By Aidan Fox, News Editor

On Tuesday, January 20, President Barack Obama delivered his annual State of the Union Address. Not surprisingly, it was very optimistic and outlined many lofty goals for the upcoming year. Its main theme was middle-class economics, which “means helping [working families] afford childcare, college, healthcare care, a home, retirement.” Here are some highlights of the speech:

• He began the speech by calling 2014 a “breakthrough year for America,” citing the increased unemployment, graduation, and insurance rates as well as the rollback of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. “The state of the Union is strong,” he said.
• He pointed out, “We’re the only advanced country on Earth that doesn’t guarantee paid sick leave or paid maternity leave to our workers. […] Send me a bill that gives every working in America the opportunity to earn seven days of paid sick leave. It’s the right thing to do.” This was the first of several gender, feminist-related comments.
• The next one was, “Congress still needs to pass a law that makes sure a woman is paid the same as a man for doing the same work. Really. It’s 2015. It’s time.”
• He became the first president to use the words “gay,” “lesbian,” “bisexual,” and “transgender” in a State of the Union Address when he discussed condemning the persecution and discrimination of those four groups.
• He seemed intent on aggressively cracking down on ISIS, calling for Congress to pass a resolution to “authorize the use of force” against ISIS.
• One of the most ambitious goals he proposed was his call for two free years of community college. With a Republican-controlled Congress, the chances of this being enacted this year are slim to none.
• He advocated his priority to make “quality childcare more affordable.”
• He unrolled an idea to require all 50 states to provide pre-K for 4-year olds.
• He proposed increasing minimum wage from $7.25 to $9, with the caveat that it maintains its pace with inflation.
• He reaffirmed his desires to “end the embargo” in Cuba and reform immigration law, saying “let’s get this done.”
• During the speech, many members of Congress held pencils in the air to show their support for France.
• On a lighter note, Obama raised heads when he said, “I have no more campaigns to run,” drawing sarcastic cheers from the Republican side. Obama went off script and  with a wink and satisfied smile, said “I know because I won both of them.”

Predictably, Democrat leaders liked the speech while Republicans did not. Joni Ernst, Curt Clawson, Rand Paul, and Ted Cruz all gave rebuttals. A CNN poll showed a positive reaction among civilians, with 51 percent finding the speech “very positive” and 30 percent finding it “somewhat positive.” Also, after the speech, 72 percent polled felt that “policies being proposed by Barack Obama will move the country in the right direction,” compared to 57 percent four days before the speech. That’s a fifteen percent increase.

The underlying issue is that while Obama mildly encouraged bipartisanship, the fact remains that he is a Democratic president with a Republican congress. Congress continues to propose bills that work against policies of the previous session and Obama continues to veto them. The President laid out lofty liberal ideas, but with a Republican congress, will any of them come to fruition?