WASHINGTON—Lamenting the nation’s persistently deep divides, President Barack Obama will declare Tuesday night that opportunity and security for American families “will only happen if we fix our politics.”
In excerpts released ahead of his final State of the Union address, Obama says that while better politics doesn’t mean all parties are in agreement, “democracy does require basic bonds of trust between citizens.”
Obama’s election-year call for political civility amounts to an admission that he’s failed to make good on the lofty promises to bring Democrats and Republican together that were at the core of his political rise nearly eight years ago.
If anything, Washington feels more divided than when he first took office. He'll deliver his speech before a Republican-led Congress hostile to his ideas and angry about his executive orders on issues from guns to immigration. On the campaign trail, GOP front-runner Donald Trump’s heated rhetoric is seen by some voters as a welcome contrast to Obama’s cool calls for civility.
To be sure, Trump’s words, particularly about immigrants and about refugees fleeing war-torn Syria, have some Republican leaders on edge. The party tapped South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, whose parents are Indian immigrants, to deliver the GOP response to Obama.
“During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices,” Haley said in excerpts of her remarks. “We must resist that temptation. No one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome.”
