Obama states the union

On Wednesday, Jan. 27, Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union Address for 2010. True to form, he spoke convincingly of hope and change in the face of incredible difficulties, calling the American people to unite despite their differences. But unity is hard-won.

While I maintain a healthy skepticism of politics, I cannot help but enjoy Obama’s optimistic approach to the American variety. He seems to have a firm grasp of the political environment and the prevailing attitude of ambivalence towards the government. In his address, Obama spoke about the American people’s distrust of Washington and cynicism towards politics, recognizing Americans’ frustration with a bickering government.

“But what frustrates the American people is a Washington where every day is Election Day,” Obama said. “We cannot wage a perpetual campaign where the only goal is to see who can get the most embarrassing headlines about their opponent – a belief that if you lose, I win. Neither party should delay or obstruct every single bill just because they can … But it is precisely such politics that has stopped either party from helping the American people. Worse yet, it is sowing further division among our citizens and further distrust in our government.”

Obama calls for something beyond merely winning or losing, beyond holding power; he relies on America’s patriotism to unite the country beyond the partisan politics of winning and losing. Even while he recognizes that there are some issues for which “philosophical differences” will always divide the country, Obama is working towards changing the tone of politics.

While he did touch on other issues, a great deal of Obama’s address focused on the economy, drawing attention to the necessity of economic growth and of the government’s support of businesses. As he put it, the true engine of job creation is a healthy business sector. Towards this end, Obama described the past year’s economic difficulties and proposed his vision for economic growth. Even though the bailout was not popular, Obama described how necessary - albeit unpopular - it was.

In placing the economy at the forefront of his address, Obama highlighted a common concern, both in America and abroad. Regardless of political affiliation, the state of the economy figures prominently in people’s minds, which can only serve to unite people around a common (economic) purpose. While people may disagree with the current state of the economy or Obama’s proposed economic plan, they are drawn together around the need to address economic interest - especially in a capitalist nation.

As a segue to speaking about more divisive issues, Obama spoke about the need for “reform” - a rather sticky word. He created a metaphor of the fiscal deficit to speak about trust, stating that there is a need to “try something new” to attempt to eliminate the deficit - and not just the fiscal deficit, but a deficit of trust (i.e. “deep and corrosive doubts about how Washington works that have been growing for years”).

According to Obama, the common suspicion and distrust of the political system serves only to fracture the American people, creating more divisions and less opportunity. At this point, Obama talked about military matters and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, reiterating campaign promises for the coming years.

Specifically: In Afghanistan, even though more troops have been deployed, it was done in order to train Afghan Security Forces so that they can begin to take the lead in July 2011 and U.S. troops can begin to return home. While over in Iraq, Obama promised a quicker withdrawal of troops, stating that all troops will be out by the end of August. As for gay Americans in the military, Obama promised (again) that this year he will work with Congress “to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are.”

While it is important that Obama address these issues and provide straightforward information about his presidential intentions, his reliance on American patriotism to move the country forward is suspect. After all, I don’t think many Americans would deny that they love their country; but I think there are fundamental “philosophical differences” about how best to demonstrate that love. For some, leaving the troops overseas for even a day longer undermines American ideals; for others, bringing them home destroys those same values. As Obama declared towards the end of his address, in a magnificent display of American narcissism:

“Abroad, America’s greatest source of strength has always been our ideals. The same is true at home. We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution: the notion that we are all created equal, that no matter who you are or what you look like … if you adhere to our common values you should be treated no different than anyone else.”

That sounds rather wonderful to the American ear, I’m sure, but the problem is that America’s “ideals” are not a strength. People don’t revere America for its progressive ideals.

For instance, looking at history, slavery persisted a full 40 years longer in America than it did in Britain; even after slavery was abolished, civil liberties for African Americans were hard-won after years of discrimination and struggle - and racism still abounds. Gays and lesbians are not permitted to be openly gay in the military, let alone marry or enjoy the same civil liberties as other Americans.

On a more fundamental level, Obama’s conditional statement “if you adhere to our common values” imposes a homogenizing consent onto the notion of equality. It is only if you adhere to “our common values” - a phrase that seems to imply the dominant majority’s values - that you will be treated no differently than anyone else. Even the notion that everyone is “created equal” in itself conjures an entire system of religious belief.

In short, incredible diversity does not in practice lead to unity. It leads to a site of struggle over the notion of equality and the question of common values.

While Obama delivered an impressive State of the Union Address, speaking to the challenges that he has faced in his presidency so far and advocating for unity and reform, he still relies on the optimistic view of unity beyond differences. This doesn’t mean that change isn’t possible, but simply that change must happen along the lines of “common values,” through the awareness and acceptance of difference.

Check out Pres. Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address at http://stateoftheunionaddress.org/2010-barack-obama.