AAUW Dialog

Yesterday, a national leader stood before America and, in a presentation designed to generate both thought and excitement, proceeded to explain his plan for revitalizing America.

But enough about Steve Jobs and the iPad.

The other big speech of the day was, of course, President Obama’s State of the Union address. Coming just days after his administration’s one-year anniversary, the president’s speech took place at a time that seems awfully different than the moment in which he delivered his inaugural address.

As we begin President Obama’s second year, the state of the union is, in my view, scared. The White House is nervous to push on health care. Congressional Democrats are afraid of filibusters, while congressional Republicans are worried about what would happen if they stop filibustering. Liberals are worried that the president is backtracking on his campaign promises. Conservatives, as always, fear a government takeover of their lives. And the American middle class is terrified of unemployment and the skyrocketing costs of health insurance.

President Obama took to the House floor last night and, above all, sought to ease those fears. He spoke mostly about getting the economy back on track. He maintained that the theme of 2010 ought to be the economy, calling on the Senate to pass a jobs bill as their first order of business in the new year. He further proposed taking $30 billion from returned TARP funds to increase lending to small businesses, along with a small business tax credits for those companies that hire workers or lift wages.

The president dedicated a significant portion of the speech to education as well. News reports indicate that in his upcoming budget, he will propose a significant increase in K–12 education funding as Congress gears up debate on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Last night, the president proposed a $10,000 tax credit for families who pay for four years worth of college, along with a further increase in Pell grants, long an AAUW priority.

The president was decidedly less specific on health care. While noting that we are “so close” to passing reform and urging Congress not to walk away from those who desperately need comprehensive reform, he also reiterated that he’d like others to bring new ideas to the table — an offer that, to this listener, indicates he’s more willing to wait and not quite as willing to push. Unfortunately, the president remained silent on the need for protection of reproductive rights in health reform legislation in general and on the Stupak amendment in particular.

There were other hits and misses in the address. AAUW was pleased to hear the president assert that his administration will be cracking down on violations of equal pay laws but was disappointed that he did not call on the Senate to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. The president properly called for an end to the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy with respects to gays in the military, but he did not lay out a specific timetable for doing so. A federal commission will be created via executive order to take a hard look at reducing the deficit, but it remains unknown whether such a commission will have the power to fast-track cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

Last night’s address, then, fit the pattern of AAUW’s assessment of the first year of the administration: reasons for celebration, but also reasons to pause. One fact not in dispute, however, is that 2010 will be a very important year for getting America back on track. Rest assured that AAUW will be fighting tooth and nail to see this happen.