Obama: We "Move Forward Together, or Not at All"
Updated 6:55 p.m. Eastern Time
The White House has released a few excerpts from President Obama's State of the Union address this evening. In them, Mr. Obama echoes his call that America achieve a new "Sputnik moment" to unleash innovation.
He also addresses the new political reality in Washington, one in which Democrats have no choice but to work with Republicans. "We will move forward together, or not at all," he plans to say -- stressing that the job of governing now falls to both parties.
He says lawmakers should not focus on politics -- though this speech is undeniably to some extent political-- and instead find a way to address the fact that many Americans cannot find jobs. The American people, he will say, want the parties to work together to provide them opportunities for success -- and jobs that afford them a better quality of life.
Amid calls from Republicans for fiscal discipline, Mr. Obama plans to announce a five-year freeze on domestic discretionary spending in the speech that the White House says will save $400 billion over ten years. He will also, however, stress the need for more "investment" in the economy in areas like education and infrastructure -- something that has Republicans complaining that Mr. Obama is pushing for wasteful spending.
Check out the excerpts below:
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With their votes, the American people determined that governing will now be a shared responsibility between parties. New laws will only pass with support from Democrats and Republicans. We will move forward together, or not at all - for the challenges we face are bigger than party, and bigger than politics.
At stake right now is not who wins the next election - after all, we just had an election. At stake is whether new jobs and industries take root in this country, or somewhere else. It's whether the hard work and industry of our people is rewarded. It's whether we sustain the leadership that has made America not just a place on a map, but a light to the world. We are poised for progress. Two years after the worst recession most of us have ever known, the stock market has come roaring back. Corporate profits are up. The economy is growing again.
But we have never measured progress by these yardsticks alone. We measure progress by the success of our people. By the jobs they can find and the quality of life those jobs offer. By the prospects of a small business owner who dreams of turning a good idea into a thriving enterprise. By the opportunities for a better life that we pass on to our children. That's the project the American people want us to work on. Together.
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Half a century ago, when the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik, we had no idea how we'd beat them to the moon. The science wasn't there yet. NASA didn't even exist.
But after investing in better research and education, we didn't just surpass the Soviets; we unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs. This is our generation's Sputnik moment.
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