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MoveOn Reacts to Obama’s SOTU Address; Praises Focus on Combating Economic Inequality

Statement from Anna Galland, executive director of MoveOn.org Civic Action, on President Obama’s State of the Union address before Congress and the nation tonight:

“Tonight was a remarkable reminder of why so many progressives worked so hard to elect President Obama in 2008 and again in 2012. We applaud his proposals to raise wages, reform taxes so they are fairer, and level the economic playing field for working and middle class families—critical steps to address the harsh reality of America’s growing economic inequality and to correct a legacy of decades of policies that have favored corporate interests and the 1% at everyone else’s expense. We are also grateful to the President for his leadership that will prevent millions of families from being torn apart by deportation, his leadership on diplomacy with Iran, and his commitment to continue moving forward with carbon pollution standards that will reduce the harmful emissions that are causing climate change.

“MoveOn members are ready to support President Obama and Congress in making progress in all of these areas. As the President and Congress look to ensure all Americans have the opportunity to benefit from our nation’s economic recovery, it is important that they not take backward steps on crucial issues—such as misguided trade agreements like the Trans Pacific Partnership, legislation that would place additional sanctions on Iran during nuclear talks, or projects like the Keystone XL pipeline that would make the climate crisis worse.

“Politicians succeed when they offer solutions to the bread-and-butter economic issues facing people in their everyday lives, and that’s what President Obama did tonight. This speech will add to the consensus that economic inequality is one of the biggest challenges of our time—and that it’s long past time for Washington to start doing more about it. This is a good thing, and it’s a sign of the growing influence of the progressive movement and of how elected leaders like Senator Elizabeth Warren have helped drive the need to address inequality to the forefront of the agenda.”