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state of the union 2016

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President Barack Obama has given his last State of the Union address last night defending his legacy while striking an optimistic note for America’s future.

Barack Obama criticized the negative tone of the current presidential race, arguing the US has the “strongest, most durable economy in the world”.

“Anyone claiming that America’s economy is in decline is peddling fiction,” he told lawmakers in Washington.

The speech to Congress highlighted Barack Obama’s accomplishments such as health reform.

He adds that with just a year to go and a Republican Congress, there is neither the time nor the votes to get much done.

Republicans attacked many of Barack Obama’s assertions, with South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley saying in the party’s official response his record “had fallen short of his soaring words”.

“For my final address to this chamber, I don’t want to talk just about the next year. I want to focus on the next five years, 10 years, and beyond,” Barack Obama said.

“I want to focus on our future.”Barack Obama final SOTU 2016

The president rejected suggestions by politicians and commentators that America’s economy is getting weaker.

However, Barack Obama added: “What is true – and the reason that a lot of Americans feel anxious – is that the economy has been changing in profound ways.”

He focused on the need to tackle income inequality, use technology to combat climate change and maintain national security while not becoming mired in foreign conflicts.

The president called on voters and politicians to change the divisive tone of politics and to “change the system to reflect our better selves”.

Barack Obama said a major regret of his presidency was that Republicans and Democrats had become more hostile towards each other.

“Our public life withers when only the most extreme voices get all the attention,” he said.

He took indirect aim to Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump who has been criticized for his comments about Muslims and immigrants.

“When politicians insult Muslims, when a mosque is vandalized, or a kid bullied, that doesn’t make us safer,” BarackObama said.

“That’s not telling it like it is. It’s just wrong… And it betrays who we are as a country.”

For 2016, Barack Obama said he wanted to: close the Guantanamo Bay prison; achieve meaningful criminal justice reform; address rising tide of prescription drug abuse; authorize the use of military force against ISIS and lift the embargo on Cuba.

He also announced a new national cancer research initiative that Vice-President Joe Biden will be leading.

Barack Obama only mentioned guns briefly, despite a recent policy push for executive actions on gun control, though a chair was left empty in the chamber to symbolize victims of gun violence.

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President Barack Obama will give his final State of the Union address.

The president will focus on cementing his legacy rather than unveiling new policies, officials have said.

Barack Obama is expected to frame some of the key issues in a way that fellow Democrats can embrace during campaigning for the upcoming election.

However, recent polls suggest that seven in 10 people in the US do not share their leader’s optimism.

A response by the GOP will be delivered by South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.

Barack Obama’s aides have avoided characterizing the speech as a victory lap, but say it will highlight his accomplishments over the past seven years.

They say that it will present an optimistic alternative to the dire narratives put forward by Republican presidential candidates.

Among the events and developments that Barack Obama will tout as successes are: nuclear deal with Iran; rapprochement with Cuba; Paris climate change deal; positive economic indicators; budget deal with Republicans; recent gun control reforms.State of the Union 2016

Barack Obama will also continue his public messaging campaign aimed at improving the image of his strategy against ISIS.

Keeping with tradition, the president will speak about what he would like to see Congress work on and his vision for the US beyond his last year in office.

While Barack Obama is not expected to offer a large list of policy proposals, he could urge action on a number of items he feels have been left undone or could be accomplished with bipartisan support during his remaining year in office.

Among the items that could be on Barack Obama’s to-do list are: criminal justice reform; closing Guantanamo Bay prison camp; approving the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal.

Also keeping with tradition, First Lady Michelle Obama will host several guests that reflect the president’s vision for US society.

In 2016, an empty chair will be featured in remembrance of gun violence victims.

Among guests are: Syrian refugee Refaai Hamo, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, first female US Army Ranger Lisa Jaster, Supreme Court plaintiff Jim Obergefell, Muslim US Army Veteran Naveed Shah, Mexican immigrant and science proponent Oscar Vazquez.

The speech is expected to begin around 21:00 local time, and has – in the past – had a duration of about an hour.

Barack Obama’s remarks mark the fulfillment of a constitutional mandate that requires the president to “from time to time give the Congress information on the State of the Union”.

Historically, the update has usually been given annually, in January, as a speech to a joint session of Congress.