State of the Union Address, a true example of leadership

As we now let the eloquent words of President Barack Obama sink in about the state of our country and our plans for the future, I can’t help but think about the true example of leadership this poses for all Americans. Forget about all the party line rhetoric, the purpose of this message was to bring hope to all about the future of our country. I know it’s a big election year, and all comments have some type of political party spin to them, but this speech is the fundamental example of the job of our leader: to present the state of affairs in our country and the plan and strategies in place to improve upon the good and bad.

Which part of the President’s State of the Union address showed you an example of leadership, for the United States, the unemployed, the middle class, and the world?

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Alex Moll

These are some excerpts I like for how leaders express or exemplify certain values or principles.

Big Picture: “They’re not consumed with personal ambition. They don’t obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand. They work together.

Vision: Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example. (Applause.) Think about the America within our reach: A country that leads the world in educating its people. An America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs. A future where we’re in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the world.”

Contribute to a cause: “They understood they were part of something larger; that they were contributing to a story of success that every American had a chance to share…”

Refocus on fundamentals: “What’s at stake aren’t Democratic values or Republican values, but American values. And we have to reclaim them.”

Inconvenient truths: “Folks at the top saw their incomes rise like never before, but most hardworking Americans struggled with costs that were growing, paychecks that weren’t, and personal debt that kept piling up.”

Will work to improve things: “The state of our Union is getting stronger. And we’ve come too far to turn back now. As long as I’m President, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum. But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place.”