Obama's Final State of the Union: 'Speaking to History'

It's 'all about his legacy' on Tuesday night
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 12, 2016 6:57 AM CST
Obama's Final State of the Union: 'Speaking to History'
President Obama waves before giving his State of the Union address in 2015.   (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

President Obama gives his final State of the Union address at 9pm EST on Tuesday. Here's a guide of expected themes and things to watch:

  • Don't expect a laundry list of goals. Instead, expect a "central theme of optimism" that lays out a bigger picture for America, reports the Los Angeles Times.
  • This one "is all about his legacy," notes the Washington Post. "He will be speaking to history."
  • The speech will be streamed on Amazon Video as a reflection of changing times, notes Re/code. It will also be on YouTube, and Gizmodo has a guide for following along on social media, even Snapchat. The chief digital officer at the White House lays out the thinking here.

  • The Hill has a list of things to watch for, including a rebuttal of Donald Trump's vision of America. CNN also has a guide, expecting Obama to try to do a better job of reassuring Americans worried about terror attacks.
  • The New York Times and Politico separately assess how Obama has done in his previous State of the Union proposals.
  • Those same sites also look back at Michelle Obama's guests for the speech. Times here and Politico here. (And here's a look at Tuesday night's guests.)
  • Previous speeches are now available with additional notes, photos, and video via the annotation platform Genius, notes Wired.
(More President Obama stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X