If the four-minute YouTube video featuring President Barack Obama discussing tonight’s State of the Union address holds true, education and research will be among the topics that take top billing.
The president is expected to lay out his goals for the coming year as he and a Congress no longer under his party’s complete control attempt to battle record budget deficits in the trillions of dollars and a fragile economy.
The address is scheduled for 9 p.m.
In a word, the theme of Obama’s video is competitiveness. It is a topic harped on by presidents past, and it is what the president signaled he believes to be key in pressing a struggling nation onward.
“We’re going to have to out-innovate, we’re going to have to out-build, we’re going to have to out-compete and we’re going to have to out-educate other countries,” Obama said during the video. “That’s our challenge.”
But the battle, experts say, is uphill. Democrats lost control of the U.S. House of Representatives during the midterm elections in November, and Republican leaders in Congress have spoken out against any future spending measures.
Instead, the GOP says, potential cuts to all aspects of government must be examined.
“Obviously, there still remains big differences between the parties, and those are going to be on display as much as the similarities,” said Matt Grossmann, an MSU assistant professor of political science.
MSU administrators watch the State of the Union address to get a preliminary grasp on the president’s intentions for areas of interest to the university, such as federal support for research and financial aid, said Mark Burnham, associate vice president of governmental affairs for the university.
Burnham, who lobbies Congress on MSU’s behalf in Washington, D.C., said students and administrators should not expect specifics about areas of interest to them to be brought up during the address.
“We don’t have all of the facts until the budget request comes out,” Burnham said, adding those recommendations likely will be released in February.
“But it’s an early indicator of direction.”
Budgetary problems are compounded somewhat this year because Congress failed to pass a number of appropriations bills last session, meaning the fiscal year 2011 budget has yet to be set, Grossmann said.
And although each party likely will have to compromise on big-picture issues, the situation is grounds for a battle in other areas such as higher education.
“(Republicans are) not saying specifically what they want to cut; that’s a good move, because people are for cuts in government spending in broad terms,” Grossmann said.
“That’s the challenge (Obama) has, to tell people that if you cut the budget by as much as Republicans want, it means cuts to student loans and university research and other things.”
Some MSU students — particularly the politically-minded — are looking forward to Obama’s remarks.
Joe Duffy, president of the MSU College Democrats, said he is interested to hear what Obama will propose for a number of areas, including the economy, financial aid and job creation.
“Education and jobs definitely are two issues that are close to the hearts of every college student,” Duffy said.
“I think he’s done a decent job in terms of keeping up with his promises.”
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Ultimately, one of the more noteworthy aspects will be how Obama plans to work with legislators from both parties, said Andrew Walker, chairman of the MSU College Republicans.
“I think he’s going to focus a lot more on working across the aisle,” Walker said, alluding to the GOP’s control of the U.S. House.
“Obviously, he’s going to have to now.”
