Delaware delegation gives President Obama high marks for his State of the Union address

Delaware’s three representatives in Washington – as well as the state’s Governor – are in agreement with many of President Obama’s goals outlined in his State of the Union address. 

Senator Tom Carper (D-Delaware), who is in the final year of his second term, said “The President’s blueprint for a stronger America parallels many of my goals and initiatives for the First State, specifically our need to rebuild the American workforce, to support and strengthen our recovering economy and to reinvest in American ingenuity so we can maximize our nation’s great potential.”  Carper added that he has been struck that the current economic recovery is being led by manufacturing and an increase in exported goods and services, including Delaware-grown soybean and poultry products.  

“President Obama tonight laid out a positive vision for where our country is headed, powered by an economy built to work for all Americans,” first-term Senator Chris Coons (D-Delaware) said.  “I share President Obama’s belief that if you work hard and play by the rules in this country, you deserve a fair shot at economic fairness, and I look forward to working with him this year to restore the economic fairness we seem to have lost.”  Coons also called for investing in the current growth in the manufacturing sector by growing domestic and clean energy production as well as enhancing the skills of American workers.

First-term Representative John Carney (D-Delaware) also was encouraged by President Obama’s focus on rebuilding the American manufacturing sector.  “It’s been a focus of mine for several years and one we must continue if we are to successfully transition to a stronger, more robust economy.” Carney said.  Carney, who sat in a bipartisan section of the gallery for the President’s address, said he will look for more opportunities to work with Democrats and Republicans on issues such as job creation.

Governor Jack Markell, also a Democrat, said “the President made clear that our nation’s most compelling need is to keep making progress on jobs and he offered a clear path forward.”  The Governor also echoed Mr. Obama’s hope that Washington can find ways to work together.  “There was a clear difference between the positive plans laid out by the President to help our nation’s middle class succeed and the anger, negativity and attacks offered during his opponents’ debate the night before,” Markell said.  “The stakes are too high to let divisions get in the way of progress.”

Delaware Republican Party Chairman John Sigler said the President’s address was more like a campaign speech, setting up his re-election campaign as a battle with Congress.  “For three years he’s made promise after promise and most of those promises have been broken,” Sigler said.  “He has to run against Congress because he can’t run on his own record.”  Sigler added, “if the President were totally honest and his party totally candid, they would strip these thousand-page bills down to their integral parts and pass them one at a time.”