The Reporter

EPORTER Vol. CXXIII Issue 12 Final State of the Union brings students together Stetson University | DeLand, Fla. Photo courtesy Christina Bong Students gather to watch the latest and last State of the Union address in Elizabeth hall on Jan. 8. Jason Cruz Staff Writer A small but passionate group of students came together to watch President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address last Tuesday night, Jan. 8. Stetson Votes, a student-run organization whose mission is to "encourage and enable students to participate in the democratic process," hosted the gathering in the T.-C. Lane seminar room of Elizabeth Hall, Despite alarming technical difficulties, the night's cookies and camaraderie helped make Obama's last address seem a fitting start to what will almost certainly be a wild finish to his presidency. According to President Obama, the union is in much better shape than many realize. With a confident swagger and fiery tone, Obama refuted the rhetoric of those hoping to succeed him next January by telling Americans his time in office has brought havoc upon the country. His first remark was a jab at the campaign fervor sweeping the nation, noting many of the politicians present "are antsy to get back to Iowa" as that state's presidential caucus approaches. He then openly defended his seven years as President on several grounds. "Let me start with the economy, and a basic fact: the United States of America, right now, has the strongest, most durable economy in the world," Obama exclaimed, touting "the lon gest streak of private-sector job creation in history. More than 14 million new jobs; the strongest two years of job growth since the '90s; an unemployment rate cut in half." Punching back after months of Republican presidential candidates insisting he has crippled the US economy, Obama told Congress "anyone claiming that America's economy is in decline is peddling fiction." Not content to rest on laurels, the president called for changes he believes would strengthen the economy going forward, including improvements to early childhood education and making college more affordable, a line which received big applause here at Stetson. An emphasis on career training and the expansion of social safety net programs such as Social Security and Medicaid came up before Obama moved into a call for the new Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to help bring bipartisan taxation and regulatory reforms to fruition.. In a surprising moment, Obama evoked the voice of a long-shot Democratic challenger for the presidency. As he declared "Food Stamp recipients didn't cause the financial crisis; recklessness on Wall Street did," one could almost feel the furious grin spreading on Senator Bernie Sanders' face somewhere on the House floor. Mr. Obama's continued discussion of the undue influence of the wealthiest people in America also drew claps and -whoops from the students watching the speech. At the same time, Speaker Ryan's stoic frown, clearly driven by a party-line mandate to disagree with President Obama on every possible issue, remained a source of laughter throughout the night. That intense partisan rancor became the final focus of Obama's address while he described the difficulties polarizing de- monization of political enemies makes when it comes to governing. In a call to "fix our politics," Obama called forth images of civil disagreement and cooperation which he thinks makes the United States great. Noting that "it's one of the few regrets of my presidency—that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better," Obama urged citizens and politicians alike to open their hearts and minds, compromise and participate in the democratic process so that the country can move forward with unity and defend itself from the interests of the most powerful individuals. As his hour-long speech wrapped up, we the students quickly ate a few more cookies, expressed a few, mostly positive, reactions, and went back to doing our part towards a brighter future. Stetson Votes is based out of the of the Center for Community Engagement (Tri-C) on Bert Fish Road. They are available to help students register for voting as the election year moves on. Men and Women's Basketball at A-Sun Conference Sports, Page 8 Feel the Force Star Wars and more in A&E