President Barack Obama delivered his second State of the Union address in a totally different environment than one year ago when he delivered his first. One year ago the nation was in the throes of a contentious debate over national health care reform.

Now the landscape is very different. One year ago Nancy Pelosi was Speaker of the House and now Republican John Boehner holds the Speaker’s gavel as the Republicans won control of the House of Representatives in the mid-term elections of 2010. Another long-standing tradition of the two political parties sitting separately as the President speaks was broken as they sat among each other in respect for an appeal for more civility and cooperation in the wake of the shooting in Tucson, Arizona that wounded Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. An article titled “Bipartisan Seating at State of the Union Pairs Odd Couples, Friendly Foes” by Maureen Hoch and published on the PBS website addresses the mixed seating issue.

President Obama’s Message - Sputnik Moment

The President addressed the changing nature of our country and world and noted that technology has placed competition on a global platform and changed the nature of industry. The Boston Herald posted the “ Text: President Obama’s State of Union address ” on its website on January 25, 2011.