WASHINGTON—The White House is promising a nontraditional address for President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union. But, no, don’t look for him to slow-jam Tuesday’s speech or rap it.
Nontraditional is more likely to simply mean a shorter list of policy proposals and more attention to the president’s broader vision for the country.
What else is there to watch for? Plenty. The president’s speech promises all sorts of election-year dynamics, a new face, an empty chair and a dollop of nostalgia.
Some things to watch:
Long Look Ahead
With time running out on his presidency, Obama knows it would be pointless to propose lots of new initiatives. Instead, look to see what sort of future the president sketches for the country well beyond his remaining year in office. Bill Clinton, in his 2000 valedictory, harked back to Theodore Roosevelt’s talk of a “growing nation with a future that takes the long look ahead.”
Long Look Back
Obama doesn’t want to emphasize his lame duck status, so he’s likely to go light on the nostalgia in his last State of the Union. But, with a rare audience of tens of millions of Americans, this is a prime opportunity for the president to begin shaping a summarizing vision of his presidency before people tune him out to focus on the 2016 campaign. How does he balance nostalgia with the speech’s forward-looking elements?
Alternate Realities
The Republican presidential candidates are painting a grim portrait of America, one downtrodden economically, culturally divided, cowed by terrorists—that has lost its standing in the world. Obama is delivering his address earlier than usual this year to put his own, rosier stamp on things before the primary season is in full swing. How does he project a more optimistic view of America while still acknowledging the very real anxieties and worries that Republicans are tapping into? And will he call out the GOP candidates for divisive rhetoric? Don’t expect him to scold the candidates directly, but he'll still make his displeasure clear.
