Last night was basically the Super bowl of U.S. politics. Only, without the delicious snacks.
President Obama delivered his biggest speech of the year – the State of the Union address. 38 million people tuned in to listen to POTUS frame the debates for the next two years and set the table for the 2016 election.
To sum it up in one line, President Obama explained that, “The shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the Union is strong.”
In last year’s State of the Union address, President Obama explained, “We also know that progress in the most impoverished parts of our world enriches us all—not only because it creates new markets, more stable order in certain regions of the world, but also because it’s the right thing to do. In many places, people live on little more than a dollar a day. So the United States will join with our allies to eradicate such extreme poverty in the next two decades by connecting more people to the global economy; by empowering women; by giving our young and brightest minds new opportunities to serve, and helping communities to feed, and power, and educate themselves; by saving the world’s children from preventable deaths; and by realizing the promise of an AIDS-free generation, which is within our reach.”
In case you missed it, here are the 5 coolest things that happened last night:
1. President Obama spoke about the importance of building strong health systems:
“In West Africa, our troops, our scientists, our doctors, our nurses and healthcare workers are rolling back Ebola — saving countless lives and stopping the spread of disease. I couldn’t be prouder of them, and I thank this Congress for your bipartisan support of their efforts. But the job is not yet done — and the world needs to use this lesson to build a more effective global effort to prevent the spread of future pandemics, invest in smart development, and eradicate extreme poverty.”
2. That one time that President Obama shocked Republicans:
You seriously have to check out this clip. Jump to :09.
3. Our President pledged to make education affordable for everyone:
“That’s why I am sending this Congress a bold new plan to lower the cost of community college?—?to zero.”
4. Then, President Obama called on the United States to pave the way for better health coverage:
“I want the country that eliminated polio and mapped the human genome to lead a new era of medicine — one that delivers the right treatment at the right time. In some patients with cystic fibrosis, this approach has reversed a disease once thought unstoppable. Tonight, I’m launching a new Precision Medicine Initiative to bring us closer to curing diseases like cancer and diabetes — and to give all of us access to the personalized information we need to keep ourselves and our families healthier.”
President Obama is correct that the United States is polio-free, but polio has yet to be fully eradicated. The fight against polio continues on in Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan.
5. Finally, President Obama called for action to address climate change:
“The best scientists in the world are all telling us that our activities are changing the climate, and if we do not act forcefully, we’ll continue to see rising oceans, longer, hotter heat waves, dangerous droughts and floods, and massive disruptions that can trigger greater migration, conflict, and hunger around the globe. The Pentagon says that climate change poses immediate risks to our national security. We should act like it.”
Want to know more? You can check out the full speech here.
As global citizens, we understand that ending extreme poverty requires building a movement of people – citizens like you and me, corporations, politicians, and influencers – who share a common objective. We are excited to launch a series of exciting campaigns and events in 2015 that will help to grow this movement. Watch this space for exciting new ways to get involved.
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Judith Rowland