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President Obama will use his State of the Union address on Tuesday to deliver an election-year message focused on economic fairness for the middle class and what he calls "a return to American values."
In a video distributed to campaign supporters Saturday morning, the president said his speech before Congress should be viewed as his "blueprint for an American economy that's built to last," a slogan designed to evoke blue-collar imagery and draw contrasts with his Republican rivals.
Among the new initiatives Obama is seeking to promote is a greater emphasis on American manufacturing, homegrown energy sources and worker training.
Obama suggested that his third State of the Union would bookend the populist themes of his speech last month in Osawatomie, Kan., by laying out the specific steps his administration is taking to achieve a more equitable economy and amplifying his vision of a society that provides greater opportunity to the middle class.
"We can go in two directions. One is towards less opportunity and less fairness," Obama said in the video, which was released by his reelection campaign. "Or we can fight for where I think we need to go: building an economy that works for everyone, not just a wealthy few. On Tuesday night, I'm going to talk about how we'll get there."
Obama's appearance in the House chamber will provide the president with a national platform to effectively launch his reelection campaign.
Republican presidential candidates have attacked his economic policies, holding his administration responsible for the slow recovery from the financial crash. And GOP members of Congress have sought to block the president's economic agenda, stalling most of the provisions of his $447 billion American Jobs Act.
During a fall barnstorming tour across the country, Obama championed the idea that higher-income Americans should pay more in taxes to provide revenue for investments that could jump-start the economy and boost job creation. But Republicans balked at a time of fast-growing national debt.
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