Readers React to Obama’s Final State of the Union Address

Barack Obama has distinguished himself as one of our worthiest presidents. I cannot blame him for the Republican-dominated Congress, which from the beginning of his term in office made frustrating his aims more important than anything else including the good of the country. Apparently none of them took their oaths of office seriously.

I think he is more of a global president for his leadership, better world attitude, and positive intention towards negotiations and democratization of countries. Climate change deal with china and the rest of the world is one example. You can take the transformation of Myanmar. it is a big step for that country. He appears to give values to the voices and contribution of US partners. You can take the Iran deal and the fight against ISIS.
On the national policy, i think he was trying to pragmatically solve problems that are underpinning where the fruits his policies will be observed in the near future.
I think his ego, responsibility and desperation to achieve something obviated him to compromise with his opponents. He was lucky to have a democratic congress in the first years of his presidency.

Obama is one of the greatest presidents America has ever had. His departure will be a great loss to America and to the world.

Who really knows whether the blame for the polarization falls on the POTUS or the Congress or even the USSC. Or has the country polarized itself? Regardless, the elected "leaders" did little to attenuate the trend, none of them. One example which will be difficult to forget falls on Obama's inability to be brutal when needed and compassionate when needed, instead of steadfastly rational.

It was fun to see him go between dying his hair black or leaving a lot of it white.
Hurrah for "Just for Men Shampoo-In Hair Color, Real Black 55," 1 application, (Pack of 3)

Grace and steel under fire--that's President Obama! I would vote for him again if it were possible. I will miss you Mr. President. Thank you, sir, for your contributions to our democracy. May you and your beautiful family prosper and live in peace.

For 7 years, our president has been attacked in a vicious and personal way by so many haters. It disgusts me to have such contempt for someone who's married. Has children. Is another human being. And last but not least, the President of The United States of America. Have some decorum people.

Our president has grown during his tenure. Also, he is an excellent example of how "a good education" can pay off. For instance, while in Hawaii, in the home of his grandparents, he studied at the best schools. Later, he graduated from college and earned a law degree. So he has shown that hard work pays off.
Add to this: his campaign in 2008 was a roaring success, managed by some of the most successful people in the business of campaigns. I can only hope and pray that a Democrat follows him. The ugliness of some Republicans is just too much to stomach. But some shallow voters may not think as I do.

Obama is the only president in my lifetime - 62 years - I'm truly sorry to see go. I would vote for him a third time if I could.

Without a doubt, both sides have been intransigent. But that does not mean their intransigence has been equally justified.
The simple fact of the matter is that the right wing of the Republican Party has strayed so far from reality, it is now being repudiated by even the so-called moderates in the party. And ever since Ronald Reagan even Republican moderates have had a tenuous relationship with reality.
The problem likely stems from the "news" source for most Republicans. The data consistently show that watching Fox "News" makes you more poorly informed than watching no news at all. http://www.businessinsider.com/study-watching-fox-news-makes-you-less-in...

Obama is by the best president in several generation. His foreign policy moves are far better than any previous president since FDR and his intellect and demeanor is that of a true leaders. Those of you that call him weak have no true understanding what leadership really means. He is respected throughout the world contrary to the Republican fallacies and and he will be judged very kindly by history. I, we are far better off during his presidency than any of the other alternatives.

“I was less interested in how he perceived his achievements than what was his main regret — not being able to overcome political polarization. He gracefully admitted his own failings in that regard.”

Obama did not fail re: polarization. He simply did not grasp how deep is the sickness at the core of the Republican Party.
I can't say at the heart or at the soul of the Republican Party because it clearly has neither.

President Obama will go down in history as one of the great presidents, I suspect, and his accomplishments from recovering from the Great Recession, ending Bush's wars, peacefully ridding Syria of chemical weapons, having Bin Laden and other terrorist leaders killed, and providing health care for more than 18 million who lacked insurance.

The opposition to President Obama began on the night of his inauguration balls with the 15 conspirators including McConnell and Ryan planning to obstruct everything the new president did, and has continued unabated complete with racism and a pathological hatred of this man that is weirdly personal.

That too will be studied by historians and sociologists, and I doubt that the Republicans will come out looking well. After the Civil War and Reconstruction, there was a long period of Jim Crow in the South. The nativism, racism and bigotry of many of those who oppose the president is undisguised. From Kenyan birther utter nonsense to rants about tyranny, the vitriol has deliberately ignored previous similar actions by presidents on executive actions or immigration, and it also ignores the president's hopeful attempts at compromise.

The lies were encouraged. The ACA had hundreds of Republican amendments added in committee and afterwards; it has been a highly successful program.

These people with their obsessive hatred and anger are doing themselves great harm -- spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually.

My reaction to Obama's speech was to feel embarrassed that our Country had such an incompetent leader who seemed to think the answer to all our problems as citizens was to get off clouds of empty words while sprinkling them with oratorical nods and poses as a substitute for the honest convictions he lacks in coming to physical grips with the Nation's problems. I was embarrassed to think that we had elected a president who seemed to believe that oratorical polish was a kind of all purpose problem solving maneuver behind which he could hide from unpleasant reality.

I do not think there has been a US president that did not disappoint me in the foreign policy area. I think the US is and has been too active on the world stage militarily. So I will not address Obama's failings there. He cannot please people in this area as everyone has a different view of what makes good foreign policy.

As to the economy, it does appear that Obama is a bit tone deaf to people's plight as the recovery is not reaching a significant portion of the population. But it seems to me that people have unrealistic expectations as to what he can do about that. Improvements in the economy are linked to local,state and federal policies.

As to Obama's regret at overcoming partisan rancor, that is hardly his burden alone. All of us, on both sides of the aisle, in our communities, our discourse online have only set fire to the divisions that exist between us.

As to the ACA, I am glad that millions of poor person have health insurance. I hope that the ACA can be improved or that we can switch to single payer healthcare. I do wish the law had been supported by the opposition, however. I think we would have had a better law if both sides had input.

I will never regret voting for Obama. He has accomplished much and is a good person. I think he truly cares for the American people and believes that he is making a difference. That some people do not agree does not change that fact.

I never voted for Obama; I bristled at the unbridled emotion around his election campaigns, and I anticipated my indifference towards him would only increase during his time in office. Instead I developed a respect for him in equal parts due to his consistent poise and attempts at enticing the country towards a more intellectually minded culture. I don't think he will be fully appreciated until he is gone and frankly was a bit sad to hear his State of the Union last night.

It was Mr. Obama who on January 23, 2009 told the Congressional Republicans "I won" and refused to listen to their ideas on stimulus. Remember, Mr. Obama came out of what is a one-party state in Chicago; it has not had a Republican mayor since the 1920's. He was ill-equipped to compromise with those who disagree with him, both by experience and his own personal arrogance. Sadly, the majority of the blame for partisanship lies on him.

A smart, graceful human being. Indeed he would have transformed our country had he had a constructive but willing opposition. Its sad that we as Americans did not benefit as much as his potential was.

Thank you Mr. President

To blame Obama for the partisanship is a joke! The Republicans have openly admitted to their strategy of NO as a means to winning elections and crippling the Democrats. I'm impressed that Obama got as much done as he did, given the hurdles he faced. Gobama!!

Having voted for President Obama, I was saddened by his narrow view of middle class Americans paying for every child to go to college free and every poor American had free health care, funded by the Americans who paid health care premiums 3-4 times higher for an insurance policy that paid 40 % less of medical bills.
I am not sure that a victory lap was in order, when the NRA and Health Insurance companies rule the people in America.

Much of the political polarization has been caused by Obama saying one thing and doing the exact opposite. Obama constantly said he would work and negotiate with the opposition. However, he would then limit the "issues" to be discussed and negotiated to items of no significance. He would remove any issue of substance from the negotiating table.

Obama's legacy is that of an accomplished speaker, but a man of little action, in the domestic and foreign policy arenas.

he's a good man.
he's a better speaker/reader.
despite his posturing, he has to be terribly disappointed with how his presidency turned out.
but not for the same reasons a lot of americans do.
bin laden would have been taken out, regardless of who was CinC.
he didn't close gitmo, thank goodness for small favors.
i mainly wish he had done a better job for the minorities in
our country. they have suffered since the recession more than
any one group.
on a personal, selfish note,
my insurance went up 50% during year two of ACA and i had to switch carriers and increase deductibles to keep my doctors. thanks for nothing.

in summary "move along, this wasn't the President you were looking for...".

" they do not threaten our national existence."

That's all I needed to hear to know what the real deal is.

I think it was a good speech. He blew his own trumpet a bit but he also acknowledged the fact that things are not as good as they could be for many Americans. He spoke to us as one adult to another. That's a lot more than can be said for many past and present politicians.

I thought the State of the Union speech by President Obama was great and I was deeply moved by it. President Obama believes that is in the best interests of the country to come together. I wonder when or if the Greed Only Party will ever hear that message.

I too have faith in my country. I too vote, and voice my opinions, and participate in discussions and direction for the country, and state, and city, and individual.

I was proud to be an American after his State of the Union speech. We are the greatest and most powerful nation on Earth, by far as Obama said. But it is all of us, our diversity, that keeps us greater than the sum of our parts. His ability to take the high road, to logically assess our place in the world and communicate thoughts for the next 5 or ten years was fantastic.

Not giving in to fear, emphasizing the inclusive America, is the high road. Being realistic about fighting terrorism appropriately and protecting American citizens as job 1 is the high road.

I was honestly a bit emotional when Obama was done.

We will miss him. The country will miss him. Thank you Mr. President.

It's heartening to see that the vast majority of New York Times comments --and thumbs up to the comments -- recognize and support Mr. Obama's wisdom, compassion, and extraordinary leadership skills. He will be missed by millions of us, and in the face of the hostile opposition he's had to endure these past seven years, I hope he knows that.

Overall, it's a draw. Yes, there is ACA but what has that accomplished for Joe and Jill Middle Class. I think he made an error on targeting health over jobs. From the git-go, it should have been more jobs. That would have led to more support for health care.
In the foreign policy area, he waffled too much and has drawn us into more war in the Middle East. That said, the agreement with Iran is one of the best events that have happened in this new century. I fault him for drawing lines and then backtracking. If one draws a line in the sand, he must mean it. If he/she didn't really mean it, it shouldn't have been drawn. Poor advice from State. He sounded too much like Kerry: "I was for it before I was against it, or maybe I was against it before I was for it." His push for TPP shows that he is in the pocket of big business and banking and doesn't really care about the middle class. As an Independent left leaning individual, I am most disappointed with his capitulation to the multi-national corporations.

In my broader world perspective from outside the country and as a non-USer, Obama was and is one of the better presidents the US has had, even though he is and will continue to be vilified by his opponents. Most of us in the rest of the world do not like the US and its politics very much, but we like Obama because he is not the proverbial "ugly American" and wilfully ignorant USer. He has grace and poise and intelligence. The funniest part was seeing Mr. Rubio, the great pretender, sitting in the audience with the face of a school-boy who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar and was sent to sit in the corner. And Mr. Cruzer did not even show up. Because he was probably cruising somewhere kissing evangelicals.

No one, no matter how committed he or she may be towards reconciliation, can restore a relationship when the other side isn't interested in reconciling.

It is surprising that people blame the President for the rancorous division in Washington. As Republicans huddled in a hotel room down the street from where President Obama's Inauguration was taking place, they decided to make a concerted effort to oppose every single proposal, every suggestion, & vowed to not cooperate. Mitch McConnell promised, on that day, to make President Obama a one-term President. They nearly succeeded.

President Obama tried to work with them. He bent over backwards until he (finally) realized they were not going to give an inch. It is not Mr. Obama's fault that Republicans refused & continue to refuse to work with him. That is their choice. They chose to be inflexible. They chose to try to stop President Obama at every step along the way. They kept good on that promise to a good extent, despite his successes.

For those who still blame President Obama perhaps reflecting upon the old adage: 'You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot force the horse to drink' would be apropos. After all 'it takes two to tango.'

With respect to the President's remorse at not having been able to decrease political polarization, it is impossible to accomplish this when the other side has no interest whatsoever in doing so. The hate speech that started when he was elected and continued throughout in intervening years has been toxic for the country and has given rise to increased racism and a decrease in the respect for what has been accomplished in the last seven years.

From the general reaction of the republicans and especially Paul Ryan, it appears that they do not want cancer cured. Too bad politics gets in the way of our general well being.

President Obama, a man of good intentions and intellect, unfortunately was not a very successful president. He leaves office with a nation more divided than it has been in my lifetime, perhaps even since the Great Depression or Reconstruction. Inequality grew fast under his tenure and his signature trade pact will make things worse. On the international scene it is even worse. Our oldest alliances are strained at best. China has risen to be a true military threat while we wasted military strength and national credibility in pointless and unproductive farces. His high point was the death of bin Laden, for that he deserves some credit for sending the men who did the job. In the end, Obama was wasted talent because he was in over his head. Had he waited 8 years to run, and ad some wisdom before he took office, he may have been a great president. Unfortunately he did not, took office too young and inexperienced, and will rank down the list with Jimmy Carter. another good man but ineffective president.

From the first, Obama's intelligence of expression has made him beyond the hearing of the people who can hear Mr. Trump. I don't think Obama has ever figured it out. He has attributed it somewhat to race and of course so have we the people. But his gifts have been invisible to people who aren't awake on the full spectrum of awareness. We are meeting up with that with this speech too. The media thinks he apologized. But he expressed sorrow and responsibility, you see, as a teachable moment. Only the people who need to learn from him cannot hear him. Trump, they can hear.

The first lady never looked more beautiful. My God. We wasted those two and I hope they go forward and do more and better. And o yes, I don't like TPP or that the president tried to hide it from us and force it on us. So even he has become beyond my range.

I have President Obama's optimism in the Better Nature of Americans - all Americans. It is so easy to hate. It is so easy to fear. It is so easy to get angry. It is so easy to fight instead of negotiate. Yet, in our short history Americans have learned - sometimes the hard way - that a destructive path of hate, fear, anger and war is the fastest way to the destruction of democracy. WE must have faith in the voices of OUR better selves, shrug off the government-hating rhetoric and admit how much well-managed government has done to provide a strong, educated, mobile, prosperous America. WE must let our better selves VOTE for hope and keep moving ahead in the next elections.