look at this
thing.”
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