State of the Union: Obama Pushes Congress to End Cuban Embargo

After a surprising announcement about restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba, President Obama went even further on Tuesday, urging Congress to lift the 50-year embargo that has prohibited trade with the island nation since the revolution there led by the Castro brothers.

"In Cuba, we are ending a policy that was long past its expiration date," said the president in his annual address. "When what you’re doing doesn’t work for fifty years, it’s time to try something new.  Our shift in Cuba policy has the potential to end a legacy of mistrust in our hemisphere; removes a phony excuse for restrictions in Cuba; stands up for democratic values; and extends the hand of friendship to the Cuban people.  And this year, Congress should begin the work of ending the embargo." 

Obama announced new regulations on travel and trade with the U.S.’ island neighbor on Thursday, formalizing an agreement made in December to normalize relations with Havana.

Lead by Example

The president also stressed a commitment to global leadership using “the example of our values.”

“As Americans, we respect human dignity, even when we’re threatened, which is why I’ve prohibited torture, and worked to make sure our use of new technology like drones is properly constrained.”

A recent report by Human rights group Reprieve revealed U.S. drone strikes hit their intended targets only 21% of the time and have resulted in the killings of hundreds of civilians, including children, in America’s hunt for terrorists.

Despite touting the overall drawdown of U.S. military presence in the Middle East, Obama reaffirmed his commitment to the fight against terrorism abroad. “This effort will take time.  It will require focus.  But we will succeed.  And tonight, I call on this Congress to show the world that we are united in this mission by passing a resolution to authorize the use of force against ISIL.”

The president has repeatedly assured the American public that the U.S.' military engagement in Afghanistan is coming to an end, despite recent moves to expand the number of troops that may stay in the country. His pledge to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay has similarly gone unfulfilled, despite reiterating in Tuesday's speech that "it's time to finish the job."

Turning the Page

Domestic issues and the economy, however, formed the core of the president’s speech. He opened his address with a flurry of positive metrics, from job creation to a slowing rate of health insurance inflation, establishing this moment as a counterpoint to the one, overshadowed by crisis, that brought him into office. 

“It has been, and still is, a hard time for many,” Obama said. “But tonight, we turn the page.”

He cited a lower unemployment rate than before the recession, growing markets and America's shrinking dependence on foreign energy as examples of economic rebound. But President Obama also stressed growing inequality at home. 

"If you truly believe you could work full-time and support a family on less than $15,000 a year, go try it," the president addressed Congress. "If not, vote to give millions of the hardest-working people in America a raise."

He listed the lack of federally mandated maternity and sick leave and the rising costs of education as issues that stand in the way of progress towards economic equality, and urged the expansion of social benefits to employees.

His proposals for tax reform called on the richest Americans to pay their fair share. “Let’s close the loopholes that lead to inequality by allowing the top one percent to avoid paying taxes on their accumulated wealth.”

It is unclear how the president will get his proposals approved by a GOP-controlled Congress that has already called many of the initiatives a "non-starter."

#BlackLivesMatter?

Despite the persistence of protests across the country about racial discrimination and police brutality, President Obama only briefly alluded to "events in Ferguson and New York," and failed to mention the police killings that sparked mass demonstrations nationwide in recent months, and did not explicitly mention race.

The president also avoided taking a strong stance on the issue of friction between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

"Surely we can understand a father who fears his son can’t walk home without being harassed.  Surely we can understand the wife who won’t rest until the police officer she married walks through the front door at the end of his shift.”

Many reacted unfavorably on social media to the president's light touch on one of the weightiest issues of 2014.