SIDNEY — As President Barack Obama prepared to give his eighth and final State of the Union Address, the nation turned its attention to what he was saying.
In advance of the speech, local politicians offered their opinions about what they’d like to hear him say.
“What I would like to see President Obama highlight in his State of the Union address (is) Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!” said Tom Kerrigan, chairman of the Executive and Central committees of the Shelby County Democratic Party, Tuesday afternoon. “Former Commissioners Sonny Meyer and Bill Leighty sat me down 25 years ago and said what is important to Shelby County are jobs. Good paying jobs. Good government to (those) fine commissioners included good-paying jobs, so that a man could support his family. We need Ohio industry and Ohio services. We do not need our livelihoods’ being exported to China, Mexico or Canada. Job training is an absolute necessity here in Shelby County.”
“I have reviewed the President’s past State of the Union addresses,” said Julie Ehemann, executive chairman for the Shelby County Republican Central committee, prior to Tuesday night’s address. “Only a few of his initiatives have come to fruition. I am sure tonight’s speech will be another laundry list of his wish items. Unfortunately he continues to use his bully pulpit rather than try to work with people and get things done through negotiation. Whether we blame the Democrats or the Republicans, the general public is tired of the pointing fingers and would like to see some results.”
Kerrigan, too, hopes the President will “talk bipartisanship” and urge political parties at all levels of government to work together.
“The largest political affiliation in Shelby County is the ‘non-declared voter,’ not the Republicans or Democrats. The President must implore Congress to stop the constant bickering and waste of taxpayer monies on political maneuvering. Let us do what is right for all Shelby County, not just Republicans or Democrats,” Kerrigan said.
He also would like Obama to address the tax situation, which has, he said, more and more tax monies going into state and federal coffers than into local ones.
“Our county has been increasingly taxed to fill the coffers of the state budget. Our water, sewage, real estate tax, city income tax have been raised and (there are) many other examples of increased expense locally. The President should acknowledge that local communities need to keep their tax dollars local,” Kerrigan added.
Ehemann said the State of the Union speech and the past eight years of an Obama White House are affecting the current presidential campaign.
“Yes, the lack of leadership is certainly why some presidential candidates are doing better than others,” said Ehemann. “I would not say that one speech made by our current President will determine our next leader because a lot of people have tuned him out at this point.”
In an email sent out to the media, Sen. Bill Beagle, R-Tipp City, issued the following statement:
“Whether it’s his failure to secure our borders, refusal to root out radical Islamic terrorism or his repeated, unconstitutional overreach of executive power – Obama has continually demonstrated how out of touch he is with the American public and unfortunately, I don’t expect anything different when he addresses the country during his final State of the Union tonight (Tuesday). What we deserve to hear from our President is an unwavering commitment to defend our nation and an aggressive plan to keep Americans safe. We deserve to hear that we’re going to balance our budget, cut taxes, rein in out of control government spending and stop digging ourselves deeper and deeper into debt. What I suspect we’ll all hear instead is just more of the same big-government rhetoric of the past seven years.
“We need to take a stand and elect true, conservative leaders who will challenge the status quo and make the tough decisions to get America headed in the right direction again. As the next Congressman for Ohio’s 8th Congressional District, I will fight tirelessly for the conservative policies we need to ensure the safety of our families and the future of our great country.”
In a press conference at noon Tuesday, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, outlined his priorities for Ohio working families.
“From the auto rescue, to delivering health care to thousands of Ohioans through the Affordable Care Act, to cracking down on Wall Street banks who cheat the system — we have achieved incredible victories for working people across America and I am proud to have done my part for Ohio in the Senate,” Brown said. “But our work is far from over, and I have no intention of slowing down in 2016. I’m determined to continue busting through the gridlock to find ways we can work together to deliver results for Ohio this year.”
Some of the priorities Brown outlined include:
• Building on victories he secured in the appropriations deal at the end of last year by expanding tax credits for even more Ohio workers and cleaning up Ohio neighborhoods devastated by the housing crisis,
• Fighting for a trade agenda that levels the playing field for Ohio workers,
• Making sure Ohio kids don’t go hungry during summer months when school is not in session, and
• Working to make college more affordable by cracking down on for-profit colleges that make money at the expense of Ohio students.
Additionally, First Lady Michelle Obama has selected Jim Obergefell — a Cincinnati resident and the plaintiff in the Supreme Court’s historic marriage equality decision — as a guest of honor during this year’s State of the Union address. Brown, a long-time supporter of marriage equality, applauded the selection. In April, Brown met with Obergefell and in March, he joined 43 of his Senate colleagues and 167 members of the House of Representatives in filing an amicus brief in the Supreme Court stating that all couples deserve the right to marry no matter the state that they live in.
