President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address 2015

Annotated Citations
INTRODUCTION
[1] Obama, B. (2014, November). Remarks By the President in a Press Conference. Speech
presented in the East Room of the White House, Washington, DC.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/11/05/remarks-president-press-conference.
This speech gave me some great insight into how Obama responded to the midterm
results, and how he would proceed when addressing a room filled with the newly
elected Republican majority.
[2] Babington, C., & Kuhnhenn, J. (2014, December 7). Obama, Congress Brace For Veto
Showdowns. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/07/obama-congress-veto_n_6283688.html
This article discussed potential showdowns between Congress and Obama in the next
two years. I view this State of the Union address as a plea by the administration to
Congress to trade in the lawsuits and bickering of the last few years for the solutions
Americans so desperately desire.
[3] DelReal, J. A. (2014, November 10). Voter turnout in 2014 was the lowest since WWII. The
Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/postpolitics/wp/2014/11/10/voter-turnout-in-2014-was-the-lowest-since-wwii/
[4] United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (2014, June 20). World War II: Timeline. In
Holocaust Encyclopedia. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007306.
[5] Taylor, A. (2014, May 29). These are Americas 9 longest foreign wars. The Washington
Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/05/29/theseare-americas-9-longest-foreign-wars/
[6] Obama, B. (2014, November). Remarks By the President Before Cabinet Meeting. Speech
presented in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Washington, DC.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/11/07/remarks-president-cabinet-meeting).
This speech provided me with information about how Obama will frame the midterm
elections. He seems to want to take a more cooperative, We got the American publics
signal, now lets do what they want approach rather than a Republicans won and
we're going to have a stalemate stance.
[7]// Horwitz, S., & Zezima, K. (2014, December 3). How the stories of Native American
youths made Obama cry in the Oval Office. The Washington Post. Retrieved from
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/12/03/how-a-trip-to-north-dakotaspurred-obama-to-act-on-native-american-issues/
Shaylas story came from a Washington Post article discussing how President Obama
was moved to tears when speaking to these young people. He stated, It is not very
often where I get choked up, so [my staff] knew I was serious about this. I took this as

him signaling that this will be a priority for his administration, and so I chose to use
her story to open up the speech.
[8] The White House. (n.d.). Get the Facts Straight on Health Reform. In Health Care. Retrieved
December 7, 2014, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform/myths-and-facts
This and the next few facts are from President Obamas website. They are things he chooses to
highlight when people look up information about him, so I chose to highlight them here as well.
[9] The White House. (n.d.). Creating American Jobs. In Jobs & The Economy: Putting America
Back To Work. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/economy/jobs
[10] The White House. (2014). Year of Action. In The White House. Retrieved December 7,
2014, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/year_of_action_update_final.pdf
UNEMPLOYMENT
[11] Obama, B. (2014, November). Weekly Address: It's Time to Help Women and Working
Families. Speech presented in the East Room of the White House, Washington, DC.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/10/31/weekly-address-it-s-time-help-womenand-working-families
One of President Obamas greatest successes was avoiding a spiral further into the
Great Recession, and this success highlights how he turned the economy around
during his tenure in office.
[9] The White House. (n.d.). Creating American Jobs. In Jobs & The Economy: Putting America
Back To Work. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/economy/jobs
MANUFACTURING
[9] The White House. (n.d.). Creating American Jobs. In Jobs & The Economy: Putting America
Back To Work. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/economy/jobs
[12] The White House. (2014). An economy built to last means making things the world buys. In
Manufacturing and Auto. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from
http://www.whitehouse.gov/snapshots/supporting-manufacturing-and-american-auto-industry
[13] Compton, M. (2012, January 25). Everything You Need to Know About the President's
Blueprint for Manufacturing. In The White House Blog. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/25/everything-you-need-know-about-presidentsblueprint-manufacturing
ENERGY
[14] Obama, B. (2014, October). Remarks By the President on the Economy -- Northwestern
University. Speech presented at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/10/02/remarks-president-economy-

northwestern-university.
A strength President Obama possesses is appealing to young people. In deciding how
he would frame energy politics and climate change, I turned to a speech he recently
gave to students at Northwestern University to highlight how he is able to balance
pressing energy needs with environmental concerns.
CLEAN ENERGY
[15] Boots, M. (2014, October 31). Making Plans and Making Progress: How the Federal
Government Can Lead by Example. In Council on Environmental Quality. Retrieved December
7, 2014, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/10/31/making-plans-and-making-progresshow-federal-government-can-lead-example.
CLIMATE CHANGE
[16] The White House. (2014, June 2). Limiting the Carbon Emissions from Power Plants Will
Make Americans Healthier. Here's How. In The White House: Share. Retrieved December 7,
2014, from hare/heres-how-modernizing-our-power-plants-will-make-our-communitieshealthier.
[17] The White House. (2014, October 31). Obama Administration Releases Federal Agency
Climate Plans on Fifth Anniversary of Presidential Sustainability Initiative. In Council on
Environmental Quality. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/Press_Releases/_October_31_2014
[18] The White House. (2014). Climate Change. In Energy. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from
http://www.whitehouse.gov/energy/climate-change
The White House is working to set an example on efforts to reduce our carbon
footprint, but the administration is adamant it will take work at both the federal and
the individual levels. This statement reflects the White Houses attempt to encourage
all Americans to take steps in order to stop climate change.
MINIMUM WAGE
[19] The White House. (2014, October 11). Weekly Address: America Is a Place Where Hard
Work Should Be Rewarded. In White House Briefing Room. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/10/11/weekly-address-america-place-wherehard-work-should-be-rewarded
This speech provided me with information about how President Obama frames his
conversations about the minimum wage. He uses some stern language directed toward
the legislature and mentions other methods of instituting higher wages, such as
working with cities, businesses, etc.
[20] Fournier, H. (2014, December 4). Workers push for higher fast-food wages. The Detroit
News. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/waynecounty/2014/12/04/fast-food-protest/19879245/

I found Fred Greens story from an article in the Detroit News. Fred is an American
that people can empathize with; he works almost full time and still has difficulty
making ends meet because his pay has remained stagnant while his expenses have
risen.

[21] National Economic Council. (2014, August). A Year of Action: Progress Report on Raising
the Minimum Wage. In The White House . Retrieved December 7, 2014, from
ault/files/docs/minimum_wage_report2.pdf
[22] Obama, B. (2014, November). Weekly Address: It's Time to Help Women and Working
Families. Speech presented in the White House, Washington, DC.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/10/31/weekly-address-it-s-time-help-womenand-working-families
This phrase, Lets give America a raise, stems from a speech President Obama gave
at the White House. By incorporating the phrase here, I was able to transition from
adequate pay for all to equal pay for women, arguably President Obamas main
women's rights focus in 2014.
WOMENS ISSUES
[23] The Institute for Women's Policy Research. (2014). Pay Equity & Discrimination. In Hot
Topics: Status of Women in the U.S. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from
http://www.iwpr.org/initiatives/pay-equity-and-discrimination
IMMIGRATION
[24] Muoz, C., Sperling, G., Krueger, A., & Burwell, S. M. (2013, July 10). The Economic
Benefits of Fixing Our Broken Immigration System. In White House Blog. Retrieved December
7, 2014, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/07/10/economic-benefits-fixing-ourbroken-immigration-system
The White House Blog and the Presidents latest speech regarding his executive action
on immigration were very helpful when figuring out how he might frame this issue
during a national address.
[25] The White House. (2014). Streamlining Immigration. In Top Issues: Immigration. Retrieved
December 7, 2014, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/immigration/streamliningimmigration.
[26] The White House. (2014). Earned Citizenship. In Top Issues: Immigration. Retrieved
December 7, 2014, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/immigration/earned-citizenship
[27] Kim, S. M., & Esptein, J. (2014, June 30). Obama: GOP failed to pass a darn immigration
bill. Politico. Retrieved from http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/obama-immigrationreform-108447.html
Again, this was helpful in garnering some language President Obama could use to
address Congress regarding this issue. It seems to be a bit awkward to talk about in

front of Congress, especially when the speech occurs in the chamber of the House of
Representatives. But he has been really strong in his anger toward the 113th Congress
for their lack of action, so this tone seemed appropriate to me.
[28] Ehrenfreund, M. (2014, November 20). Your complete guide to Obamas immigration
executive action. The Washington Post. Retrieved from
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/11/19/your-complete-guide-toobamas-immigration-order/
EDUCATION
[29] Obama, B. (2014, August). Weekly Address: Everyone Should Be Able To Afford Higher
Education. Speech presented at the White House, Washington, DC.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/08/16/weekly-address-everyone-should-beable-afford-higher-education
Higher education seems to be another priority of this administration, and receives
prime real estate in former State of the Union addresses as well as in his Weekly
Addresses.
[30] Obama, B. (2014, July). Remarks by the President before Lunch with Teachers. Speech
presented in the Blue Room of the White House, Washington, DC.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/07/07/remarks-president-lunch-teachers
[31] Obama, B. (2014, October). Remarks by the President on Women and the Economy -Providence, RI. Speech presented at Rhode Island College, Providence, RI.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/10/31/remarks-president-women-andeconomy-providence-ri
[32] Obama, B. (2014, November). Remarks by the President at Bill Signing. Speech presented
in the Oval Office, Washington, DC. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2014/11/19/remarks-president-bill-signing.
HEALTHCARE
[33] Obama, B. (2014, November). Weekly Address: Open Enrollment Starts Today. Speech
presented at the White House, Washington, DC. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2014/11/15/weekly-address-open-enrollment-starts-today
As this is the second open enrollment period, and the first one was not without glitches,
I am assuming the President will want to advertise it during his speech now that things
are going according to plan.
[34] Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2014, November 14). CMS releases new data
demonstrating increased choice, competition in the Health Insurance Marketplace in 2015. In
CMS Press Release Page. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from
http://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Press-releases/2014-Press-releasesitems/2014-11-14.html

[35] The White House. (2014). About the New Law. In Health Care. Retrieved December 7,
2014, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform/healthcare-overview#consumer-rights
I gave President Obama some room to brag about himself here. On the cited website,
he talks about all of the great outcomes of the law, and I feel hell want to keep this as
part of his legacy and ensure it stays fresh in the minds of the American public
throughout his next two years in office as well as after he leaves the White House.
Including it in a national address is one effective way to do this.
[34] Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2014, November 14). CMS releases new data
demonstrating increased choice, competition in the Health Insurance Marketplace in 2015. In
CMS Press Release Page. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from
http://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Press-releases/2014-Press-releasesitems/2014-11-14.html
EBOLA
[36] Obama, B. (2014, November). Remarks By the President in a Press Conference. Speech
presented in the East Room of the White House, Washington, DC.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/09/16/remarks-president-ebola-outbreak
I felt President Obama did a great job trying to mitigate the panic associated with
Ebola by visiting with nurses exposed to the disease. Inviting these doctors to the State
of the Union Address is another way for him to show that Ebola is no longer a threat to
the American public, something he stresses in the cited speech.
[37] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014, December 4). 2014 Ebola Outbreak in
West Africa - Case Counts. In Ebola (Ebola Virus Disease). Retrieved December 7, 2014, from
http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/case-counts.html.
[38] Obama, B. (2014, November). Remarks By the President Before Meeting with National
Security and Public Health Teams on Ebola. Speech presented in the Roosevelt Room of the
White House, Washington, DC. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2014/11/18/remarks-president-meeting-national-security-and-public-health-teams-ebol
Ebola was difficult to write about, as the disease really became a crisis in the minds of
many Americans even though they were mostly at pretty low risk. President Obama did
a great job addressing this issue in his speeches, but they took up a lot of his time that
could have been spent speaking to other issues. I wanted to reflect this in the State of
the Union Address, taking up a portion of his speech to America. I chose for him to
discuss the lesson Ebola could teach us: how it is important for us to be prepared for
randomly acquired or weaponized diseases. This message is included in the speech
referenced here.
VOTING RIGHTS
[39] Obama: The 'Real Voter Fraud' Comes From 'People Who Try To Deny Our Rights'. (2014,
April 11). The Huffington Post. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/11/obama-voter-fraud_n_5135357.html
President Obama is trending toward dealing with discrimination during his second
term, as evidenced by these remarks against voter fraud. It seemed appropriate to
discuss after the strong Republican and weak Democratic turnout in the midterm
elections.
MARRIAGE EQUALITY
[40] Obama, B. (2010, January). Remarks By the President in a Press Conference. Speech
presented in the U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/remarks-president-state-union-address
[41] The White House. (2014). Civil Rights. In Issues. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/civil-rights
[42] Earnest, J. (2010, May 10). President Obama Supports Same-Sex Marriage. In The White
House Blog. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/05/10/obama-supports-same-sex-marriage
President Obama making sexual orientation discrimination a matter of respect for
families matter for those fighting for our freedom was something he included in an
interview in 2010, and I chose to bring it back now that he doesnt need to be re-elected
and the midterms are over.
FERGUSON
[43] Obama, B. (2014, November). Remarks By the President on Immigration -- Chicago, IL.
Speech presented at the Copernicus Center, Chicago, IL. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2014/11/25/remarks-president-immigration-chicago-il
Obamas remarks after the grand jurys decision in Ferguson were really helpful when
determining how to frame this issue. President Obama has held back a bit on talking
about race since his campaign, and this speech along with the one cited next, given
moments after the decision, provide us with clues as to how he is trending toward
discussing race and discrimination in his last two years in office and how he will frame
these issues.
[44] Obama, B. (2014, November). Remarks By the President After Announcement of the
Decision by the Grand Jury in Ferguson, Missouri. Speech presented in the James S. Brady
Press Briefing Room, Washington, DC. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2014/11/24/remarks-president-after-announcement-decision-grand-jury-ferguson-missou.
GUN VIOLENCE
[45] McCormack, S. (2014, October 15). Harvard Researchers: Every 64 Days There's A Mass
Shooting. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/15/mass-shootings-tripled_n_5992702.html

[46] President Obamas Speech On Gun Control Bill Defeat (Transcript). (2013, April 17).
TIME. Retrieved from http://swampland.time.com/2013/04/17/president-obamas-speech-on-guncontrol-bill-defeat-transcript/
This speech was helpful when determining what President Obama might discuss
regarding gun control and how stern he would be on the Congress members sitting
before him.
AFGHANISTAN
[47] Obama, B. (2014, May). Statement by the President on Afghanistan. Speech presented in
the Rose Garden, Washington, DC. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2014/05/27/statement-president-afghanistan
Foreign policy is not my area of expertise, so I relied heavily on speeches given by
President Obama this year to determine the complex and delicate political structure
surrounding these topics. It seems here is where he can find the most common ground
with the newly elected Congress, and I tried to use these speeches to identify areas
where he reaches out to the other party.
ISRAEL
[48] Obama, B. (2013, March). Remarks of President Barack Obama to the People of Israel.
Speech presented at the Jerusalem International Convention Center, Jerusalem, Israel
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/03/21/remarks-president-barack-obamapeople-israel
This speech was invaluable in terms of my research. I learned about President
Obamas political opinion when assessing this situation in the Middle East and how he
balances the need to address human rights while supporting our ally, Israel.
[48] Obama, B. (2013, March). Remarks of President Barack Obama to the People of Israel.
Speech presented at the Jerusalem International Convention Center, Jerusalem, Israel
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/03/21/remarks-president-barack-obamapeople-israel).
ISIL
[49] Bandler, K. (2014, October 2). Israel, Palestinians and Obama: Time to rethink the peace
process. Fox News. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/10/02/israelpalestinians-and-obama-time-to-rethink-peace-process/
This framing is from a speech given by President Obama in 2014. The statement shows
how he feels the situation between Israel and Palestine is pressing but it isnt
necessarily our top priority in the region. It also shows how protecting our national
security is of the utmost importance to him.
[50] Hudson, D. (2014, September 10). President Obama: We Will Degrade and Ultimately
Destroy ISIL. In The White House Blog. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/09/10/president-obama-we-will-degrade-and-ultimatelydestroy-isil

[51] Epstein, J. (2014, September 28). Barack Obama: This is not America against ISIL.
Politico. Retrieved from http://www.politico.com/story/2014/09/barack-obama-isil-111395.html
President Obama draws the distinction that we are leading an international charge to
secure peace rather than entering a battle of us against ISIL. He cites many different
strategies we can use to secure this peace.
IRAN
[52] Charbonneau, L., & Dahl, F. (201, November 24). Iran nuclear talks extended seven months
after failing to meet deadline. Reuters. Retrieved from
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/24/us-iran-nuclear-talks-idUSKCN0J80QA20141124
UKRAINE
[53] Obama, B. (2014, January). President Barack Obama's State of the Union. Speech
presented at the U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2014/01/28/president-barack-obamas-state-union-address
[54] Avni, B. (2014, September 24). At the U.N. General Assembly, Obama Zaps Russias
Sneak Invasion of Ukraine. Newsweek. Retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com/un-obamazaps-russias-sneak-invasion-ukraine-273006.
This statement shows why we have a vested interest in this conflict while refraining
from making it about national security in order to avoid military action.
[55] Obama, B. (2014, July). Statement by the President on Ukraine. Speech presented at the
South Lawn of the White House, Washington, D.C. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2014/07/29/statement-president-ukraine
U.S. POSITIVE INITIATIVES
[56] Obama, B. (2011, July). Remarks by President Obama to the Australian Parliament.
Speech presented at the Parliament House, Canberra, Australia. http://www.whitehouse.gov/thepress-office/2011/11/17/remarks-president-obama-australian-parliament
[57] Nakamura, D. (2014, December 3). Obama says he willing to defy Democrats on his
support of Trans-Pacific Partnership. The Washington Post. Retrieved from
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-says-he-willing-to-defy-democrats-on-hissupport-of-trans-pacific-partnership/2014/12/03/25edcaf4-7b30-11e4-84d47c896b90abdc_story.html
This is one specific area where President Obama can find common ground with
Republicans. I think hell try to focus on these types of initiatives during his last two
terms in order to avoid a stalemate between the White House and Capitol Hill, which is
why I included it in the speech.
[58] Office of the Press Secretary, The White House. (2014, November 21). Statement by the

Press Secretary on the Presidents Travel to India. In Statements & Releases. Retrieved
December 7, 2014, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/11/21/statementpress-secretary-president-s-travel-india
I chose to include the Presidents trip to India because it seems as if itll be a topic of
national conversation leading up to the State of the Union, as these travel plans come
right before annual address.
SOLDIERS/VETERANS
[59] Obama, B. (2011, July). Remarks by President Before Cabinet Meeting. Speech presented
at the Cabinet Room at the White House, Washington, DC. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-
press-office/2014/11/07/remarks-president-cabinet-meeting

[60] The White House. (2014). Economic Competitiveness. In Veterans & Military Families.
Retrieved December 7, 2014, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/veterans/economiccompetitiveness
CONCLUSION
[61] McCartney, R. (2014, November 29). Army spouse runs food pantry in Va. so military
families can afford the holidays. The Washington Post. Retrieved from
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/army-spouse-runs-food-pantry-in-va-so-military-familiescan-afford-the-holidays/2014/11/29/4c8adb20-774d-11e4-bd1b-03009bd3e984_story.html
I found Christines story while reading the Washington Post and felt it could add value
to this speechs closing statement. Christine is not your typical war hero, but she is
an American hero because she gives what she has to take care of our soldiers. This
could serve as a signal to members of Congress that people with so much less power
than them are doing all they can to better their country, and hence they need to step up
their game. It could also show people watching the speech at home how they can get
involved and help improve our country.
[62] The Worst Voter Turnout in 72 Years [Editorial]. (2014, November 11). The New York
Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/opinion/the-worst-voter-turnout-in72-years.html?_r=0