Every year the president stands in front of the US Congress for the State of Union. This year marks a very special one. It is the last State of Union presented by Barack Obama as the President of the United States, and therefor the last one before the Presidential Election of 2016.
This was a rather unusual State of the Union, considering this was rather less a planning ahead in policies for 2016, more a recapitulation of what had happened with a humorous side to it, although, as generally done, it was opened with the words: “The State of the Union is strong.”
For his last SOTU, he came with a clear message to all critics, and especially, although not mentioned by name, Donald Trump. “When politicians insult Muslims, when a mosque is vandalised, or a kid bullied, that doesn’t make us safer,” he said. “That’s not telling it like it is. It’s just wrong.” But this was only a side message.
This final SOTU was an encouraging consensus of his 8 years of administration. He declared an outrageous number of 290,000 new jobs added only in December of 2015 and 2.65 million new jobs added in 2015, which is the highest since 1999. Furthermore, he clarified “Anyone claiming that America´s Economy is in decline, is peddling fiction,” with an estimated GDP growth of up to 2.7% throughout 2015 and a 5% unemployment rate.
On curing cancer, Obama has declared that he wants Vice President Joe Biden, who´s son Beau died of cancer in May 2015, to lead this international effort.
After Rick Santorum, GOP Presidential Candidate, caused public fury by claiming that the US are in World War III with the Terrorist Organisation ISIL, Obama said, “Masses of fighters on the back of pickup trucks and twisted souls plotting in apartments or garages pose an enormous danger to civilians and must be stopped. But they do not threaten our national existence.”
After 8 years of Presidency, it can be seen that Obama looks back on one of the best, if not the best US President Administrations in History, regardless of what critics say.
In November 2016 the new President will be determined, and Obama´s Presidency will end after two successful terms.