State of the Union Address 2016

:00:00. > :00:29.Welcome to this BBC News Special, reporting from Washington.

:00:30. > :00:33.We are just moments away from the final State of the Union address

:00:34. > :00:35.from President Obama. He'll speak

:00:36. > :00:36.about the changes taking place in America, tout his achievements

:00:37. > :00:39.and talk about his to-do list But hanging over the speech will be

:00:40. > :00:44.the news today that Iran is holding two US vessels and ten sailors

:00:45. > :00:47.after Tehran says they came into US officials say they will be

:00:48. > :00:52.returned as early as Wednesday morning but the timing certainly

:00:53. > :00:55.isn't ideal for the White House. Joining me now and with us

:00:56. > :01:11.throughout the night is political Thank you for joining us. This is

:01:12. > :01:16.President Obama's final State of the Union address. What would make it

:01:17. > :01:21.successful? From what we have heard, he will not go through a laundry

:01:22. > :01:25.list of his proposals, although he does mention a number of issues that

:01:26. > :01:29.he would like Congress to address at the beginning. I think he would like

:01:30. > :01:33.to talk about the vision of America that he sees and that he thinks the

:01:34. > :01:38.country should embrace. This will be a speech about vision and if he can

:01:39. > :01:44.get the American public to buy into that, he will be happy. These are

:01:45. > :01:49.the pictures inside Congress. Members of President Obama's Cabinet

:01:50. > :01:58.coming in. Members of the Senate and House of Representatives. One member

:01:59. > :02:03.of Congress is absent. He is the secretary of homeland security. He

:02:04. > :02:07.is not there because you have to have one member away in order to

:02:08. > :02:17.protect the country should anything happen during this address. Is chief

:02:18. > :02:23.of staff there. Members of Congress. Some members go to the

:02:24. > :02:32.chamber hours in advance to get the on the aisle so that they can treat

:02:33. > :02:40.the President. -- seats. This man has been very successful this year

:02:41. > :02:46.with his negotiations with Iran. I'm sure both from the Democrats and the

:02:47. > :02:51.Republicans. The Defence Secretary and all the members of the Cabinet

:02:52. > :02:57.coming in. By tradition, one member does not come in, should something

:02:58. > :03:01.awful happened. This is one of those rare events were you not only have

:03:02. > :03:04.members of Congress in the chamber on the present as well but the

:03:05. > :03:12.diplomatic corps, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the president's Cabinet

:03:13. > :03:19.and Supreme Court justices. And Michelle Obama. And the vice

:03:20. > :03:26.president's wife. And they have guests with them. When did that

:03:27. > :03:31.tradition begin? The first lady having guests there and those guests

:03:32. > :03:40.representing something about what the president wanted to see? -- say?

:03:41. > :03:52.I don't quite remember but there was one time with Ronald Reagan... He

:03:53. > :03:59.had won national hero it there and ever since then, there has been an

:04:00. > :04:05.explosion of guests. And they are used to make political points. We

:04:06. > :04:11.have a Mexican immigrant, a refugee from Syria and a man who was

:04:12. > :04:14.involved in a court case that ultimately resulted in the US

:04:15. > :04:20.Supreme Court legalising same-sex marriage. There are obviously those

:04:21. > :04:24.selections, which are supposed to convey obvious messages from the

:04:25. > :04:34.White House. And we expect to hear more about them during the course of

:04:35. > :04:36.the evening. There is an empty chair with the first Lady, and they

:04:37. > :04:48.represent the victims of gun violence in the country. -- with

:04:49. > :04:53.Michelle Obama. He will be appealing to Democrats as well as Republicans

:04:54. > :04:57.to do something on gun control. If you look at national polling, there

:04:58. > :05:02.doesn't seem to be general sentiment in the country for some kind of gun

:05:03. > :05:08.control. But Congress has not dealt with it. In terms of the themes of

:05:09. > :05:11.tonight's address, he has already said that he does not want to do a

:05:12. > :05:16.traditional address with a laundry list. And he will appeal to the

:05:17. > :05:22.country... What will he be appealing for them to do? Just looking briefly

:05:23. > :05:28.at some of the preliminary remarks that I have seen, he will call on

:05:29. > :05:35.the country... Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States.

:05:36. > :05:39.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. President Obama entering the chamber for his

:05:40. > :05:44.last State of the Union address to the US Congress and millions of

:05:45. > :05:51.American viewers who will be tuning in to hear what he has to say about

:05:52. > :05:56.how he intends to finish his time in office and hear more about his

:05:57. > :06:00.accomplishments during the terms he has held at the White House. As is

:06:01. > :06:06.tradition, he shakes hands with those people who have been waiting,

:06:07. > :06:09.some of them for hours, in order to have those price spots right next to

:06:10. > :06:20.the aisle where the president comes in. -- prized sports.

:06:21. > :06:27.It will be talking at least in part about the need to change our broken

:06:28. > :06:31.political system, the polarisation, the scoring of political points, and

:06:32. > :06:37.asking for Congress and the American people to rise above that. And he

:06:38. > :06:43.came into office on that promise. Exactly. He was going to be a voice

:06:44. > :06:52.for change, a voice to unite people, a voice for hope. What we will see

:06:53. > :06:56.tonight, I'm almost willing to guarantee, is symbolic of that

:06:57. > :07:01.polarisation. As we have seen over the last few years, Democrats will

:07:02. > :07:07.stand and applaud the president and Republicans will stay glumly seated

:07:08. > :07:14.as he talks about his successes. He has been in office seven years now

:07:15. > :07:20.and his first few speeches, the first few years, they could change

:07:21. > :07:26.things and create expectations and create opinions. But now after seven

:07:27. > :07:31.years, I think that everybody has dug into their positions here. It

:07:32. > :07:35.will be very difficult for him in the final years... Shaking hands

:07:36. > :07:44.with the Chief Justices of the Supreme Court. Shaking hands with

:07:45. > :07:57.members of Congress, the chief justice... Top members of the US

:07:58. > :08:06.military, of course, are also there. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs

:08:07. > :08:09.of Staff. And as there always is in the State of the Union address,

:08:10. > :08:12.there will be moments when the president turns to foreign policy as

:08:13. > :08:16.well as to domestic issues. And this comes at a time when the threat of

:08:17. > :08:24.terrorism after the shootings in San Bernardino hang heavy in America.

:08:25. > :08:28.Absolutely. I expect to hear significant discussion by the

:08:29. > :08:33.President on foreign policy, national security and homeland

:08:34. > :08:37.security. One year ago, this issue was not of major importance to the

:08:38. > :08:48.American public, but... Shaking hands with Joe Biden, Paul Ryan...

:08:49. > :08:51.Michelle Obama watching. And now he turns to the members of Congress.

:08:52. > :08:55.This is just the first round of applause! We will now have a second

:08:56. > :09:02.introduction and a second round of applause. President Barack Obama and

:09:03. > :09:07.his final State of the Union address to the American public and

:09:08. > :09:30.Congress. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. Thank you so

:09:31. > :09:49.All rights. Let us bring this to order, here. Members of Congress, I

:09:50. > :09:54.have the privilege and distinct honour of presenting to you the

:09:55. > :10:10.president of the United States. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. Thank you.

:10:11. > :10:18.Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you very

:10:19. > :10:29.much. Everyone, please have a seat. Mr Speaker, Mr Vice President,

:10:30. > :10:34.members of Congress, my fellow Americans, tonight marks the eighth

:10:35. > :10:43.year that I have come here to report on the state of the union. And for

:10:44. > :10:50.this final one, I'm going to try and make it a little shorter. CHEERING

:10:51. > :11:04.AND APPLAUSE. I know that some of you are anxious to get back to

:11:05. > :11:15.Iowa. I have been there. I will be shaking hands afterwards if you want

:11:16. > :11:17.some advice. Now, I understand that because it is election season,

:11:18. > :11:24.expectations for what we will achieve this year are low. But Mr

:11:25. > :11:27.Speaker, I appreciate the constructive approach that you and

:11:28. > :11:31.other leaders to be the end of last year to pass a budget to make tax

:11:32. > :11:35.cuts permanent for working families, so I hope we can work together this

:11:36. > :11:47.year on some bipartisan priorities like criminal justice reform and

:11:48. > :11:51.helping... APPLAUSE. And helping people fighting postage and drug

:11:52. > :11:58.abuse and heroin abuse. -- prescription drug abuse. Who knows?

:11:59. > :12:03.We might surprise the cynics again. But tonight, I want to go easy on

:12:04. > :12:10.the traditional list of proposals for the year ahead. Don't worry. I

:12:11. > :12:13.have got plenty. From helping students learn to write computer

:12:14. > :12:18.code to personalising medical treatment for patients, and I will

:12:19. > :12:20.keep pushing on the work that I believe still needs to be done.

:12:21. > :12:27.Fixing a broken immigration system... CHEERING AND APPLAUSE.

:12:28. > :12:37.Protecting our children from gun violence. APPLAUSE. Equal pay for

:12:38. > :12:45.equal work. APPLAUSE. Paid leave. APPLAUSE. Raising the minimum wage.

:12:46. > :12:48.APPLAUSE. All these things still matter to hard-working families.

:12:49. > :12:54.They are still the right thing to do. And I will not let up until they

:12:55. > :13:00.get done. But for my final address to this chamber, I don't want to

:13:01. > :13:06.just talk about next week. I want to focus on the next five years, the

:13:07. > :13:15.next ten years and beyond. I want to focus on our future. We live in a

:13:16. > :13:20.time of extraordinary change, change that is reshaping the way we live,

:13:21. > :13:35.the way we work, our planet, our place in the world. It has -- it is

:13:36. > :13:38.change that promises the most amazing medical breakthroughs but

:13:39. > :13:42.times of hardship for American families. Is change that promises a

:13:43. > :13:46.bright future for girls in remote villages. But it is also change that

:13:47. > :13:52.has made it easier for terrorists to communicate. Whether we like it or

:13:53. > :14:02.not, the pace of this change will only accelerate. America has been

:14:03. > :14:06.through big changes before. Wars and depression, the influx of new

:14:07. > :14:16.immigrants, workers fighting for a fair deal, movements to expand civil

:14:17. > :14:21.rights. Each time there have been those who told us to fear the

:14:22. > :14:27.future, who claimed we could slam the brakes on change, who promised

:14:28. > :14:32.to restore past glory if we just got some group or idea that was

:14:33. > :14:43.threatening America under control. And each time we overcame those

:14:44. > :14:47.fears. We did not, in the words of Lincoln, adhere to the dogmas of the

:14:48. > :14:59.quiet past. Instead, we fought a new and acted anew. We may change work

:15:00. > :15:03.for us, always extending America's promise outward to the next

:15:04. > :15:12.frontier, to more people. And because we did, because we saw

:15:13. > :15:22.opportunity where others saw Carol, -- peril, we emerged stronger and

:15:23. > :15:29.better than before. What was true then can be true now. Our unique

:15:30. > :15:37.strengths as a nation are optimism and work ethic, our spirit of

:15:38. > :15:45.discovery, our diversity, our commitment to the rule of law. These

:15:46. > :15:51.things give us everything we need to ensure prosperity and security for

:15:52. > :15:59.generations to come. In fact, it is in that spirit that we have made

:16:00. > :16:03.progress these past seven years. That is how we recovered from the

:16:04. > :16:12.worst economic crisis in generations.

:16:13. > :16:15.That is how we reformed our healthcare system and reinvented our

:16:16. > :16:31.energy sector. That is how we delivered more care

:16:32. > :16:54.and benefits to our troops coming home and our veterans. APPLAUSE.

:16:55. > :17:10.That is how we secure the freedom in every state to marry the person we

:17:11. > :17:22.love. APPLAUSE. But, such progress is not inevitable. It is a result of

:17:23. > :17:30.choices that we make together and we face such choices right now. Will we

:17:31. > :17:36.respond to the changes of our time with fear, turning inward as a

:17:37. > :17:42.nation, turning against each other as people? Or will we face the

:17:43. > :17:47.future with confidence in who we are, in what we stand for an

:17:48. > :17:58.incredible things that we can do together? Let us talk about the

:17:59. > :18:00.future. And there are four the questions that we as a country need

:18:01. > :18:08.to answer, regardless of who the next president is, who controls the

:18:09. > :18:23.next Congress. First, how do we give everyone a fair shot at opportunity

:18:24. > :18:27.and security in this new economy? Second, how do we make technology

:18:28. > :18:35.work for us and not against us especially when it comes to solving

:18:36. > :18:47.urgent challenges like climate change? APPLAUSE. Third, had we keep

:18:48. > :18:52.the world safe without becoming its policeman? Finally how can we make

:18:53. > :19:13.our politics reflect what is best in us and not what is worst? APPLAUSE.

:19:14. > :19:20.Let me start with the economy and a basic fact. The United States of

:19:21. > :19:28.America right now has the strongest, most durable economy in

:19:29. > :19:32.the world. APPLAUSE. We are in the middle of the longest streak of

:19:33. > :19:50.private sector job creation in history. APPLAUSE. More than 14

:19:51. > :19:55.million new jobs, the strongest two years of job growth since the

:19:56. > :20:08.1990s, an unemployment rate cut in half, our auto industry had its best

:20:09. > :20:11.year ever. APPLAUSE. That this is part of the manufacturing surge that

:20:12. > :20:15.is created nearly 900,000 new jobs in the past six years and we have

:20:16. > :20:30.done this while cutting out deficits by almost three quarters. Anyone

:20:31. > :20:42.claiming that America's economy is in decline is peddling fiction. Now,

:20:43. > :20:47.what is true and the reason that a lot of Americans feel anxious is

:20:48. > :20:54.that the economy has been changing in profound ways. Changes the

:20:55. > :21:02.started long before the great recession hit and changes that have

:21:03. > :21:07.not let up. Two-day technology just not replace jobs on the assembly

:21:08. > :21:13.line, but any job where work can be automated. Companies in a global

:21:14. > :21:23.economy can relocate anywhere and they face tough competition. As a

:21:24. > :21:31.result, workers has less leveraged for a wage increase, and more wealth

:21:32. > :21:39.is concentrated at the very top. All of these trends have squeezed work.

:21:40. > :21:45.Even when they have had jobs. Even when the economy is growing. It has

:21:46. > :21:49.made it harder for a hard-working family to pull itself out of

:21:50. > :21:59.poverty. Are the young people to start their careers. Top of the when

:22:00. > :22:05.they want to -- harder for. Although these are not unique to America,

:22:06. > :22:13.they do reflect our belief that everybody who works hard should get

:22:14. > :22:18.a fair shot. For the past seven years our goal has been a growing

:22:19. > :22:28.economy that also works better for everybody. We made progress, but we

:22:29. > :22:32.need to make more. And despite all of the political arguments that we

:22:33. > :22:38.have had these past few years there are areas where Americans broadly

:22:39. > :22:41.agree. We agree that real opportunity requires every American

:22:42. > :22:47.to get the education and training that they need to land a good paying

:22:48. > :22:52.job. The bipartisan reform of no Child left behind was an important

:22:53. > :22:57.start and together we have increased early childhood education, lifted

:22:58. > :23:01.high school graduation rates to new highs, whose graduates in fields

:23:02. > :23:08.like engineering. In the coming years we should ill on that progress

:23:09. > :23:27.by providing care for all and providing every student... APPLAUSE

:23:28. > :23:31.hands on computer science that make them ready on day one. We should

:23:32. > :23:56.support more great teachers for our kids. And we have to make college

:23:57. > :24:02.affordable for every American. No hard-working student should be stuck

:24:03. > :24:07.in the red. We have already reduced student loan payments to 10% of a

:24:08. > :24:16.borrowers income and that is good. Now we have to cut the cost of

:24:17. > :24:20.college. APPLAUSE providing two years of community college at no

:24:21. > :24:25.cost per every responsible student is one of the best ways to do that

:24:26. > :24:38.and I will keep fighting to get that started this year. It is the right

:24:39. > :24:44.thing to do. APPLAUSE. But a great education isn't all we need in this

:24:45. > :24:50.new economy, we also need benefits and protections that provide a basic

:24:51. > :24:55.measure of security. It is not too much to say that the only people in

:24:56. > :24:58.America who are going to work this same job in the same place with a

:24:59. > :25:08.health and retirement acted for 30 years I sitting in this chamber --

:25:09. > :25:14.are. For everyone else, especially folks in their 40s and 50s, saving

:25:15. > :25:19.for retirement or bouncing back from job loss has gotten a lot tougher.

:25:20. > :25:25.Americans understand at some point in their careers in this new Connie,

:25:26. > :25:33.they need to retrain but they should not lose what they are already

:25:34. > :25:55.worked so hard in the process. We should strengthen them. APPLAUSE.

:25:56. > :26:03.And four American short of retirement -- for, it should be just

:26:04. > :26:07.as Mo as everything is two-day. That is what the affordable care act is

:26:08. > :26:12.all about. It is about filling the gaps in implement based care so that

:26:13. > :26:18.when you lose a job, or you go back to school or you strike out and want

:26:19. > :26:23.that new business, you will still have coverage. Nearly 18 million

:26:24. > :26:40.people have gained coverage so far and in the process health-care

:26:41. > :26:47.inflation has slowed and our businesses have created jobs every

:26:48. > :26:54.single month. I am guessing that we won't agree on healthcare any time

:26:55. > :27:03.soon. However, a little applause right there. Just a guess. There

:27:04. > :27:07.should be other ways that produce can work together and prove economic

:27:08. > :27:13.security. Say I hard-working American loses his job, we should

:27:14. > :27:19.not make sure that he can get either employment insurance, we should make

:27:20. > :27:22.sure that the programming courage is him to retrain for a business that

:27:23. > :27:27.is ready to hire. Is that new job doesn't pay as much, there should be

:27:28. > :27:33.a system of wage insurance in place so that he can still play his bills

:27:34. > :27:36.and even if he is going job to job he should be able to save for

:27:37. > :27:43.retirement and take his savings with him. That is the way we make the new

:27:44. > :27:49.economy work for everyone. I also know that Speaker Ryan has spoken

:27:50. > :27:53.about his interest in tackling poverty. Americans are about giving

:27:54. > :27:58.everyone willing to work a chant, a handout. I would welcome a serious

:27:59. > :28:02.discussion about strategies that we can all support like Loring tax

:28:03. > :28:18.brackets for those who don't have children. -- lowering. But there are

:28:19. > :28:21.some areas where we need to be honest. It has been difficult to

:28:22. > :28:26.find an agreement over the past seven years. And/or bottle them fall

:28:27. > :28:30.under the category of what role the government should play in making

:28:31. > :28:38.sure that the system is not rigged, in favour of the wealthiest and

:28:39. > :28:45.biggest corporations. And it is an honest disagreement. The American

:28:46. > :28:51.people have a choice to make. I believe that a thriving private

:28:52. > :28:59.sextet is the lifeblood of our economy -- sector. Redtape needs to

:29:00. > :29:26.be cut. There you go! APPLAUSE. But after years now of record

:29:27. > :29:30.corporate profits, working families don't get more opportunity for

:29:31. > :29:39.bigger paycheques just by letting big banks, oil or hedge funds make

:29:40. > :29:44.their own rules and everybodyeverybody's expense.

:29:45. > :29:52.Middle-class families are not going to feel more secure because we

:29:53. > :30:00.allowed a tax an -- another tax on collective bargaining to continue.

:30:01. > :30:06.-- allowed the attacks. Food stands did not cause the recession,

:30:07. > :30:19.reckless actions on Wall Street did. Immigrants are not the

:30:20. > :30:21.principal reason wages have not gone out. Those decisions are made in the

:30:22. > :30:33.boardrooms that often but quarterly earnings over long-term returns. The

:30:34. > :30:37.point is that I believe that in this new economy, workers and start-ups

:30:38. > :30:46.and small businesses need more of a voice, not less. The rules should

:30:47. > :30:50.work for them. And I'm not alone in this. This year, I plan to lift up

:30:51. > :30:54.the many businesses who have figured out that doing right by the

:30:55. > :31:01.workers, the customers and the communities ends up being good for

:31:02. > :31:05.their shareholders. I want to spread those best practices across

:31:06. > :31:17.America. That is part of a greater future. In fact, it turns out that

:31:18. > :31:20.many of our best corporate citizens are also our most creative. This

:31:21. > :31:25.brings me to the second big question we as a country have to answer. How

:31:26. > :31:31.would we reignite that spirit of innovation to meet our biggest

:31:32. > :31:40.challenges? 60 years ago, when the Russians beat us into space, we did

:31:41. > :31:45.not deny Sputnik was it there. We did not argue about the science or

:31:46. > :31:49.shrink our research and development budget. Wiggle our space programme

:31:50. > :32:00.almost overnight and 12 years later, we were walking on the moon. -- we

:32:01. > :32:16.grew our space programme. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. That spirit of

:32:17. > :32:20.discovery is in our DNA. America is Thomas Edison and the Wright

:32:21. > :32:28.Brothers and George Washington Carver. America is Grace Hopper and

:32:29. > :32:32.Catherine Johnson and Sally Rye. America is every immigrant and

:32:33. > :32:39.entrepreneurial from Boston to Boston to Silicon Valley racing to

:32:40. > :32:45.make a better future. -- from Boston to Austin. That is what we are. Over

:32:46. > :32:49.the past seven years, we have nurtured that spirit. We have

:32:50. > :32:55.protected and open internet and taken boldly steps to get more

:32:56. > :32:59.students and low-income Americans online. -- bold new steps. We have

:33:00. > :33:07.launched online tools to give an order from your -- to give an answer

:33:08. > :33:17.to your everything they need to start a business in a single day.

:33:18. > :33:25.But we need to do more. Last month, Joe Biden worked with Congress to

:33:26. > :33:41.give scientists the strongest resources they have had in over a

:33:42. > :33:49.decade. APPLAUSE. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. So tonight, I'm announcing

:33:50. > :33:57.a new national effort to get it done. And because he has gone to the

:33:58. > :34:02.mat for all of us on so many issues for so many others over the years,

:34:03. > :34:05.I'm putting Joe Biden in charge of mission control. For the loved ones

:34:06. > :34:09.we have all lost, for the families that we can still save, let us make

:34:10. > :34:29.America the country that cures cancer once and for all. CHEERING

:34:30. > :34:35.AND APPLAUSE. Medical research is critical. We need the same level of

:34:36. > :34:45.commitment it comes to developing clean energy sources. APPLAUSE.

:34:46. > :34:50.Look, if anybody still wants to dispute the signs around climate

:34:51. > :34:56.change, have at it. You will be lonely because you will be debating

:34:57. > :34:59.our military, most of our business leaders, the majority of the

:35:00. > :35:06.American people, almost the entire scientific community, and 200

:35:07. > :35:13.nations around the world who agree it is a problem and who intend to

:35:14. > :35:18.solve it. APPLAUSE. But even if, even if the planet was not at stake,

:35:19. > :35:25.even if 2014 was not the warmest year on record until 2015 turned out

:35:26. > :35:29.to be even hotter, why would we want to pass up the chance for American

:35:30. > :35:44.businesses to produce and sell the image of the future? -- the energy

:35:45. > :35:50.of the future? APPLAUSE. Listen, seven years ago, we made the single

:35:51. > :35:58.biggest investment in clean energy in our history. Here are the

:35:59. > :36:03.results. In fields from Iowa to Texas, wind power is now cheaper

:36:04. > :36:08.than regular conventional power. On rooftops from Arizona to New York,

:36:09. > :36:13.solar is saving Americans tens of millions of dollars a year on energy

:36:14. > :36:20.bills. And it employs more Americans than coal in jobs that pay better

:36:21. > :36:26.than average. We are taking steps to allow homeowners to create and store

:36:27. > :36:30.their own energy, something that environmentalists and the Tea Party

:36:31. > :36:34.supporters have teamed up to support. Meanwhile, we have cut our

:36:35. > :36:40.imports of foreign oil by almost 60% and cut carbon pollution more than

:36:41. > :36:52.any other country on earth. APPLAUSE.

:36:53. > :37:07.Gas under $2 per gallon ain't bad either. And now we have got to

:37:08. > :37:12.accelerate the transition away from old, dirty energy sources. Rather

:37:13. > :37:18.than subsidise the past, we should invest in the future, especially in

:37:19. > :37:25.communities that rely on fossil fools. -- fossil fuels. We do them

:37:26. > :37:30.no favours if we don't show them where the trends are going. That is

:37:31. > :37:33.why I will better manage our oil and coal resources so they better

:37:34. > :37:37.reflect the costs on our taxpayers and the planet and that way, we put

:37:38. > :37:40.money back into those communities and for tens of thousands of

:37:41. > :37:57.Americans to work in building a 21st century transportation system. None

:37:58. > :38:03.of this is going to happen overnight. And yes, there are plenty

:38:04. > :38:10.of entrenched interests who want to protect the status quo. But the jobs

:38:11. > :38:16.we will create, the money we will save, the planet we will preserve,

:38:17. > :38:22.that is the kind of future our kids and our grandkids deserved and it is

:38:23. > :38:26.within our grasp. -- deserved. And climate change is just one of many

:38:27. > :38:31.areas where our security is linked to the rest of the world. That is

:38:32. > :38:35.why the third big question that we have to answer together is how we

:38:36. > :38:39.keep America safe and strong without either isolating ourselves or trying

:38:40. > :38:46.to nation-building everywhere there is a problem. I told you earlier

:38:47. > :38:52.that all of the talk of America's economic decline is political hot

:38:53. > :38:55.air. So is all the rhetoric you hear about our enemy is getting stronger

:38:56. > :39:02.and America getting weaker. Let me tell you something. The United

:39:03. > :39:11.States of America is the most powerful nation on earth. Period.

:39:12. > :39:25.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. Period. Is not even close! It is not even

:39:26. > :39:32.close! Is not even close! We spend more on our military than the next

:39:33. > :39:37.eight nations combined. Our troops are the finest fighting force in the

:39:38. > :39:57.history of the world... CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. No nation attacks us

:39:58. > :40:03.directly or our allies because they know that is the path to ruin.

:40:04. > :40:08.Surveys show our standing around the world is higher than when I was

:40:09. > :40:12.elected to this office and when it comes to every important

:40:13. > :40:22.international issue. People of the world do not look to Beijing or

:40:23. > :40:41.Moscow to lead. They call us. APPLAUSE. When we do have a level

:40:42. > :40:47.head, we don't make the decision. -- when we don't have a level head. As

:40:48. > :40:52.someone who attends daily security briefings, I know that this is a

:40:53. > :40:55.dangerous time but that is not primarily because of some looming

:40:56. > :40:59.superpower out there and it is not because of diminished American

:41:00. > :41:07.strikes. In today's world, we are threatened less by evil empires and

:41:08. > :41:09.more by failing states. The Middle East is going through a

:41:10. > :41:17.transformation that will play out for a generation rooted in conflicts

:41:18. > :41:25.that dated back millennia. Economic headwinds are blowing in from a

:41:26. > :41:31.Chinese economy that is in significant transition. Even as the

:41:32. > :41:39.economy severely contracts, Russia is pouring resources to prop up

:41:40. > :41:45.Ukraine and Syria, client states that they saw slipping away from

:41:46. > :41:48.their orbit. And the international system we built after World War Two

:41:49. > :41:57.is now struggling to keep pace with this new reality. It is up to us,

:41:58. > :42:07.the United States of America, to help reinvent that system. And to do

:42:08. > :42:10.that well, that means we have to set priorities. Priority number one is

:42:11. > :42:31.protecting the American people and going after terrorist networks.

:42:32. > :42:35.APPLAUSE. Both Al-Qaeda and now ISIL pose a direct threat to our people

:42:36. > :42:39.because in today's world, even a handful of terrorists who place no

:42:40. > :42:45.value on human life including their own can do a lot of damage. There is

:42:46. > :42:52.the internet was in the minds of individuals inside our country. --

:42:53. > :42:56.they use the internet to poison. Their actions undermine and

:42:57. > :43:04.stabilise our allies. We have to take them out. But as we focus on

:43:05. > :43:13.destroying ISIL, over the top claims that this is world War three just

:43:14. > :43:26.play into their Hans. Fighters on the back of pickup trucks, twisted

:43:27. > :43:30.souls trotting in the -- plotting in their garages, they pose an enormous

:43:31. > :43:34.threat to individual citizens but they do not pose a threat to our

:43:35. > :43:46.existence. That is the story ISIL users to recruit. -- uses. We don't

:43:47. > :43:51.need to build them up to show that we are serious and we certainly

:43:52. > :43:54.don't need to push away vital allies in this by echoing the lie that ISIL

:43:55. > :43:59.is somehow representative of one of the world's largest religions.

:44:00. > :44:17.APPLAUSE. We need to call them what they are,

:44:18. > :44:27.killers and fanatics who have to be rooted out, hunted down and

:44:28. > :44:34.destroyed. APPLAUSE. And that is exactly what we are doing. For more

:44:35. > :44:42.than one year America has led a coalition of more than 60 countries

:44:43. > :44:50.to cut off Islamic State finances, and stamp out their vicious

:44:51. > :44:56.ideology. With nearly 10,000 airstrikes we're taking up their

:44:57. > :45:10.resources, training camps and we are training and arming forces who are

:45:11. > :45:20.steadily reclaiming territorial in Iraq and Syria. Authorise the use of

:45:21. > :45:31.force against ISIL. Take a vote. Take a vote. But the American people

:45:32. > :45:37.should know that with or without congressional action ISIL will learn

:45:38. > :45:43.the same lessons as terrorists before them. If you doubt America's

:45:44. > :46:00.commitment, all mine to see that justice is done, just ask Osama bin

:46:01. > :46:07.Ladin. Ask the leader of a terrorist cell in Yemen. When you come up to

:46:08. > :46:16.Americans we go after you and it may take time, but we have long memories

:46:17. > :46:29.and our reach has no limits. APPLAUSE. Our foreign policy has to

:46:30. > :46:38.be focused on the threat from ISIL and Al Qaeda but it cannot stop

:46:39. > :46:43.there. That even with out ISIL, even without Al Qaeda, instability will

:46:44. > :46:52.continue for decades in many parts of the world. In the Middle East, in

:46:53. > :46:57.Afghanistan, parts of Pakistan and part essential America, Africa and

:46:58. > :47:03.Asia. Some of these places may become safe havens the new terrorist

:47:04. > :47:09.networks. Others will just fall victim to another conflict, or

:47:10. > :47:17.famine, feeding the next wave of refugees. The world will look to us

:47:18. > :47:29.to help solve these problems and our add-10 needs to be more than tough

:47:30. > :47:36.talk or course to carpet bomb civilians -- our talk. It does not

:47:37. > :47:41.work on the world stage. We cannot try to take over and rebuild every

:47:42. > :47:47.country that falls into crisis, even if it is done with the best of

:47:48. > :47:52.intentions. That is not leadership, that is a recipe for quagmire.

:47:53. > :47:58.Spilling American blood and treasure that will ultimately weaken us. It

:47:59. > :48:13.is the lesson of Vietnam's, it is the lesson of Iraq and we should

:48:14. > :48:19.have let it -- learnt it by now. Fortunately, there is a smarter

:48:20. > :48:24.approach. A patient and discipline strategy the uses every element of

:48:25. > :48:29.our national power. It says that America will always act, alone if

:48:30. > :48:36.necessary to protect our people and our allies. On issues of global

:48:37. > :48:40.concern we will mobilise the world to work with us and make sure that

:48:41. > :48:50.other countries pool their own weight. That is our approach in

:48:51. > :48:57.Syria to help that broken society pursue a lasting peace. That is why

:48:58. > :49:03.we built a global coalition with sanctions and principles of

:49:04. > :49:07.diplomacy to prevent a nuclear armed Iraq and as we speak they have

:49:08. > :49:20.rolled back there nuclear programme and we have avoided another war.

:49:21. > :49:31.That is how we stopped the spread of the -- Ebola in west Africa. Our

:49:32. > :49:37.military, our doctors, out of element workers, they were the

:49:38. > :49:42.rollercoaster that the platform. It then allowed other countries to join

:49:43. > :49:48.in behind us and stamp out that epidemic. Hundreds of thousands,

:49:49. > :49:54.maybe a couple of million lives were saved. That is how we Forte

:49:55. > :50:00.transpacific partnership to protect workers in the environment and

:50:01. > :50:06.advance American leadership in Asia. It cuts 18,000 taxes a product made

:50:07. > :50:11.in America which will then support more good jobs here in America.

:50:12. > :50:16.China does not set the rules in the region, we do. If you want to show

:50:17. > :50:19.our strength in the new century, approved this agreement and give us

:50:20. > :50:29.the tools to enforce that. It is the right thing to do. APPLAUSE. Let me

:50:30. > :50:35.give you another example. 50 years of isolating Cuba had failed to

:50:36. > :50:40.promote democracy, it set us back in Latin America. That is why we

:50:41. > :50:47.restore diplomatic relations, open the door to travel and commerce,

:50:48. > :50:55.positioned ourselves to improve the lives of the Cuban people. So if you

:50:56. > :51:03.want to consolidate our credibility in the hemisphere, recognise that

:51:04. > :51:16.the Cold War is over and lift the embargo. APPLAUSE. The point is that

:51:17. > :51:20.American leadership in the 21st century is not a choice between

:51:21. > :51:26.ignoring the rest of the world, except when we kill terrorists or

:51:27. > :51:35.occupying in rebuilding what ever society is unravelling, leadership

:51:36. > :51:39.means a wise application of military power and rallying the world behind

:51:40. > :51:42.those causes. It means seeing our foreign assistance as part of our

:51:43. > :51:49.national security, not some in separate or charity. When we leave,

:51:50. > :51:54.nearly 200 nations to the most ambitious attempt to solve climate

:51:55. > :52:00.change it protects our kids. Warmly help Ukraine defend its democracy,

:52:01. > :52:03.or Columbia resolve a decade-long war, that strengthens the

:52:04. > :52:14.international order that we depend on. When we help African countries

:52:15. > :52:19.feed their people and care for the sick it is the right thing to do and

:52:20. > :52:24.it prevents the next pandemic from reaching our shores. Right now we

:52:25. > :52:31.are on track to end the scourge of HIV/Aids. We have the chance to

:52:32. > :52:40.accomplish the same thing with malaria, something I will be pushing

:52:41. > :52:50.this Congress to fund this year. APPLAUSE. That is American strength.

:52:51. > :52:57.That is American leadership. And that kind of leadership depends on

:52:58. > :53:03.the power of our example. That is why I will keep working to shut down

:53:04. > :53:06.the prison at Guantanamo, it is expensive, unnecessary and only

:53:07. > :53:16.serves as a recruitment roadshow to our enemies -- pamphlet. There is a

:53:17. > :53:23.better way. And that is why we need to reject any politics. Any politics

:53:24. > :53:43.that targets people because of race or religion. APPLAUSE. Let me just

:53:44. > :53:51.say this. This is not a matter of clinical correctness -- political.

:53:52. > :53:58.This is a matter of understanding what makes us strong. The world

:53:59. > :54:14.respects us, not just for our arsenal, it respects us for our

:54:15. > :54:19.diversity and our opening. The Pope Francis told this body from this

:54:20. > :54:24.very same spot that I'm standing tonight, to imitate the violence of

:54:25. > :54:34.tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place. When

:54:35. > :54:42.politicians insult Muslims, whether of broad or our fellow citizens,

:54:43. > :54:50.when a mosque is vandalised or a kid is called names, that does not make

:54:51. > :55:00.us safer, that is not telling it like it is. That is just wrong. It

:55:01. > :55:05.diminishes us in the eyes of the world and makes it harder to achieve

:55:06. > :55:32.our goals, it betrays who we are as a country. APPLAUSE. Weave the

:55:33. > :55:38.people -- we. Our Constitution begins with those three simple

:55:39. > :55:43.words. Words we have come to recognise meaning all of the people,

:55:44. > :55:54.not just some. Words that insist that we rise and fall together. That

:55:55. > :55:57.is how we might protect our union. That brings me to the fourth and

:55:58. > :56:05.most important thing that I want to say tonight. The future that we

:56:06. > :56:13.want, all of us want, opportunity and security for our families, a

:56:14. > :56:18.rising standard of living, a sustainable peaceful planet for our

:56:19. > :56:28.kids, all of that is within our reach. But it will only happen if we

:56:29. > :56:34.work together. It will only happen if we can have rational and

:56:35. > :56:41.constructive debates. It will only happen if we fix our politics. A

:56:42. > :56:47.better politics does not mean we have do agree on everything, it is a

:56:48. > :56:51.big country with different regions, different interests and that is one

:56:52. > :56:55.of our strengths too. Our founders distributed power between states and

:56:56. > :57:04.branches of government and expected us to argue. Just as they did.

:57:05. > :57:09.Fiercely. Over the size and shape of government, over Congress and

:57:10. > :57:17.foreign relations, over the meaning of liberty and the imperatives of

:57:18. > :57:26.security. But democracy does require basic bonds of trust between its

:57:27. > :57:32.citizens. It does not work, if we think that the people disagree with

:57:33. > :57:36.us are all motivated by malice. It does not work if we think that our

:57:37. > :57:46.political opponents are unpatriotic. Or trying to weaken

:57:47. > :57:54.America. Democracy grinds to a halt without a willingness to compromise

:57:55. > :58:04.or win even basic facts are contested or when we listen to only

:58:05. > :58:10.those who agree with. -- with us. Our voice with is when only the most

:58:11. > :58:12.extreme get attention. Most of all democracy breaks down when the

:58:13. > :58:17.average person feels their voice does not matter and that the system

:58:18. > :58:25.is read in favour of the rich or powerful or some special interest.

:58:26. > :58:31.Too many Americans feel that way right now. It is one of the few

:58:32. > :58:37.regrets of my presidency that the suspicion between the parties have

:58:38. > :58:42.gotten worse instead of better. I've no doubt that if the president with

:58:43. > :58:46.the gifts of Lincoln or Roosevelt may have breached the divide and I

:58:47. > :58:51.guarantee I will keep trying to be better as long as I hold this

:58:52. > :58:58.office. My fellow Americans, this cannot be my task or any

:58:59. > :59:03.president's alone. There are a whole lot of folks in this chamber, good

:59:04. > :59:08.people, who would like to see more cooperation, who would like to see a

:59:09. > :59:14.more elevated debate in Washington. But they feel trapped by the

:59:15. > :59:22.imperatives of getting elected. By the noise coming out of your place.

:59:23. > :59:28.I know, you have told me. It is the worst kept secret in Washington. A

:59:29. > :59:40.lot of you are not enjoying entrapped in that kind of rhetoric.

:59:41. > :59:44.If we want better politics, and I'm addressing the American people now,

:59:45. > :59:50.it is not enough just to change a congressman or change a senator or

:59:51. > :59:59.even change a president. We had to change the system to reflect our

:00:00. > :00:02.better selves. I think we have to end the practice of drawing out

:00:03. > :00:07.congressional districts so politicians can pick the voters and

:00:08. > :00:13.not the other way round. APPLAUSE. Let our bipartisan company do that.

:00:14. > :00:25.I believe we have got to reduce the influence of money in our politics.

:00:26. > :00:35.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. So that a handful of families cannot bankroll

:00:36. > :00:39.our election. And if our existing approach to campaign finance reform

:00:40. > :00:43.cannot pass muster in the courts, we have to work together to find a real

:00:44. > :00:49.solution because this is a problem and most of you don't like raising

:00:50. > :00:56.money. I know. I have done it. We have got to make it easier to vote,

:00:57. > :01:13.not harder. We need to modernise it for the way we live now. APPLAUSE.

:01:14. > :01:20.This is America! We want to make it easier for people to participate.

:01:21. > :01:24.And over the course of this year, I intend to travel the country to push

:01:25. > :01:33.for reforms that do just that. But I cannot do these things on my own.

:01:34. > :01:40.Changes in our political process, not just who gets elected but how

:01:41. > :01:47.they get elected, that will only happen when the American people

:01:48. > :01:59.demand it. It depends on you. That is what is meant by a government

:02:00. > :02:08.of, by and for the people. What I'm suggesting is hard. It is a lot

:02:09. > :02:19.easier to be cynical, to accept that change is not possible and politics

:02:20. > :02:24.is hopeless and that the problem is all the people who are elected don't

:02:25. > :02:32.care. To believe that our voices and our actions don't matter. But if we

:02:33. > :02:36.give up now, we forsake a better future. Those with money and power

:02:37. > :02:41.will gain greater control over the decisions that could send a young

:02:42. > :02:46.soldier to war or now another economic disaster. -- or allow. Or

:02:47. > :02:54.rollback of equal rights and voting rights that generations of American

:02:55. > :02:58.water and even died to secure. -- generations of Americans have

:02:59. > :03:06.fought. And then they will be voices urging us to fall back, to scapegoat

:03:07. > :03:12.innocent citizens who don't look like us, vote like us, pray like

:03:13. > :03:20.us, or who don't share the same ground. We cannot afford to go down

:03:21. > :03:25.that path. It will not deliver the economy we want, it will not produce

:03:26. > :03:31.the security we want, but most of all, it contradicts everything that

:03:32. > :03:36.makes us the envy of the world. My fellow Americans, whatever you may

:03:37. > :03:41.believe, whether you prefer 1-party or no party, whether you supported

:03:42. > :03:46.my agenda or fought as hard as you could against it, our collective

:03:47. > :03:56.futures depend on your willingness to uphold your duties as a citizen,

:03:57. > :04:05.to vote, to speak out, to stand up for others, especially the week,

:04:06. > :04:13.especially the vulnerable, knowing that each of us is only here because

:04:14. > :04:28.somebody somewhere stood up for us. APPLAUSE. We need every American to

:04:29. > :04:35.stay active in our public life and not just during election time so

:04:36. > :04:41.that our public life reflects the goodness and decency that I see in

:04:42. > :04:55.the American people every single day. Is -- it is not easy. Our brand

:04:56. > :04:59.of democracy is hard. But I can promise in a little over one year

:05:00. > :05:03.from now, when I no longer hold this office, I will be right there with

:05:04. > :05:09.you as a citizen, inspired by those voices of fairness and division, of

:05:10. > :05:15.great and good humour and kindness that have helped America travel so

:05:16. > :05:19.far. -- fairness and vision. Voices that help us see ourselves not first

:05:20. > :05:25.and foremost as black or white or Asian or Latinos, not as gay or

:05:26. > :05:28.straight, immigrant or native-born, not Democrat or Republican, but as

:05:29. > :05:35.Americans faxed bound by not Democrat or Republican, but as

:05:36. > :05:39.Americans faxed bound -- Americans first bound by a common creed,

:05:40. > :05:46.voices that Doctor King believed would have the final word, voices of

:05:47. > :05:53.unarmed truth and unconditional love. And they are out there, those

:05:54. > :05:59.voices. They don't get a lot of attention. They don't seek a lot of

:06:00. > :06:04.fanfare. But they are busy doing the work that this country needs doing.

:06:05. > :06:11.I see them everywhere I travel in this incredible country of ours. I

:06:12. > :06:18.see you, the American people, and in your daily acts of citizenship, I

:06:19. > :06:22.see our future unfolding. Are seeded in the work on the assembly line who

:06:23. > :06:28.clocked extra shifts to keep his company open. -- I see it. And the

:06:29. > :06:34.boss who pays him higher wages instead of laying him of. I see it

:06:35. > :06:40.in the dreamer who stays up late at night to finish her signs project

:06:41. > :06:45.and the teacher who comes in early May be with some of the supplies she

:06:46. > :06:52.bought because she knows that young girl might someday cure disease. --

:06:53. > :06:58.science project. I see it in the American who served his time. He

:06:59. > :07:03.made mistakes as a child but now he is dreaming of starting over. And I

:07:04. > :07:09.see it in the business owner who gives him that second chance. The

:07:10. > :07:13.protest are determined to prove that justice matters and the young cop

:07:14. > :07:22.walking the beat, treating everybody with respect. Doing the brave and

:07:23. > :07:30.quite work of keeping us safe. I see it in the soldier who gives almost

:07:31. > :07:35.everything to save his brothers, the nurse who tends to him until he can

:07:36. > :07:46.run a marathon. The community that lines up to cheer him on. It is the

:07:47. > :07:49.son who finds the courage to come out as who he is and the father

:07:50. > :07:55.whose love for that son overrides everything that he has been taught.

:07:56. > :07:59.I see it in the elderly woman who will wait in line to cast her vote

:08:00. > :08:05.as long as she has to, the new citizen who casts his vote for the

:08:06. > :08:11.first time, the volunteers who believe every vote should count.

:08:12. > :08:22.Because each of them in different ways know how much that precious

:08:23. > :08:31.right is worth. That is the America I know. That is the country we

:08:32. > :08:37.love. Clear eyed, bighearted, undaunted by challenge. Optimistic

:08:38. > :08:43.that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. That

:08:44. > :08:48.is what makes me so hopeful about my future. I believe in change because

:08:49. > :08:51.I believe in you, the American people, and that is why I stand here

:08:52. > :08:59.as confident as I have ever been that the state of our union is

:09:00. > :09:00.strong. Thank you! God bless you and God bless the United States of

:09:01. > :09:14.America! CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. President Barack Obama wrapping up

:09:15. > :09:18.his final State of the Union address to the American Congress and the

:09:19. > :09:25.American public. He spoke for almost an hour, touching on the economy,

:09:26. > :09:29.technology and climate change, on national security and the threat of

:09:30. > :09:35.terrorism and then ending with a plea to the American voters to form

:09:36. > :09:40.themselves better system of politics.

:09:41. > :09:48.We talked earlier, Stuart, about how he would reach beyond the present to

:09:49. > :09:54.the future of the country to appeal to the ideas. Did he achieve that

:09:55. > :09:58.tonight? I thought that the last quarter of the speech was quite

:09:59. > :10:06.stirring. The chamber but very quiet. -- got very quiet. He talked

:10:07. > :10:11.about the political and electoral system we have and then he turned to

:10:12. > :10:15.the American people. At the end, it seemed he was drawing a contrast

:10:16. > :10:18.between the politicians and the American people and the goodness of

:10:19. > :10:24.the American people and those positive values. I thought that was

:10:25. > :10:28.staring and dramatic. I'm not sure I thought the first two thirds or

:10:29. > :10:36.three quarters of the speech was as dramatic as that. President Obama is

:10:37. > :10:43.now leaving the chamber and saying goodbye to the members of his

:10:44. > :10:49.Cabinet, the Supreme Court justices who have been there, the ambassador

:10:50. > :10:57.to the UN, and he will be heading back to the White House to begin his

:10:58. > :11:01.final year in office after two terms as president. My sense, listening to

:11:02. > :11:04.that last quarter of the speech where he appealed for a better

:11:05. > :11:09.politics in this frankly dysfunctional political system was

:11:10. > :11:13.almost that we were listening to the Barack Obama of 2008 with the

:11:14. > :11:18.benefit and wisdom of eight years in office. But he has not given up

:11:19. > :11:23.hope. That is what he reiterated again and again, I think. But you

:11:24. > :11:28.are right. You can just imagine what the Republicans will see. They will

:11:29. > :11:31.say that the president said the economy is in great shape but it is

:11:32. > :11:36.not. He said we are the strongest country in the universe and there

:11:37. > :11:40.are no great threat to us but there are threats to us. And this is

:11:41. > :11:45.classic. It all depends on where you stand. Where you stand depends on

:11:46. > :11:48.where you sit on the perspectives you have. The Republicans will blame

:11:49. > :11:54.the President for a lot of this, his executive actions, saying he is

:11:55. > :12:02.dismissive of his critics. But this was a big speech. There were some

:12:03. > :12:05.legislative items in Rome. -- in there. But the last part of the

:12:06. > :12:12.speech was much bigger and it was about people and the future of the

:12:13. > :12:18.country. And we will get that Republican response from the

:12:19. > :12:20.governor of South Carolina and she will be giving what is the

:12:21. > :12:26.traditional Republican response to the State of the Union address. I'm

:12:27. > :12:32.sure we will hear some of those criticisms. But I agree that the

:12:33. > :12:36.final part of that speech when he spoke directly to the American

:12:37. > :12:40.public and spoke of his optimism in them and called out these examples

:12:41. > :12:47.of people he has met along the way who exemplified what he spoke about

:12:48. > :12:53.as the best of America, that was quintessential Obama and it was

:12:54. > :12:57.reminiscent of 2008. There is always a sense that the American people

:12:58. > :13:02.will agree with him if they will only get out there in force the

:13:03. > :13:10.politicians to respond to their needs and concerns and their hopes.

:13:11. > :13:14.Although, as he said, and this was the part tinted with realism after

:13:15. > :13:19.eight years in office, he came into office promising to do just this.

:13:20. > :13:25.This is why he was the source of such hopes in 2008 and the source of

:13:26. > :13:30.such excitement. He promised no longer a blue or red America but a

:13:31. > :13:35.purple America, and it has been anything but. And he said it was one

:13:36. > :13:38.of his greatest regrets. Exactly. I think that he did think he would be

:13:39. > :13:44.able to transform the country more than he has. Instead, 25% of

:13:45. > :13:48.Americans only think the country is heading in the right direction. Two

:13:49. > :13:52.thirds said is on the track. There is more polarisation. And I

:13:53. > :13:57.understand why the President did not acknowledge this, but if you look at

:13:58. > :14:02.the populism of there and the anger to the establishment, it is

:14:03. > :14:05.bipartisan. There is a sense that both parties have failed. In the

:14:06. > :14:11.real world and America, there is a lot of anger. People are doing good

:14:12. > :14:15.things. They are helping one another but when it comes to politics, they

:14:16. > :14:19.have very different views of the parties and where the country should

:14:20. > :14:25.be headed. President Obama is now signing autographs as he makes his

:14:26. > :14:31.way back to the White House, leaving the chamber. It takes some time to

:14:32. > :14:36.get out because so many people want to shake his hand. He takes longer

:14:37. > :14:42.on the way out, now, having given that speech. It can take his time at

:14:43. > :14:46.the bit. And right behind him was Steve Israel, who ran the Democratic

:14:47. > :14:51.campaign committee, the organisation that elect Democrats to the House

:14:52. > :14:53.around the country, and who served as chairman of that committee and

:14:54. > :14:58.who has announced he is retiring from Congress at the now -- at the

:14:59. > :15:03.end of this term. And one of the freedom riders. John Lewis. Shaking

:15:04. > :15:06.the hand of the President. A real champion of the civil rights

:15:07. > :15:10.movement. And he is still a member of the house of Congress. This must

:15:11. > :15:14.be quite a moment for the President. His last State of the

:15:15. > :15:21.union. This is the last time, presumably, he will walk down like

:15:22. > :15:29.this... And usually, he is out a little bit quicker than this. He is

:15:30. > :15:33.taking more time perhaps disfigured by. In any way, this is his formal

:15:34. > :15:41.farewell to this chamber. -- in a way.

:15:42. > :15:46.As the President leaves the chamber, and we will follow him as

:15:47. > :15:53.he goes out there, you mentioned the electoral politics of an election

:15:54. > :15:57.year and it struck me that there was almost a shadow of those Republican

:15:58. > :16:05.candidates hanging over this state of the union address. It was hard to

:16:06. > :16:10.ignore the reference to intolerance, demonising people, the anger and I

:16:11. > :16:17.think we noticed three or four times at the very least... Maybe we are

:16:18. > :16:22.reading too much into it. But it seemed to me that Donald Trump was

:16:23. > :16:27.looking on somewhere, his presence within the chamber, almost. The

:16:28. > :16:32.president kept bringing up references to Donald Trump, and to

:16:33. > :16:38.some other Republicans like Ted Cruz. Even in a moment like this,

:16:39. > :16:41.the president seemed to be responding to that. He did not

:16:42. > :16:50.mention any of them by name, we did not hear Donald, Trump, or Ted

:16:51. > :16:57.Cruz. He normally would have been in the chamber, as it is a required

:16:58. > :17:02.protocol for them to be there, but he chose to skip it tonight. He is

:17:03. > :17:10.campaigning instead in New Hampshire. Even in our election year

:17:11. > :17:14.it is quite a striking thing to do. I think so. He is one of the most

:17:15. > :17:18.conservative members of the Senate but a serious contender for the

:17:19. > :17:28.Republican nomination right now. We had of course, other members who are

:17:29. > :17:35.running the candidates. We saw shots of Marco Rubio and Bernie Sanders,

:17:36. > :17:41.who is proving to be quite a problem for Hillary Clinton in the

:17:42. > :17:48.Democratic race. He is running competitively nationally now. There

:17:49. > :17:52.is President Obama signing those final order grass. Let me look at

:17:53. > :18:09.this one more time. Takes one more look right around. I thought that

:18:10. > :18:15.was a sweet moment. These must be staffers. Young interns as he says

:18:16. > :18:23.hello and Lisa chamber. That was president of our's final State of

:18:24. > :18:27.the union address. Let us get action now from the Republican Congress

:18:28. > :18:33.men, who is from Indiana and he joins us now live from the chamber.

:18:34. > :18:39.What did you make of the president's final State of the union

:18:40. > :18:43.address. It all struck me as one big giant Jedi mind trick, try to

:18:44. > :18:48.hypnotise the American people with something that is not true. We got

:18:49. > :18:54.to the end of the speech but there was still no strategy to defeat

:18:55. > :19:00.ISIL, nothing to jumpstart the economy and a lot of empty

:19:01. > :19:04.rhetoric. But it sounded good. What did you think of his appeal to the

:19:05. > :19:09.American public to introduce a more functioning system of politics into

:19:10. > :19:14.the country? It is remarkable that in the eighth year he speaks as if

:19:15. > :19:19.no problem in America is his fault, that it is everybody else's fault.

:19:20. > :19:22.Clearly he has been a part of this divided rhetoric in our country.

:19:23. > :19:28.Hopefully we can come together and there is opportunity is faster come

:19:29. > :19:31.together. I completely agree that it will alternately be the American

:19:32. > :19:35.people that forces us all together to get along. You call it a Jamiat

:19:36. > :19:40.mind trick, I guess you have been watching Star Wars over the holidays

:19:41. > :19:43.like many of us, but it is hard to argue with the president, that this

:19:44. > :19:47.is one of the strongest economies that the world, at the moment as we

:19:48. > :19:53.look at failing and merging markets, slowing China and Europe in the

:19:54. > :19:57.doldrums. America does stand out. There is an old phrase that

:19:58. > :20:03.sometimes you don't have to outrun the bear, just the you. By that

:20:04. > :20:08.measure, that might be right. Out the middle of the American economy

:20:09. > :20:11.Europe had wages flat line for 30 years in the middle of the economy.

:20:12. > :20:18.Folks are worried about the future and it is true that some statistics

:20:19. > :20:22.are better than they have been, but in working America, folks are

:20:23. > :20:27.struggling. And I think that the president had 18 year on that issue

:20:28. > :20:32.and when he had this rhetoric about ISIL being relatively weak and how

:20:33. > :20:36.America is strong. Of course we have the strong as military in the world,

:20:37. > :20:39.but there are Americans who have been murdered by the threat of

:20:40. > :20:50.terrorist and I thought he was a little incentive to that tonight. I

:20:51. > :20:54.joined here by one -- by another he has a question for you. Would you

:20:55. > :20:58.accept any responsibilities and should Republicans except any

:20:59. > :21:08.responsibilities for the polarisation in the country Russian

:21:09. > :21:19.blue of course -- the polarisation in the country? Of course. I have

:21:20. > :21:23.been hit the third year and I've had to my own rhetoric over the course

:21:24. > :21:27.of the past several years. I would only suggest they can be one leader

:21:28. > :21:31.in our system and he is the President of the United States, and

:21:32. > :21:35.it is great to hear that talk tonight, but frankly, much has not

:21:36. > :21:40.been matched by his actions over the past several years. The politics of

:21:41. > :21:45.2016 and over the state of the union address and we were just saying that

:21:46. > :21:50.we could not help hearing the ghost of perhaps your fellow Senator Ted

:21:51. > :21:56.Cruz from the Senate and Donald Trump. Echoes of that in this

:21:57. > :22:05.address. What did you make of what the president had to say about

:22:06. > :22:10.them? Some of the rhetoric, I don't agree with either. Americans are

:22:11. > :22:16.fired up and they are looking for strong leadership, frankly, I think

:22:17. > :22:20.there is a great Winston Churchill quote that eyesight, Americans tend

:22:21. > :22:24.to do the right thing after we have exhausted every other option. We

:22:25. > :22:28.will get there before this presidential campaign is over. We

:22:29. > :22:35.take this as a non- endorsement of Donald Trump, perhaps? Sorry I had a

:22:36. > :22:41.little bit of trouble hearing you. Take that as you not endorsing

:22:42. > :22:46.Donald Trump 's top loom we will see. The American people tend to get

:22:47. > :22:56.it right. I suspect they will this time again. You heard a congressman

:22:57. > :23:05.acknowledging that his party has not always been right and he has had to

:23:06. > :23:09.Taunton track -- had to turn down the rhetoric. 'S suggestion that

:23:10. > :23:14.they will get it right and move away from the anger and what we were

:23:15. > :23:18.talking about in the polarisation being also refreshing. There are a

:23:19. > :23:22.lot of Republicans who are embarrassed by them. I will

:23:23. > :23:26.interrupt you because we're going to the governor of South Carolina who

:23:27. > :23:32.was going to give the Republican response. I am speaking from

:23:33. > :23:38.Colombia, our staple the capital city. Much like America as a whole

:23:39. > :23:42.our state has a rich and collocated history, one that proves the idea

:23:43. > :23:46.that each day can be better than the last. In just a minute, I will talk

:23:47. > :23:51.about a vision of a brighter American future. But first, I will

:23:52. > :23:56.say a few words about President Obama who just gave his final State

:23:57. > :24:01.of the union address. Barack Obama's election as president seven

:24:02. > :24:06.years ago broke historic areas and inspired millions of Americans as he

:24:07. > :24:14.did when he first ran for office. Tonight he spoke eloquently about

:24:15. > :24:18.grander things, he is at his best when he does that. Unfortunate, his

:24:19. > :24:23.record has fallen far short than his soaring words. As he enters his

:24:24. > :24:27.final year in office many Americans are still feeling the squeeze of an

:24:28. > :24:31.economy too weak to raise income level. We're feeling the crushing

:24:32. > :24:37.national debt, a healthcare plan that has made insurance less

:24:38. > :24:41.affordable and doctors less available and chaotic unrest in many

:24:42. > :24:45.of our cities. Even worse, we are facing the most dangerous terrorist

:24:46. > :24:50.threat our nation has ever seen since September 11. And this

:24:51. > :24:56.president appears unwilling or unable to deal with it. Soon be over

:24:57. > :25:01.bar the presidency will end and America will have the chance to turn

:25:02. > :25:06.in a new direction. That direction is what I want to talk about

:25:07. > :25:10.tonight. At the outset, I will say this, you have paid attention to

:25:11. > :25:17.what is happening in Washington and you are not naive. Neither am I. I

:25:18. > :25:21.see what you see and many of your frustrations are my frustrations. A

:25:22. > :25:26.frustration with the government that has grown, day after day, year after

:25:27. > :25:30.year, and does not service any better. A frustration with the same

:25:31. > :25:36.endless conversations we hear over and over again. A frustration with

:25:37. > :25:40.promises made and never kept. We need to be honest with each other

:25:41. > :25:48.and with ourselves while Democrats in Washington there -- bear much

:25:49. > :25:53.response ability, they do not bear it alone. There's more than enough

:25:54. > :25:57.blame to go around. We as Republicans need to own that truth

:25:58. > :26:00.and we need to recognise our contributions to the erosion of the

:26:01. > :26:05.public trust in America's leadership. We need to accept that

:26:06. > :26:11.we have played a role in how and why our government is broken and then,

:26:12. > :26:17.we need to fix it. The foundation that has made America that last and

:26:18. > :26:22.best hope on earth has not gone anywhere and it still exists and it

:26:23. > :26:26.is up to us to return to its. For me, that starts right where it

:26:27. > :26:32.always has, I'm the proud daughter of Indian immigrants who reminded

:26:33. > :26:36.that my brothers and sister how blessed we are to live in this

:26:37. > :26:39.country. Growing up in the brawl south, my family did not look like

:26:40. > :26:44.our neighbours and we did not have much. There were times that were

:26:45. > :26:50.tough but we had each other. And we have the opportunity to do anything,

:26:51. > :26:55.to be anything as long as we were willing to work for it. My story is

:26:56. > :27:00.not much different from millions of other Americans. Immigrants are been

:27:01. > :27:05.coming to our shores for generations to live the dream that is America.

:27:06. > :27:12.They want it better for their children and for themselves. In this

:27:13. > :27:18.country, we have seen time and time again that that dream is achievable.

:27:19. > :27:22.To day, we live in a time of threats like few others in recent memory.

:27:23. > :27:27.During anxious times it can be tempting to follow the starring

:27:28. > :27:38.calls of the angriest voices. We must resist that temptation. No one

:27:39. > :27:40.who is willing to work hard, up by our laws should never feel unwelcome

:27:41. > :27:47.in this country. At the same time, that does not mean we open our

:27:48. > :27:52.borders. We cannot do that. We cannot continue to allow immigrants

:27:53. > :27:57.to come here illegally. In this age of terrorism, we must not letting

:27:58. > :28:06.refugees has intentions could not be determined. We must fix our broken

:28:07. > :28:12.immigration system. That mean. Illegal immigration and welcoming in

:28:13. > :28:17.properly vetted immigrants, regardless of race and religion.

:28:18. > :28:21.Just as we have done for centuries. I've no doubt that if we act with

:28:22. > :28:25.proper focus we can protect our borders, sovereignty and our

:28:26. > :28:32.citizens. All the while remaining true to America's noblest legacies.

:28:33. > :28:40.This past summer, South Carolina was dealt a tragic blow. On an otherwise

:28:41. > :28:42.ordinary Wednesday evening in June, at the historic mother and manual

:28:43. > :28:50.church in Charleston, 12 faithful men and women, young and old went to

:28:51. > :28:54.Bible study. That night someone you join them. He did not look like

:28:55. > :29:00.them, he did not act like them, did not sound like them. They did not

:29:01. > :29:05.throw him out, they did not call the police, instead, they pulled up a

:29:06. > :29:14.chair and prayed with him for one hour. We lost nine incredible souls

:29:15. > :29:18.that night. What happened after the tragedy is worth pausing to think

:29:19. > :29:24.about. Our state was struck with shock, pain and fear. But our people

:29:25. > :29:32.would not allow hate to win. We did not have violence, we held a vigil.

:29:33. > :29:35.We had hugs instead of riots and we did not turn against each other

:29:36. > :29:38.during race and religion and we turn to God and the values that have long

:29:39. > :29:42.made our country the freest and greatest in the world. We removed a

:29:43. > :29:47.symbol that was being used to divide us and we found the strength that

:29:48. > :29:53.united us against a domestic terrorist and a hate we felt. There

:29:54. > :30:00.is an important lesson in this. In many parts of society today, whether

:30:01. > :30:04.in popular culture, academia, the media or politics. There is a

:30:05. > :30:08.tendency to falsely equate noise with results. Some people think you

:30:09. > :30:12.have to be the loudest voice in the room to make a difference, that is

:30:13. > :30:18.just not true. Often the best thing we can do is turn down the volume.

:30:19. > :30:23.When the sound is quite you can actually hear what someone else is

:30:24. > :30:26.saying, and that, can make a world of difference.

:30:27. > :30:33.It doesn't mean we won't have strong disagreements. We will. As we are

:30:34. > :30:39.sure in this era, Republicans will stand up for our beliefs. If we held

:30:40. > :30:43.the White House, taxes would be lower for working families. We would

:30:44. > :30:49.put the brakes on runaway spending and debt. We would encourage

:30:50. > :30:55.American innovation and success, instead of demonising them, so the

:30:56. > :30:58.economy can sort and jobs will be available across the country --

:30:59. > :31:01.soar. We will reform education to work best for students, parents and

:31:02. > :31:09.teachers, not Washington bureaucrats. We would end the

:31:10. > :31:13.disastrous health-care programme. We will replace it with the reforms

:31:14. > :31:18.that lower the cost and let you get your doctor. We would respect

:31:19. > :31:22.differences in modern families but we would also insist on respect for

:31:23. > :31:28.religious liberty as a cornerstone of our democracy. We would recognise

:31:29. > :31:33.the importance of the separation of powers in honour of the Constitution

:31:34. > :31:39.in its entirety, and yes, that includes the second and 10th

:31:40. > :31:44.amendments. We would make agreement that are celebrated in Israel and

:31:45. > :31:49.protested in Iran, not the other way around. And rather than thanking

:31:50. > :31:52.Allah brave men and women in uniform, we would actually

:31:53. > :31:55.strengthen our military -- our brave. That is so both friends and

:31:56. > :32:03.enemies will know that America seeks peace. But when we fight wars, we

:32:04. > :32:07.want them. -- win. We have big decisions to make. The country is

:32:08. > :32:11.being tested. We have been tested in the past and Allah people have

:32:12. > :32:17.always risen to the challenge. We have all we need to be safe and

:32:18. > :32:21.successful -- our. Our forefathers pave the way for us. Let's take

:32:22. > :32:23.their values and strength and rededicate ourselves to doing

:32:24. > :32:31.whatever it takes to keep America the greatest country in the history

:32:32. > :32:37.of man. And woman. Thank you a good night and God bless. Nicky Hayden

:32:38. > :32:44.Lee from South Carolina -- thank you, good night. That was the

:32:45. > :32:46.Republican response to the President's State of the Union

:32:47. > :32:53.address, talking about her own state of Carolina where there was that

:32:54. > :32:57.awful shooting in Charleston, and her background as an immigrant.

:32:58. > :33:02.Interestingly, calling on Americans to resist the temptation to follow

:33:03. > :33:08.the of the angriest voices. We were speculating about who it was, or

:33:09. > :33:15.whether it was a reference to Donald Trump as someone who reference to

:33:16. > :33:22.immigrant Akram. Let's join Bob Casey -- immigrant background. What

:33:23. > :33:25.did you make of it? I think it was a good speech. It was strong in terms

:33:26. > :33:31.of focusing on the challenges we face. Not just this year but for

:33:32. > :33:36.many years over the next generation. Economic security, the security of

:33:37. > :33:40.the country, and the final message the President gave about working

:33:41. > :33:48.together, because we have to work together to solve big problems as an

:33:49. > :33:55.important message to hear. It was conversational. When it comes to

:33:56. > :33:59.national security, the President has been accused of underplaying the

:34:00. > :34:02.threat posed to Americans by so-called Islamic State. Tonight

:34:03. > :34:05.again he was saying it would be wrong to say this is world War three

:34:06. > :34:14.and that we are playing into their hands if we do so. Are they right to

:34:15. > :34:17.do so? He got the tone right. He recognised the threat for what it is

:34:18. > :34:26.by did not use hyperbole to explain it. He is clear that he has a duty -

:34:27. > :34:29.as we all do as participants in the Federal government - to track down

:34:30. > :34:35.and kill terrorists. He was very direct about that. I believe he made

:34:36. > :34:38.a very strong commitment that in addition to hunting down and

:34:39. > :34:47.destroying terrorists, we will defeat ISIS. I think he wisely gave

:34:48. > :34:52.us a reminder that we cannot use language to substitute for good

:34:53. > :34:56.policy. What we need from politicians here - both houses, both

:34:57. > :35:02.parties - is suggestions and critiques about strategy, not just

:35:03. > :35:08.pronouncements and tough sounding language. My hunch is maybe the

:35:09. > :35:12.final section of the speech, where he appealed directly to Americans to

:35:13. > :35:16.vote and be involved in politics for a less partisan politics in America,

:35:17. > :35:20.might be the bit that is remembered after this State of the Union

:35:21. > :35:27.address over. He came into office promising that - he has failed to

:35:28. > :35:32.deliver it. He bears some responsibility, doesn't he, for the

:35:33. > :35:35.partisan politics in the country? I think both parties and both branches

:35:36. > :35:39.of government have to do more than we have. I think the President

:35:40. > :35:43.actually said that. He said he is going to keep trying, even in this

:35:44. > :35:50.last year. It is very difficult. The point he made about money and

:35:51. > :35:57.politics - I don't care who the president is, as long as money plays

:35:58. > :36:01.the role it does in politics, it doesn't matter how much of a great

:36:02. > :36:06.leader you are, the president was all of those, he continues to be a

:36:07. > :36:11.great leader, very smart and dedicated - but the grip money has

:36:12. > :36:16.on politics has never been this bad. We have to figure out a way to

:36:17. > :36:21.strange that. It is very difficult. -- change that. There is far too

:36:22. > :36:27.much power. The role of money is too predominant. Until we change that,

:36:28. > :36:34.no president, no Congress, will be able to change it. The $4 billion

:36:35. > :36:40.election. Nice to see you again, Senator Casey. You have been in

:36:41. > :36:45.politics many years. You were a statewide officeholder. Your father

:36:46. > :36:50.served as governor of Pennsylvania. You are a very political family. I

:36:51. > :36:53.wonder what you make of the populism we are seeing in the Republican

:36:54. > :36:58.party and the Democratic Party. The President seemed to blame

:36:59. > :37:03.politicians, and said if only the public would get involved. When you

:37:04. > :37:05.look at where the public is, with the Republican Party, half of the

:37:06. > :37:13.party supports Ted Cruz or Donald Trump at the moment, and a chunk of

:37:14. > :37:18.the Democratic Party seems to be excited by, and enthusiastic about,

:37:19. > :37:23.Bernie Sanders. What do you make of this phenomenon affecting both

:37:24. > :37:28.parties? The good news is that people are engaged, that is helpful.

:37:29. > :37:32.I think they became engaged starting in 2008 with the President's first

:37:33. > :37:37.campaign. This year, they seem to have an intensity, or a server for

:37:38. > :37:41.getting involved. That is constructive. What they should

:37:42. > :37:45.demand from the candidate is what they are getting from the Democrats,

:37:46. > :37:49.debate on issues, debate on how someone voted or their point of

:37:50. > :37:53.view, what their plan is, not the invective and diatribes and divisive

:37:54. > :38:02.rhetoric from the Republican side -- fervor. What people should demand as

:38:03. > :38:06.they get engaged - I should say, they should demand - is to urge

:38:07. > :38:11.their candidates to speak to the issues and have solutions, and not

:38:12. > :38:17.just have a lot of hot air, which we have seen a lot of on the campaign.

:38:18. > :38:21.The key voting state of Pennsylvania, Senator Casey, thank

:38:22. > :38:24.you so much. Stuart, I haven't spoken to you about what you thought

:38:25. > :38:30.of Nicky Hayden Lee's Republican response. I have felt sometimes

:38:31. > :38:36.these responses have fallen flat -- Nicky Hayden Lee's. I thought she

:38:37. > :38:45.did a good job tonight. I was really impressed -- Hailey's. She is a

:38:46. > :38:47.rising star. She is. You know, following a State of the Union

:38:48. > :38:52.address, with all of the grandeur, with all of the people there, with

:38:53. > :38:56.the room and the excitement, it is almost impossible. We have seen a

:38:57. > :39:00.number of good speakers fail miserably in trying to respond to

:39:01. > :39:04.the President. She didn't really respond as much as talk about her

:39:05. > :39:08.agenda, the Republican agenda. I thought she was poised, she seemed

:39:09. > :39:14.serious Thomas she seemed thoughtful, she seemed to reach out

:39:15. > :39:17.to groups -- Sirius, she seemed thoughtful. Reaching out to groups

:39:18. > :39:26.that she wants to attract -- serious. I thought she did a really

:39:27. > :39:30.good job. I guess I didn't expect much, but I thought she was quite

:39:31. > :39:36.good. We thought we heard echoes of Donald Trump mentioned, if not by

:39:37. > :39:48.name, two or three times. I thought Nicky Hailey referenced him as well.

:39:49. > :39:54.It can be difficult to hear the angry voices. We must have to speak

:39:55. > :39:59.about who it would be. We thought it was Donald Trump. Her talk about

:40:00. > :40:02.immigration was interesting. She wasn't talking about deporting

:40:03. > :40:06.illegal immigrants from America, she was talking about stopping more

:40:07. > :40:10.coming in. She wasn't saying we have to get rid of those that are already

:40:11. > :40:15.here. Welcoming properly vetted immigrants regardless of race or

:40:16. > :40:22.religion as we have done for centuries, which is true. If we took

:40:23. > :40:29.these two speeches, Nicky Hailey's address, and the President's talk

:40:30. > :40:33.for more civilised discourse, you could see that happening from these

:40:34. > :40:38.beaches. The tone was similar. The President, every once in awhile,

:40:39. > :40:43.acknowledge differences -- speeches. He would acknowledge that everybody

:40:44. > :40:49.needed to come together. She did the same thing. This is not and these

:40:50. > :40:53.are not the people defining American politics, unfortunately. Voters are

:40:54. > :40:59.angry. Politicians are playing to that anger. I understand what

:41:00. > :41:04.Senator Casey said. Bernie Sanders talks about millionaires and

:41:05. > :41:09.billionaires and hedge funds folks. He has groups that he demonises. And

:41:10. > :41:12.Donald Trump and Ted Cruz have people. That is the nature we are

:41:13. > :41:19.in. I don't think it is politics. It is our culture, it is the Internet,

:41:20. > :41:26.it is cable television. Candidates are preaching to their audiences,

:41:27. > :41:33.then narrow audiences. People can be anonymous in writing hateful,

:41:34. > :41:37.mean-spirited responses on the Internet -- their narrow audiences.

:41:38. > :41:42.I think culture has broken down. It is more course. The emphasis on

:41:43. > :41:47.civility and discussing things even if we have differences, I think,

:41:48. > :41:51.over the last decade or two has failed. This is not uniquely

:41:52. > :41:56.American. We are seeing the same populism you have mentioned several

:41:57. > :42:03.times this evening, we have seen it in Europe with the rise of populist

:42:04. > :42:07.parties on the left and right. In Europe, Britain, France, Denmark - a

:42:08. > :42:13.response to the same sense that politicians are not delivering. That

:42:14. > :42:18.is what we are seeing, isn't it? The rise of people like Donald Trump. We

:42:19. > :42:20.saw it with Ben Carson. I have heard supporters say to me, if we elect

:42:21. > :42:26.politicians, we get the same results. When people are unhappy

:42:27. > :42:32.they look for someone to blame. That is what we have seen. Both in Europe

:42:33. > :42:38.and the US. Lets talk more about the details of what President Obama

:42:39. > :42:42.spoke about. We've addressed the better politics issue. On the

:42:43. > :42:46.national security front, and I can see that Republicans will hammer him

:42:47. > :42:50.on that section too, I think his policy on Syria is one that allies

:42:51. > :42:54.around the world have looked at and thought, this is your biggest

:42:55. > :42:58.foreign policy failure, you haven't delivered. I am not sure that we

:42:59. > :43:02.have heard, despite him saying that we have to take Islamic State

:43:03. > :43:11.seriously, there was nothing new in terms of what he would do to defeat

:43:12. > :43:17.them. You are right. It goes back to the President drawing a red line and

:43:18. > :43:23.erasing it. There is a whole body of evidence that the President is

:43:24. > :43:29.well-meaning, he is certainly correct that we don't want to create

:43:30. > :43:34.animosity in the Muslim world, but the other hand, when you look at

:43:35. > :43:37.Saudi Arabia, Israel, some allies, they dissatisfied with his

:43:38. > :43:48.performance. Let's return to Capitol Hill. I am joined by the democratic

:43:49. > :43:53.conference -- congresswoman. Congresswoman, what did he make of

:43:54. > :44:03.the speech. -- what did you make of the speech? Can you hear me? I think

:44:04. > :44:09.we are having problems reaching the congresswoman. It is of course very

:44:10. > :44:13.loud. I have been there and after the address, all of the Congressmen

:44:14. > :44:18.and women are trying to get their moment to speak to their audiences,

:44:19. > :44:24.but they find the noise difficult. Instead, we will join Jon Sopel. You

:44:25. > :44:29.have heard the address. What did you think? I would pick up on the points

:44:30. > :44:37.you have been discussing. I thought the point on ISIL was long on

:44:38. > :44:41.ambition but short on detail. Just saying that we hope to restore Syria

:44:42. > :44:44.to a functioning democracy without making any kind of detailed analysis

:44:45. > :44:54.of how to do it shows how difficult the problem is. The most interesting

:44:55. > :44:59.bit... There is a quote attributed to turtle and all that history is

:45:00. > :45:04.written by the victors -- Orwell. Barack Obama was doing his best to

:45:05. > :45:09.sketch out his analysis -- Churchill and Orwell. He almost said it was

:45:10. > :45:12.awful when I got here but look how great things are now. Americans

:45:13. > :45:18.should be confident about the future. That was the thing that ran

:45:19. > :45:23.through it. The most interesting passage was the last 10- 15 minutes

:45:24. > :45:26.where he was heard in silence virtually. Forget all of the

:45:27. > :45:30.applause breaks and cheering we had in the first part of the speech. I

:45:31. > :45:35.thought the silence of the last part of the speech showed how serious the

:45:36. > :45:40.topic was, which might appeal to the public, nor to the international

:45:41. > :45:45.audience, but talking about the need to sort out the corrosive,

:45:46. > :45:49.divisive, toxic nature of American politics I thought was one of the

:45:50. > :45:55.interesting parts of what he had to say. We have been saying the same

:45:56. > :45:57.thing. It was almost Barack Obama of 2008 with the realism of how

:45:58. > :46:02.difficult it is after two terms in office. He said it was one of his

:46:03. > :46:08.few regrets. He said he might not be a link in but he will keep trying to

:46:09. > :46:13.change the terms of political debate in this country. It doesn't serve

:46:14. > :46:16.the American people well. I thought there was a lot of optimism and

:46:17. > :46:21.there was the serious bit where there was no applause at all and he

:46:22. > :46:24.was ploughing through that text until he got to the point when

:46:25. > :46:30.people kind of, yeah, I will applause you as he talked about the

:46:31. > :46:34.sunny uplands, if you like, that could be there for Americans. You

:46:35. > :46:37.have just come back from Chicago, speaking with supporters of the

:46:38. > :47:17.President, and voters, what will they make of it?

:47:18. > :47:22.They still want to give Barack Obama the benefit of the doubt because he

:47:23. > :47:25.is their President. The first African-American president. That

:47:26. > :47:31.part of the legacy is therefore good. There was a sense as well that

:47:32. > :47:36.actually, have things changed a lot in the lives of the people living

:47:37. > :47:47.there? Not so much -- there for good.

:47:48. > :47:56.Hallow, congresswoman, I was wondering what you made of the

:47:57. > :48:02.President's address? -- Hello. I think we are still having problems

:48:03. > :48:14.with the line. They are not coming back to us tonight! It is hard to

:48:15. > :48:17.hear. I really like then -- liked the last analysis. It looked like

:48:18. > :48:23.the President got up and said, everything was pretty good. We have

:48:24. > :48:29.reasons to be optimistic about the economy, national security, foreign

:48:30. > :48:33.policy. The future is bright, we just have to make sure that the next

:48:34. > :48:40.administration takes us there. When you look at things like wage growth,

:48:41. > :48:49.Americans leading the workforce, the controversial around nuclear deal,

:48:50. > :48:53.serious problems in our cities -- Iran. Immigration we haven't

:48:54. > :49:01.tackled. I think a lot of people will say, there is a disconnect. The

:49:02. > :49:05.picture was a little too rosy. Going into this address, the challenge

:49:06. > :49:09.that the White House knew it had was precisely on the issue of national

:49:10. > :49:14.security in particular, this issue of a disconnect. The American public

:49:15. > :49:19.is not feeling safe, and the President tried to address it when

:49:20. > :49:22.he said, look at the numbers. Actually the number of people who

:49:23. > :49:28.are killed by terrorist attacks is tiny. He did not say it in that many

:49:29. > :49:35.words, but he was trying to paint a picture that, if we give in to the

:49:36. > :49:39.fear, Islamic State has won. Just because we are the strongest country

:49:40. > :49:50.on earth doesn't mean that American citizens are feeling secure. In

:49:51. > :49:53.politics, this is the most difficult situation, walking that fine line of

:49:54. > :50:00.taking credit for things that have happened, and there have been

:50:01. > :50:09.successes, unemployment was 10% in the first year of Obama's

:50:10. > :50:15.presidency. It is now 5%. An extraordinary number of jobs

:50:16. > :50:18.created. So, there were successes. So, how do you tell people that we

:50:19. > :50:23.have those successes without working out of touch? It's a question of

:50:24. > :50:28.being able to empathise with people's anxieties while inspiring

:50:29. > :50:35.them to believe in the optimistic view. And that works if somebody is

:50:36. > :50:42.really invested in the President's view and has a great respect for

:50:43. > :50:45.him. It is the rest of the country that has the bigger problem. We are

:50:46. > :50:52.going to try and go back to Capitol Hill. We are joined by a congressman

:50:53. > :50:58.from Oklahoma. It is very noisy, I was wondering what he made of the

:50:59. > :51:06.President's speech? There are some things you didn't say that I wish he

:51:07. > :51:13.had, a plan to defeat Isil and a plan to get the economy moving more

:51:14. > :51:23.rapidly. But, I thought it was a great speech. He tried to reach out

:51:24. > :51:28.in a couple of places, noted the bipartisan objections he has made.

:51:29. > :51:33.The points he made about not allowing us to be divided by race or

:51:34. > :51:40.ethnicity, those were great points to make in a very controversial

:51:41. > :51:44.year. It was a great effort. He laid out some areas in which we can work

:51:45. > :51:57.together in his final year of office to get something is done. Do you

:51:58. > :52:05.think that Obama is suggesting that, the divide between the

:52:06. > :52:09.Republicans and other political parties, and trying to bridge the

:52:10. > :52:24.divide, he has not been successful at that? This has been a very

:52:25. > :52:32.aggressive president in terms of gun control and many areas. But to call

:52:33. > :52:40.for the things he laid out today, that has been met with scepticism.

:52:41. > :52:46.But the civil justice reform and the trends partnerships, putting out

:52:47. > :52:50.adequate resources, finding a cure for cancer, those are areas we can

:52:51. > :52:56.work together on, even in contentious times. So, we will try

:52:57. > :53:03.and do that and let the political process take care of itself. Do you

:53:04. > :53:11.have a question? Congressman, nice to see you. A political question, do

:53:12. > :53:17.you think about Ted Cruz should have made it to the chamber to listen to

:53:18. > :53:23.the State of the union, or do you understand and accept that it was

:53:24. > :53:26.more important for him to be away? I understand he is on a tight

:53:27. > :53:30.deadline, he is running for president. He needs to allow his

:53:31. > :53:36.campaign schedule to dictate where he will be. As a rule, I do think

:53:37. > :53:39.members should be here. If he wasn't running for office, I suspect he

:53:40. > :53:47.would be here. I don't know whether he has attended previous addresses,

:53:48. > :53:53.I suspect he has. You don't regard this decision as a slap to the

:53:54. > :53:59.President? I don't. He has a campaign event, elections coming up.

:54:00. > :54:08.I don't think it was meant to be a negative sign. When Obama was

:54:09. > :54:21.running for senator, he himself missed many addresses. Governor of

:54:22. > :54:27.Oklahoma, thank you for joining us. There were other members who were

:54:28. > :54:33.running for the presidency to weather tonight, who I am sure would

:54:34. > :54:37.have been much happier being able to go out and continue campaigning. All

:54:38. > :54:41.of them facing challenges and looking ahead to this election

:54:42. > :54:45.year. If you had to put your money somewhere, who will be standing up

:54:46. > :54:54.there giving that address to Congress this time next year? I have

:54:55. > :55:00.no idea. I think that Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are the most likely to

:55:01. > :55:05.be nominated, but I have been shocked and amazed by Donald

:55:06. > :55:10.Trump's continuing strength. It is remarkable. On the Democratic side,

:55:11. > :55:15.I still think that Hillary Clinton will be the nominee. It is amazing

:55:16. > :55:19.that she is having problems with Bernie Sanders, given that most

:55:20. > :55:27.Democrats like her and agree with her positions. They just find her a

:55:28. > :55:33.bit too corporate. Thank you for joining us. We will all be curious

:55:34. > :55:41.to see who will be behind that podium next year. Thank you for

:55:42. > :55:43.joining us to watch President Obama's final state of the union

:55:44. > :55:46.address.