My Professor was in the statesman journal

 

My professor was in the Wednesday edition of the statesman journal. Here is the link.

President Barack Obama laid out his agenda and challenged Congress to vote on climate change, gun control and economic reforms in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night....

View the complete article at http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201302130312/NEWS/302130064

and just in case it doesn't work any more .... here is the article.

President Barack Obama laid out his agenda and challenged Congress to vote on climate change, gun control and economic reforms in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night.

“He seemed confident and almost a little bit feisty in his speech tonight,” said Maria Cruse, a political science professor at Chemeketa Community College. “I thought in many parts of the speech he wasn’t talking to Congress; he was talking to the American people. Perhaps it was kind of a back door to pressure Congress into acting.”

Cruse noted that while Obama repeatedly used phrases like “let’s get it done” or “we can get it done,” he also warned legislators that he would be willing to act unilaterally.

“But if Congress won’t act soon to protect future generations, I will,” Obama said. “I will direct my cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.”

Cruze said she thought Obama made a smart move strategically by saving his comments on gun control for the end of the speech because it built anticipation while creating a memorable ending.

By repeatedly using the phrase “they deserve a vote” in reference to victims of gun violence, Cruse said the president may be signaling a willingness to forgo comprehensive gun control reform in favor of votes on individual proposals like a universal background check, an assault weapons ban and a ban on high capacity magazine clips.

“I think that he’s aware that he’s not going to win a gun control bill,” Cruse said. “He may recognize that it’s better to get some of what he wants rather than none of what he wants.”

Obama also outlined a number of changes to education, which included expanding access to preschool and partnering high schools with local community colleges so students could graduate with both a high school diploma and a technical or associate’s degree.

Cruse said high school students are already earning dual credits at Chemeketa, but she wasn’t sure how many are enrolled many or what degree programs those students are pursuing.

“It’s not universal by any stretch of the imagination,” Cruse said. “I think that partnership idea is a good one.”

Obama also said he would release a “college scorecard” on Wednesday that will allow parents and students to compare schools based on “where you can get the most bang for your educational buck.”

Cruse didn’t think Obama’s fifth State of the Union speech would be remembered as one of America’s best, but it was effective.

“I think he laid out what he wanted to see for the country, “ Cruse said. “Whether that will actually have any impact on Congress, who knows.”