Room for agreement between Obama, GOP on foreign policy
- By Mitchell Blatt
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E-mail China.org.cn, January 31, 2015
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US President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, January 20, 2015. [Photo/China Daily] |
U.S. President Barack Obama laid out an ambitious Democratic agenda in his final State of the Union Address. He even took a few shots at his critics.
"Over the past six years, the pundits have pointed out more than once that my presidency hasn't delivered on [my] vision," Obama said, before stating that, "I still think the cynics are wrong."
He'll find out soon enough they aren't. The new Senate is now controlled by Republicans, who have a 10-seat majority, and the Republicans have their largest majority in the House of Representatives since 1930.
Simply put, Obama will have a hard time getting his agenda through a Republican-controlled Congress. Cynical or not, it is a simple fact that the two parties disagree on many things in politics. The Republicans will likely oppose the proposals he made in the speech to increase the minimum wage, regulate women's pay, subsidize community college, and reform the tax system by raising taxes on the wealthy.
They have room for agreement on foreign affairs however. The issues of terrorism, cyber security, trade, and modernizing alliances were important topics in Obama's speech.
With a nod towards recent events, he said, "We stand united with people around the world who've been targeted by terrorists – from a school in Pakistan to the streets of Paris. We will continue to hunt down terrorists and dismantle their networks, and we reserve the right to act unilaterally."
Republicans have approved Obama's requests for military actions and the funding of Syrian rebels, and they will likely continue to do so.
Cyber security is also in the news since Sony was hacked in December. It is a broad and long-standing issue that affects more than just filmmakers; it puts all citizens at risk, because credit card numbers or passwords are often stolen.
Obama urged Congress to pass a cyber security bill that would make it easier for the government to receive information about threats from private companies, allowing for the government to optimize defenses. Versions of the bill, called the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, have already passed the Republican-controlled House of Representatives in 2011 and 2013, but it wasn't voted on in Senate. The bill has already been reintroduced this year, so it will likely pass and become law.
On trade, Obama asked Congress for the authority to fast-track trade deals. Republicans, with their support for free markets and business, are generally supportive of free trade. Even Sen. Ted Cruz, who has been one of Obama's harshest critics in Congress, said, "He mentioned trade and I think expanding free trade will be an area of agreement."
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