*I would like to add as a quick note that this is going to be very full of American politics, so if you are from a different country or are trying to find out more about American politics by way of the internet (. . . why? . . .), good luck! The voices from the back of the room are screaming "Click away while you still can!", but you're a brave soul. Read the rest at your own risk. You have now been warned . . .
To first understand the address, you must know what it is. The State of the Union (SOTU) address is a speech that the president gives concerning how the nation is doing now and what he hopes to do to improve it. It is given shortly after the president is inaugurated (sworn into office), which is January 20. Now to get onto the specifics, my favorite statistic from the night was that John Boehner (pronounced bay-ner), the Speaker of the House (the person in charge of the largest of our two legislative bodies, the House of Representatives), stood up three times in the entire one hour speech while others were standing every three minutes. After Obama got reelected, Boehner swore that he would not talk, make deals with, or compromise with the president. The three times Boehner stood up were when president Obama entered the room, left the room, and talked about Al Queda. I may not always agree with Obama's politics but that man can give a speech. The major topics he focused on were the economy, education, and gun control. Marco Rubio gave the Republican Response that followed the SOTU because Rubio, a republican, was countering the things that Obama, a democrat, had said in Obama's speech while still enforcing the republican ideals (i.e. that republicans are not always in favor of the upper class). At the end of the day, it was a very fun night of politics (for me).
If you want to see the speeches cuz you've got time, I strongly recommend it. Please watch the speeches (below) and give your imput.
State of the Union address
Marco Rubio's Republican Response
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