State of the Union address key points

Barack Obama delivered a level headed and some might say fiscally conservative State of the Union address last night. He made jobs his first priority, and talked to both sides of the house to work together to bring about lasting change in a country which has experienced so much uncertainty over the last few years.

The bank bailout was touched upon, and he made several comments which will ring true with millions of ordinary Americans – talking about how everyone ‘hated the bailout’. He said that he would introduce new financial measures on banks, and pointed out that if they could afford to pay large bonuses to their staff then they could afford to contribute to the society which saved them just 18 months previously.

State of the Union address key points

He also criticized the recent decision by the Supreme Court to repeal the law which in effect removed the cap on political funding by special interest groups and lobbyists. He repeated the calls from his campaign – that politics should not be funded by these groups or, worse still, foreign interests. This brought a reaction of applause from Democrats, while Republicans seemed unimpressed.

Finally, in an appeal to the liberal side of the country, President Obama said he would repeal the law which bans homosexuals from the military, saying that if people wanted to serve the country then they should be able to.