Washington, Jan. 26: US President Barack Obama challenged Americans on Tuesday night to unleash their creative spirit, set aside their partisan differences and come together around a common goal of outcompeting other nations in a rapidly shifting global economy. In a State of the Union address to a newly divided Congress, Mr Oba-ma outlined what he called a plan to “win the future” — a blueprint for spending in critical areas like education, high-speed rail, clean energy technology and high-speed Internet to help the US weather the unsettling impact of globalisation and the challenge from emerging powers like China and India.
But at the same time he proposed budget-cutting measures, including a five-year freeze in spending on some domestic programmes that he said would reduce the deficit by $400 billion over 10 years.
Drawing a stark contrast between himself and Republicans, Mr Obama laid out a philosophy of a government that could be more efficient but would still be necessary if the nation was to address fundamental challenges at home and abroad. “We need to out-innovate, outeducate and outbuild the rest of the world,” he said. “We have to make Am-erica the best place on earth to do business. We need to take responsibility for our deficit and reform our government.” Just weeks after the shooting in Tucson that claimed six lives and left Representative Gabrielle Giffords, Democrat of Arizona, gravely injured, Mr Obama received a reception that was muted and civil.
The President’s speech, lasting slightly more than an hour, lacked the loft of the inspirational address he de-livered in Tucson days after the shooting.
But it seemed intended to elevate his presidency above the bare-knuckled legislative gamesmanship that has defined the first two years of his term.
Reaching out to Republicans who have vowed to end the pet projects known as “earmarks,” Mr Obama pledged to veto any bill that contained them.
He tried to defuse partisan anger over his healthcare measure with humour, saying he had “heard rumours” of concerns over the bill, and he reiterated his pledge to fix a tax provision in the measure that both parties regard as burdensome to businesses.
He drew sustained appla-use when he declared that colleges should open their doors to military recruiters and ROTC programmes now that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the policy barring gay men and lesbians from serving openly, has been repealed.