Social Issues predicted to take Center Stage at State of the Union Address

President Barack Obama will emphasize gun control, immigration and gay rights during his State of the Union address.

The Feb 12 address will be his fourth State of the Union. Obama will give his constitutionally required report on how the country is doing and the direction in which he wants to take the nation.

The recent events involving gun violence in the United States makes the discussion of gun control and regulation to be a virtual certainty.

The tragedy of the events that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut is still fresh in the minds of Americans and with the recent passage of gun control laws in New York, the president should be expected to make a proposal of his own on the federal level.

This will be the first State of the Union delivered by President Obama when gun control is a primary issue.

Another issue in this year’s address is the topic of immigration.

The president has said now’s the time to overhaul immigration laws in the United States.

The news from Washington appears to dictate there is a consensus among both Democratic and Republican leaders to get the ball on immigration reform rolling.

President Obama has discussed the issue of immigration consistently throughout his time in the White House.

The enthusiasm to get immigration reform passed will undoubtedly have an impact on this year’s State of the Union.

A social issue the president will address during the State of the Union is the treatment and rights of gay people. In his 2010 address, the president called for the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

As recently as his inaugural speech the president said, “our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law.”

The prediction the president will discuss gay rights is a safe bet. The bigger prediction is whether the president will come out and endorse marriage equality and rights for gay couples or not.

This will be a different Obama delivered State of the Union when compared with previous addresses because the economy will not be on the forefront. When Obama gave his first State of the Union in 2010, the country was in the midst of one of the most damaging recessions since the Great Depression. The economy had to be the key focus of the president at that time. He also had to worry about re-election.

An issue the president has touched on in every one of the three previous State of the Union addresses is the environment. One of President Obama’s main positions over the past four years has been the research and development of clean energy sources.

The president’s focus has been to become self-sufficient when it comes to energy in this country.
Whether it was exploring offshore areas for oil and gas in 2010, pledging to have 80 percent of the country’s electricity come from clean energy sources in 2011 or pursuing natural gas through fracking in 2012, Obama has placed a priority on the environment.

There will not be a change in 2013.

The first State of the Union of Barack Obama’s second term comes under a different set of issues and circumstances than any of the previous three.

The country is moving forward from the shadow of economic recession and approaching more social issues like gun control, immigration and gay rights reform. These topics make the content of the speech predictable, but to what detail the president discusses them will be ultimate prediction.

In winning a second term, President Obama has also won the ability to establish his viewpoints without the pressing of a coming election. This new freedom sets the stage for a historic speech on Feb. 12.