from nbc news, the state of the union address live from washington. here's brian williams. >> and good evening from washington where tonight president barack obama delivers his state of the union address. there have been big changes in the city over these past few weeks. when the president is ready to speak, he will see those changes sitting right behind him, a new republican speaker of the house john boehner. in front of him, a new republican majority in the house. after he speaks, will be the republican response and then the

tea party response. not as widely covered but it gives you an idea of what the gop is looking at and taking on. we'll have all of it covered for you here tonight. our team is in place. here in the studio and across washington. we've joined the event in progress as members of congress are walking in prior to the president's announcement. members of the supreme court have already come down and taken their seats with members of the joint services. with us here in the studio, the moderator of "meet the press" david gregory. and david, it sounds from all the advance briefings that have been given out and all the information not ichb journalists in advance as is the custom, they didn't want to give away a lot of specifics it will be as speeches go fairly broad. >> it will be broad. i spoke to one white house adviser this afternoon who said, this is a speech about how we win the future. looking over the remarks i interpret it as the president

sort of giving a road map of renewed american exceptionalism, how the country can come back even stronger. this is a speech about jobs. it was the number one prior a year ago. it is certainly that again tonight. 9.4% unemployment. and he's two years into his presidency, brian. >> now, a few things here along the lines of a viewer's guide as we see members of the president's cabinet and senior white house staff come down the aisle. we are going to see these blue and white lapel ribbons on many, many people in the chamber tonight. those are for congresswoman gabby giffords who continues the recover, having been moved to a rehab in a houston hospital. it was an idea of her few colleagues and friends in the house and the senate who have been quietly handing them out with a dear colleague letter asking their colleagues in the house and the senate to wear

them tonight. and, many, many members have obliged. the second thing that will be unusual about this evening for veterans of one or two of these teleca telecasts, that is, that the parties to a great extent will be comingled. instead of rising or remaining seated or cheering and remaining silent as a party bloc, they are going to be more interspersed with republicans and democrats seated side by side. they can still be boisterous and cheer for the home team, their political party as you look at the secretary of defense and treasury and state. but they will be more congenially laid out throughout the room. kelly o'donnell will be covering things for us tonight. kelly, a lot of reserve seats go on throughout the night and the parlor game all week is pairing

up with a member of the opposite party, not unlike a high school dance. >> very much so. many of them talking about who thank you're dating tonight. it's unusual. some republicans who work in the same state, ideological divides. chuck schumer liberal democrat with tom coburn of oklahoma. these pairings are unusual because despite what many people may think members across party lines don't always know each other that well and typically sit with the best friends in their own party and tonight it is quite different. you have republicans sitting on the side normally reserved for democrats and the opposite, as well. from where i'm looking, brian, in the chamber it is interesting to point out that the arizona house delegation, they are sitting together, democrats and republicans, and they have saved one seat between republican jeff flake and democrat raul grijalda

for congresswoman gabrielle giffords. they're wearing the ribbons as a tribute to her and the other victims. some of those invited from arizona, daniel hernandez, the intern to administer first aid to representative giffords, doctors were invited by the white house as well as gifford's office. they're here tonight. and in the pairings, when we spoke to speaker john boehner today, he said he has a bipartisan date in the vice president and said he's not been in touch with the president very much, only two phone calls since assuming the gavel. he said the president had a pretty good run in the last four to five weeks. brian? >> kelly o'donnell in the chamber for us tonight. they're waiting for a few people to settle and take their seats. here's the sergeant at arms. >> mr. speaker, the president of

the united states. [ applause ] >> bill living ood. he said, i'm bill livingood. i said, i know that. i use your name once a year, every year whether we need to or not. a nice gentleman and he has a serious day job helping secure the capitol, its members and grounds. over at the white house, savannah guthrie. savannah, as we watch the president come down the aisle and shake a lot of familiar faces, who in some cases are on unfamiliar sides of the aisle for them, what was the advance billing the white house was handing correspondents today on

this speech? >> well, one thing they said is this won't be of states of the union you have seen before. broader themes and not a laundry list of items they have done or plan to do as one aide said today. this is a speech. it's not a budget. so we will hear the president talk about freezing the federal budget over the next five years for non-security spending. but we won't hear a lot of details on that kind of issue. but what you'll really here is broad appeal, almost a patriot appeal to american ideals, dreams, aspirations, a pitch to be competitive and new spending and things like education and innovation and infrastructure as a way to make americat( competitive, but also, talking about the deficit that is are so much on the minds of all of those new republicans in the hall tonight. >> white house had what's now

become a traditional lunch gathering today for journalists, members of the senior white house staff and the president. and it was apparent the president has become sensitive to any darkening of the national mood, any reduction in what we always call the american spirit, the can-do spirit. ingenuity. and any time people are not talking up the united states, especially on a competitive front against a nation like china, he's expected to go after that theme tonight. david gregory here with us in the studio. as we watch the president come down the aisle, the website salon.com put together a very artful piece of video they're calling aisle hugs over the years. same faces. members of congress that reserve the seat for the value on-camera time and a hand shake of the president. eliot engel of the bronx.

joined by jesse jackson jr. bill kildee. as the president greets the members of the supreme court, this is a bit of a story in itself. chief justice roberts was at a law school and called ate pep rally and questioned his own attendance. said he didn't want to go to state of the unions any further. he is here tonight, though, because of the shooting in arizona. because we're just coming off a national moment. having lost a federal judge, john roll, who was an acquaintance of his. rather robust turnout of the nine justices as you see the joint chiefs of staff. david, all part of the ritual. >> well, it is. and the symbolism is important. you have talked about some of it in the seating tonight. but also, you know, that show of solidarity after what happened in tucson mattered. speaker boehner spoke to some of us this morning saying that everyone was given pause after the shooting.

and thought about, reflected on the kind of debates we're having in washington and how it can be done more civilly and so i think a pep rally of sorts but an important moment. >> and again, the big change in washington is right there. the new republican speaker of the house john boehner of ohio. president used the look over his shoulder and see nancy pelosi, the democrat of california, but there's been a big change, a new sheriff in town in the house of representatives, republican majority. that will be quite evident tonight in the sheer shift of the population and the chamber. copies of the speech go to both the vice president and the speaker. speaking of ceremony, now we get the thanks and an entirely new round of applause. [ applause ] [ applause ]

>> i have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting the president of the united states. [ applause ] >> thank you. thank you so much. thank you so much. thank you very much. thank you. everybody, please, have a seat. thank you. mr. speaker, mr. vice president, members of congress, distinguished guests and fellow americans. tonight, i want to begin by congratulating the men and women of the 112th congress, as well

as your new speaker, john boehner. [ applause ] and as we mark this occasion, we're also mindful of the empty chair in this chamber and we pray for the health of our colleague and our friend gabby giffords. [ applause ]

it's no secret that those of us here tonight have had our differences over the last two years. the debates have been contentious. we have fought fiercely for our beliefs. and that's a good thing. that's what a robust democracy demands. that's what helps set us apart as a nation. but there's a reason the tragedy in tucson gave us pause. amid all the noise and passion and ran cour of our public debate, tucson reminded us that no matter who we are or where we come from each of us is a part of something greater. something more consequential than party or political preference. we are part of the american

family. we believe that in a country where every race and faith and point of view can be found, we are still bound together as one people. and we share common hopes and a common creed. that the dreams of a little girl in tucson are not so different than those of our own children. that they all deserve the chance to be fulfilled. that, too, is what sets us apart as a nation. [ applause ] now, by itself this simple recognition won't usher in a new era of cooperation. what comes of this moment is up to us. what comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight but whether we can work together tomorrow.

[ applause ] i believe we can and i believe we must. that's what the people who sent us here expect of us. with their votes, they've determined that governing will now be a shared responsibility between parties. new laws will only pass with support from democrats and republicans. we will move forward together or not at all for the challenges we face are bigger than party. and bigger than politics. at stake right now is not who wins the next election, after all, we just had an election. at stake is whether new jobs and industries take root in this

country or somewhere else. it's whether the hard work and industry of our people is rewarded. it's whether we sustain the leadership that has made america not just a place on a map but the light to the world. we are poised for progress. two years after the worst recession, most of us have ever known, the stock market has come roaring back. corporate profits are up. the economy is growing again. and we have never measured progress by these yardsticks alone. we measure progress by the success of our people. by the jobs they can find and the quality of life those jobs offer. by the prospects of a small business owner who dreams of turning a good idea into a thriving enterprise. by the opportunities for a better life and we pass on to our children.

that's the project the american people want us to work on. together. [ applause ] we did that in december thanks to the tax cuts we passed. americans' paychecks are a little bigger today. every business can write off the full cost of new investments that they make this year and these steps taken by democrats and republicans will grow the economy and add to the more than 1 million private sector jobs created last year. but we have to do more. these stems we have taken over the last two steps may have broken the back of this recession but to win the future we'll need to take on challenges that have been decades in the making. many people watching tonight can

probably remember a time when finding a good job meant showing up at a nearby factory or a business downtown. you didn't always need a degree. and your competition was pretty much limited to your neighbors. if you worked hard, chances are you'd have a job for life. with a decent paycheck and good benefits. and the occasional promotion. maybe you'd even have the pride of seeing your kids work at the same company. that world has changed. and for many, the change has been painful. i've seen it in the shuttered windows of once booming factories. in the vacant storefronts on once busy main streets. i've heard it in the frustrations of americans who've seen their paychecks dwindle or their jobs disappear. proud men and women who feel like the rules have been changed in the middle of the game.

they're right. the rules have changed. in a single generation, revolutions in technology have transformed the way we live, work and do business. steel mills that once needed a thousand workers can now do the same work with 100. today, just about any company can set up shop, hire workers and sell their products wherever there's an internet connection. meanwhile, nations like choo that and india realized with some changes of their own they could compete in this new world. and so they started educating their children earlier and longer with greater emphasis on math and science. they're investing in research and new technologies. just recently, china became the home to the world's largest private solar research facility and the world's fastest computer. so yes, the world is changed.

the competition for jobs is real. but this shouldn't discourage us. it should challenge us. remember, for all the hits we have taken these last few years, for all the naysayers predicting our decline, america still has the largest, most prosperous economy in the world. [ applause ] no workers are more productive than others. no country grants more patents. where students come to study than any place on earth. what's more, we are the first nation to be founded for the sake of an idea. the idea that each of us deserves the chance to shape our own destiny.

that's why centuries of pioneers and immigrants have risked everything to come here. that's why our students don't just memorize equations but answer questions like, what do you think of that idea? what would you change about the world? what do you want to be when you grow up? the future is ours to win. but to get there we can't just stand still. as robert kennedy told us, the future is not a gift. it is an achievement. sustaining the american dream has never been about standing pat. it's required each generation to sacrifice and struggle and meet the demands of a new age. and now, it is our turn. we know what it takes to compete for the jobs and industries of our time. we need to outinnovate, outeducate and outbuild the rest of the world.

[ applause ] we have to make america the best place on earth to do business. we need to take responsibility for our deficit and reform our government. that's how our people will prosper. that's how we'll win the new which you are. and tonight i'd like to talk about how we get there. first step in winning the future is encouraging american innovation. none of us can predict with certainty what the next big industry will be or where the new jobs will come from. 30 years ago we couldn't know that something called the internet would lead to an economic revolution.

what we can do, what america does better than anyone else, is spark the creativity and imagination of our people. we're the nation that put cars in driveways and computers in offices. the nation of edison and the wright brothers. of google and facebook. in america, innovation doesn't just change our lives, it is how we make our living. [ applause ] our free enterprise system is what drives innovation. but because it's not always profitable for companies to invest in basic research, throughout our history our government provided cutting edge scientists and innovators with the funding they need. that's what planted the seeds for the internet, it's what helped make possible things like computer chips and gps. just think of all the good jobs

from manufacturing to retail that have come from these breakthroughs. half a century ago when the soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called sputnik, we had no idea how we would beat them to the moon. the science wasn't even there yet. nasa didn't exist. but after investing in better research and education, we didn't just surpass the soviets, we unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs. this is our generation's sputnik moment. two years ago, i said that we needed to reach a level of research and development we haven't seen since the height of the space race. and in a few weeks i will be sending a budget to congress that helps us meet that goal. we'll invest in bio medical research, information technology and especially clean energy

technology. [ applause ] an investment that will strengthen our security, protect our planet and create countless new jobs for our people. already we are seeing the promise of renewable energy. robert and gary allen are brothers who run a small michigan roofing company. after september 11th, they volunteered their best roofers to help repair the pentagon. but half of their factory went unused and the recession hit them hard. today, with the help of a government loan, that empty space is being used to manufacture solar shingles that are being sold all across the country. and robert's words, we reinvented ourselves. that's what americans have done for over 200 years. reinvented ourselves.

and to spur on more success stories like the allen brothers we have begun to reinvent our energy policy. we are not just handing out money. we are telling american scientists and engineers if they assemble teams and focus on the hardest problems we'll fund the apollo projects of our time. california institute of technology, they're developing a way to turn sunlight and water into fuel for our cars. and oak ridge national laborato laboratory, they're using supercomputers to get more power out of the nuclear facilities. with more research and incentives, we can break our dependence on oil with bio fuels and become the first country to have a million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. [ applause ] we need to get behind this

innovation. and to help pay for it, i'm asking congress to eliminate the billions in taxpayer dollars we currently give to oil companies. [ applause ] i don't know if you've noticed but they're doing just fine on their own. so, instead of subsidizing yesterday's energy, let's invest in tomorrow's. now clean energy breakthroughs will only translate into clean energy jobs if the industry knows there will be a market for what they're selling. by 2035, 80% of america's electricity will come from clean energy sources. [ applause ] some folks want wind and solar. others want nuclear.

clean coal and natural gas. to meet this goal, we will need them all. and i urge democrats and republicans to work together to make it happen. [ applause ] maintaining our leadership in research and development is crucial to america's success. but if we want to win the future, if we want innovation to produce jobs in america, and not overseas, then we also have to win the race to educate our kids. think about it. over the next ten years nearly half of all new jobs will require education that goes beyond a high school education. and yet, as many as a quarter of our students aren't even finishing high school. quality of our math and science education lags behind many other nations. america's fallen to ninth in the

proportion of young people with a college degree. and so, the question is whether all of us as citizens and as parents are willing to do what's necessary to give every child a chance to succeed. that responsibility begins not in our classrooms but in our homes. and communities. it's family that first instills the love of learning in a child. only parents can make sure the tv is turned off and homework gets done. we need to teach our kids that it's not just the winner of the super bowl who deserves to be celebrated but the winner of the science fair. [ applause ]

we need to teach them that success is not a function of fame or pr but of hard work. and discipline. our schools share this responsibility. when a child walks into a classroom it should be a place of high expectations and high performance. but too many schools don't meet this test. that's why instead of just pouring money into a system that's not working we launched a competition called race to the top. to all 50 states we said, if you show us the most innovative plans to improve teacher quality and student achievement we'll show you the money. race to the top is the most meaningful reform of our public schools in a generation. for les than 1% of what we spend on education each year, it's led over 40 states to raise their standards for teaching and

learning. and these standards were developed, by the way, not by washington but by republican and democratic governors throughout the country. and race to the top should be the approach we follow this year as we replace no child left behind with a law that's more flexible and focused on what's best for our kids. [ applause ] you see, we know what's possible from our children. when reform isn't just a top down mandate but the work of local teachers and principals, school boards and communities. take a school like bruce randolph in denver. three years ago it was rated one of the worse schools in denver located on turf between two rival gadgets. last may, 9 7% of the seniors received their diplomas.

most will be their first in their families to go to college. and after the first year of school's transformation, the principal who made it possible wiped away tears when a student said, thank you, miss waters, for showing that we are smart and we can make it. that's what good schools can do and we want good schools all across the country. let's also remember after parents, the biggest impact on a child's success comes from the man or woman at the front of the classroom. in south korea, teachers are known as nation builders. here in america, it's time we treated the people who educate our children with the same level of respect. [ applause ]

we want to reward good teachers and stop making excuses for bad ones. and over the next ten years with so many baby boomers retiring from our classrooms we want to prepare 100,000 new teachers in the fields of science and technology and engineering and math. in fact, every young person listening tonight who's contemplating their career choice, if you want to make a difference in the life of our nation, if you want to make a difference in the life of a child, become a teacher. your country needs you. [ applause ]

of course, the education race doesn't end with the high school diploma. to compete, higher education must be within the teach of every american. that's why -- that's why we have ended the unwarranted taxpayer subsidies that went to banks and make college affordable for millions of students. and this year, i asked congress to go further and make permanent our tuition tax credit worth $10,000 for 4 years of college. it's the right thing to do. because people need to be able to train for new jobs and careers in today's fast-changing economy. we're also revitalizing america's community colleges.

last month, i saw the promise of the schools at forsyth tech in north carolina. many of the students there used to work in the surrounding factories that have since left town. one mother of two, a woman named kathy proctor worked in the furniture industry since she was 18 years old. she told me she's earning her degree in bio technology now at 55 years old. not just because the furniture jobs are gone, but because she wants to inspire her children to pursue their dreams, too. as kathy said, i hope it tells them to never give up. if we take these steps, if we raise expectations for every child, and give them the best possible chance of an education from the day they're born until the last job they take, we will reach the goal that i set two years ago. by end of the decade, america will once again have the highest

proportion of college dwranlg wa graduates in the world. [ applause ] one last point about education. today, there are hundreds of thousands of students excelling in our schools who are not american citizens. some of the children of undocumented workers who have nothing to do with the actions of their parents. they grew up as americans. and pledge allegiance to our flag and yet they live every day with a threat of deportation. others come here from abroad to study in our colleges and universities but as soon as they obtain an advance degree we send them back home to compete

against us. it makes no sense. now, i strongly believe that we should take on once and for all the issue of illegal immigration. and i'm prepared to work with republicans and democrats to protect our borders, enforce our laws and address the millions of undocumented worker who is are now living in the shadows. [ applause ] i know that debate will be difficult. i know it will take time. but tonight, let's agree to make that effort and let's stop expelling talented, responsible young people who could be staffing our research labs or starting a new business, who could be further enriching this nation. the third step in winning the

future is rebuilding america. to attract new businesses to our shores we need the fastest, most reliable ways to move people, goods and information. from high-speed rail to high-speed internet. our infrastructure used to be the best. but our lead has slipped. south korean homes now have greater internet access than we do. countries in europe and russia invest more in the roads and railways than we do. china's building faster trains and newer airports. meanwhile when our engineers graded our nation's infrastructure they gave us a "d." we have to do better. america's the nation that built the transcontinental railroad, brought electricity to rural communities, constructed the interstate highway system. the jobs created by these

projects didn't just come from laying down track or pavement. they came from businesses that opened near a town's new train station or the new off ramp. so over the last two years we have begun rebuilding for the 21st century. a project that's meant thousands of good jobs for the hard-hit construction industry. and tonight i'm proposing that we redouble those efforts. [ applause ] we'll put more americans to work, repairing crumbling roads and bridges. we'll make sure this is fully paid for, attract private investment and pick projects based what's best for the economy not politicians. within 25 years our goal is to give 85% of americans access to high-speed rail.

this could allow you to go places in half the time it takes to travel by car. for some trips it will be faster than flying. without the pat down. [ applause ] as we speak routes in california and the midwest are already under way. within the next five years we'll make it possible for businesses to deploy the next generation of high-speed wireless coverage to 98% of all americans. this isn't just about faster internet or fewer dropped calls. it's about connecting every part of america to the digital age. it's about a rural community in iowa or alabama where farmers and small business owners will be able to sell their products all over the world. it's about a firefighter who can download the design of a burning building on to a handheld device. a student to take classes with a

digital textbook or a patient with face to face video chats with her doctor. all these investments in innovation, education and infrastructure will make america a better place to do business and create jobs. but to help our companies compete, we also have to knock down barriers that stand in the way of their success. for example, over the years, a parade of lobbyists has rigged the tax code to benefit particular companies and industries. those were the accountants or lawyers to work the system to end up paying no taxes at all. but all the rest are hit with one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world. it makes no sense. and it has to change. [ applause ]

so tonight i'm asking democrats and republicans to simplify the system. get rid of the loopholes. level the playing field. and use the savings to lower the corporate tax rate for the first time in 25 years without adding to our deficit. it can be done. [ applause ] to help businesses sell more products abroad we set a goal of doubling our exports by 2014. because the more we export the more jobs we create here at home. already our exports are up. recently we signed agreements with india and china that will support more than 250,000 jobs here in the united states. last month we finalized a trade agreement with south korea that will support at least 70,000

american jobs. this agreement has unprecedented support from business and labor. democrats and republicans. and i ask this congress to pass it as soon as possible. [ applause ] blanlg blanlg before i took office i made it clear i would only sign deals that keep faith with american workers and promote american jobs. that's what we did with korea. and that's what i intend to do as we pursue agreements with panama and colombia and continue our asia-pacific and global trade talks. to reduce barriers to growth and investment, i've ordered a review of government regulations. when we find rules that put an unnecessary burden on businesses, we will fix them.

but i will not hesitate to create or enforce common sense safeguards to protect the american people. that's what we have done in this country for more than a century. it's why our food is safe to eat. our water is safe to drink. and our air is safe to breathe. it's why we have speed limits and child labor laws. it's why last year we put in place consumer protections against hidden fees and penalties by credit card companies. and new rules to prevent another financial crisis. and it's why we passed reform that finally prevents the health insurance industry from exploiting patients. [ applause ]

now, i have heard rumors that a few of you still have concerns about our new health care law. so let me be the first to say that anything can be improved. if you have ideas about how to improve this law by making care better, or more affordable, i am eager to work with you. we can start right now by correcting a flaw in the legislation that's placed an unnecessary bookkeeping burden on small businesses. [ applause ] what i'm not willing to do, what

i'm not willing to do is go back to the days when insurance companies could deny someone coverage because of a preexisting condition. [ applause ] i'm not willing to tell james howard, a brain cancer patient from texas, that his treatment might not be covered. i'm not willing to tell jim houser, a small businessman from oregon, that he has to go back to paying $5,000 more to cover his employees. as we speak, this law is making prescription drugs cheaper for seniors and giving uninsured students a chance to stay on their parent's coverage. so i say to this chamber tonight instead of refighting the battles of the last two years

let's fix what needs fixing and let's move forward. [ applause ] now, the final, critical step in winning the future is to make sure we aren't buried under a mountain of debt. we are living with a legacy of deficit spending that began almost a decade ago. and in the wake of the financial crisis, some of that was necessary to keep credit flowing, save jobs and put money in people's pockets. but now that the worse of the recession is over we have to confront the fact that our government spends more than it takes in. that is not sustainable. every day families sacrifice to live within their means. they deserve a government that does the same.

[ applause ] so tonight, i am proposing that starting this year we freeze annual domestic spending for the next five years. now, this would reduce the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade. and will bring discretionary spending to the lowest share of our economy since dwight eisenhower was president. this freeze will require painful cuts. already we've frozen the salaries of hard-working federal employees for the next two years. i've proposed cuts to things i care deeply about like community action programs. secretary of defense has also

agreed to cut tens of billions of dollars of spending that he and his generals believe our military can do without. now, i recognize that some in this chamber have already proposed deeper cuts and i'm willing to eliminate whatever we can honestly afford to do without but let's make sure we're not doing it on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens. and let's make sure that what we're cutting is really excess weight. cutting the deficit by guting our investments in innovation and 2008 is like lightning an overloaded airplane by removing the engine. may make you feel like you're flying high at first but it's not long before you feel the impact. most of the cuts in savings i

proposed only address annual domestic spending which represents a little more than 12% of our budget. to make further progress, we have to stop pretending that cutting this kind of spending alone will be enough. it won't. the bipartisan fiscal commission i created last year made this crystal clear. i don't agree with all their proposals but they made important progress. and their conclusion is that the only way to tackle our deficit is to cut excessive spending wherever we find it. in domestic spending, defense spending, health care spending, and spending through tax breaks and loopholes. this means further reducing health care costs, including programs like medicaid and medicare which are the single

biggest contributors to the long-term deficit. the health care law we passed last year will slow these costs and which is one of the reasons that economists said repealing the health care law would add a quarter of a trillion dollars to our deficit. still, i'm willing to look at other ideas to bring down costs. including one that republicans suggested last year. medical malpractice reform to rein in frivolous lawsuits. [ applause ] to put us on solid ground, we should also find a bipartisan solution to strengthen social security for future generations. we must do it without putting at risk current retirees. the most vulnerable or people

with disabilities. without slashing benefits for future generations. and without subjecting americans guaranteed retirement income to the whims of the stock market. and if we truly care about our deficit, we simply can't afford a permanent extension of the tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of americans. [ applause ] before we take money away from our schools, our scholarships away from our students, we should ask millionaires to give up their tax break. it's not a matter of punishing their success. it's about promoting america's success. in fact, the best thing we could do on taxes for all americans is

to simplify the individual tax code. [ applause ] this will be a tough job but members of both parties have expressed an interest in doing this and i'm prepared to join them. so now is the time to act. now's the time for both sides and both houses of congress, democrats and republicans, to forge a principled compromise that gets the job done. if we make the hard choices now to rein in our deficits, we can make the investments we need to win the future. let me take this one step further. we shouldn't just give our people a government that's more affordable. we should give them a government that's more competent and more efficient.

we can't win the future with a government of the past. we live and do business in the information age. but the last major reorganization of the government happened in the age of black and white tv. there are 12 different agencies that deal with exports. there are at least five different agencies that deal with housing policy. then there's my favorite example. the interior department is in charge of salmon while they're in freshwater but the commerce department handles them when they're in saltwater. i hear it gets even more complicated once they're smoked. [ applause ]

we have made great strides over the last two years in using technology and getting rid of waste. veterans can now download they electronic medical records with a click of the mouse. we're selling acres of federal office space that hasn't been used in years. we'll cut through red tape to get rid of more. but we need to think bigger. in the coming months my administration will develop a proposal to merge, consolidate and reorganize the federal government in a way that best serves the goal of a more competitive america. i will submit that proposal to congress for a vote and we will push to get it passed. [ applause ] in the coming year, we'll also work to rebuild people's faith in the institution of government. because you deserve to know exactly how and where your tax dollars are being spent, you'll be able to go to a website and

get that information for the very first time in history. because you deserve to know when your elected officials are meeting with lobbyists, i asked congress to do what the white house has already done, put that information online. and because the american people deserve to know that special interests aren't larding up legislation with pet projects, both parties in congress should know this. if a bill comes to my desk with earmarks inside, i will veto it. i will veto it. [ applause ] the 21st century government that's open and competent, a government that lives within its means, an economy that's driven by new skills and new ideas.

our success in this new and changing world will require reform, responsibility and innovation. it will also require us to approach that world with a new level of engagement in our foreign affairs. just as jobs and businesses can now race across borders, so can new threats and new challenges. no single wall separates east and west. no one rival superpower is aligned against us. and so, we must defeat determined enemies wherever they are. and build coalitions that cut across lines of region and race and religion. and america's moral example must always shine for all who yearn for freedom and justice and dignity. and because we've begun this work tonight we can say that

american leadership has been renewed and america's standing has been restored. look to iraq where nearly 100,000 of our brave men and women have left with their heads held high.  [ applause ] american combat patrols have ended. violence is down. and a new government has been formed. this year, our civilians will forge a lasting partnership with the iraqi people while we finish the job of bringing our troops out of iraq. america's commitment has been kept. the iraq war is coming to an end.

of course, as we speak, al qaeda and their affiliates continue to plan attacks against us. thanks to our intelligence and law enforcement professionals, we're disrupting plots and securing our cities and skies. and as extremists try to inspire acts of violence within our borders, we are responding with the strength of our communities. with respect for the rule of law. and with the conviction that american muslims are a part of our american family. [ applause ] we've also taken the fight to al qaeda and their allies abroad. in afghanistan, our troops have

taken taliban strongholds and trained afghan security forces. our purpose is clear. by preventing the taliban from re-establishing a stranglehold over the afghan people we will deny al qaeda the safe haven that served as a launching pad for 9/11. thanks to our heroic troops and civilians, fewer afghans are under the control of the insurgency. there will be tough fighting ahead and the afghan government will need to deliver better governance. but we are strengthening the capacity of the afghan people and building an enduring partnership with them. this year, we'll work with nearly 50 countries to begin a transition to an afghan lead and this july we will begin to bring our troops home. [ applause ]

in pakistan, al qaeda's leadership is under more pressure than at any point since 2001. their leaders and operatives are being removed from the battlefield. their safe havens are shrinking and we have sent a message from the afghan border to the arabian peninsula to all parts of the globe. we will not relent. we will not waiver and we will defeat you. [ applause ] american leadership can also be seen in the effort to secure the worse weapons of war. because republicans and democrats approved the new s.t.a.r.t. treaty, far fewer nuclear weapons and launchers will be deployed. because we rallied the world, nuclear materials are being

locked down on every continent so they never fall into the hands of terrorists. because of a diplomatic effort to insist that iran obligations, the government faces tighter sanctions than ever before and on the korean peninsula we stand with our ally south korea and insist that north korea keeps its commitment to abandon nuclear weapons. this is just a part of how we're shaping a world that favors peace and prosperity. with our europe an allies we increased the cooperation on everything from counterterrorism to missile defense. we've reset our relationship with russia, strengthened asian alliances, built new partnerships with nations like india.

this march i will travel to brazil, chile and el salvador to forge new alliances across the americas. around the globe, we're standing with those who take responsibility. helping farmers grow more food. supporting doctors who care for the sick. and combatting the corruption that can rot a society and rob people of opportunity. recent events have shown us that what sets us apart must not just be our power. it must also be the purpose behind it. in south sudan, with our assistance the people were finally able to vote for independence after years of war. thousands lined up before dawn. people danced in the streets. one man who lost four of his brothers at war summed up the scene around him. this was a battlefield for most of my life, he said.

now, we want to be free. we saw that same desire to be free in tunisia where the will of the people proved more powerful than the writ of a dictator and tonight let us be clear. the united states of america stands with the people of tunisia and supports the democratic aspirations of all people. [ applause ] we must never forget that the things we've struggled for and fought for live in the hearts of people everywhere. and we must always remember that the americans who have born the greatest struggle in this are

the men and women who serve our country. [ applause ] [ applause ] tonight, let us speak with one voice and reaffirming that our nation is united in support of our troops and their families. let us serve them as well as they have served us by giving them the equipment they need, by providing them with the care and

benefits that they have earned and by enlisting our veterans in the great task of building our own nation. our troops come from every corner of this country. they're black, white, latino, asian, native american. they're christian and hindu, jewish and muslim. and yes, we know that some of them are gay. starting this year, no american will be forbidden from serving the country they love because of who they love. [ applause ] and with that change, i call on all our college campuses to open their doors to our military recruiters and rotc. it is time to leave behind the

divisive battles of the past. it is time to move forward as one nation. [ applause ] we should have no allusions about the work ahead of us. reforming our schools, changing the way we use energy, reducing our deficit. none of this will be easy. all of it will take time. and it will be harder because we will argue about everything. the costs, the details, the letter of every law. of course, some countries don't have this problem. if the central government wants a railroad, they build a railroad.

no matter how many homes get bulldozed. if they don't want a bad story in the newspaper, it doesn't get written. and yet, as contentious and frustrating and messy as our democracy can sometimes be i know there isn't a person here who would trade places with any other nation on earth. [ applause ] we may have differences in policy but we all believe in the rights enrhined in our constitution. we may have different opinions

but we believe in the same promise that says this is a place where you can make it if you try. we may have different backgrounds but we believe in the same dream that says this is a country where anything is possible. no matter who you are. no matter where you come from. that dream is why i can stand here before you tonight. that dream is why a working class kid from scranton can sit behind me. that dream is why someone who began by sweeping the floors of his father's cincinnati bar can preside as speaker of the house in the greatest nation on earth. [ applause ]

that dream, that american dream, is what drove the allen brothers to reinvent their roofing company for a new era. it's what drove those students at forsyth tech to learn a new skill and work toward the future and that dream is the story of a small business owner named brandon fisher. brandon started a company in berlin, pennsylvania, that specializes in a new kind of drilling technology. and one day last summer, he saw the news that halfway across the world 33 men were trapped in a chilean mine and no one knew how to save them. but brandon thought his company could help and so he designed a

rescue to come to be known as plan "b." his employees worked around the clock to manufacture the necessary drilling equipment. along with others, he began drilling a 2,000-foot hole into the ground working three or four days at a time without any sleep. 37 days later, plan "b" succeeded. and the miners were rescued. [ applause ] but because he didn't want all the attention, brandon wasn't there when the miners emerged. he'd already gone back home. back to work on his next project. and later one of his employees said of the rescue, we proved that center rock is a little company but we do big things.

[ applause ] we do big things. from the earliest days of our founding america has been the story of ordinary people who dared to dream. that's how we win the future. we're a nation that says, i might not have a lot of money but i have this great idea for a new company. i might not come from a family of college graduates but i will be the first to get my degree. i might not know those people in trouble but i think i can help them. and i need to try. i'm not sure how we'll reach that better place beyond the horizon, but i know we'll get there. i know we will. we do big things. the idea of america endures. our destiny remains our choice. and tonight, more than two

centuries later it's because of our people that our future is hopeful, our journey goes forward and the state of our union is strong. thank you. god bless you and may god bless the united states of america. >> the president wraps up the state of the union address. i think everyone can agree especially if you've seen a number of these over the years and in recent memory it was a different kind of state of the union address. we've gone from the kind of laundry list approach where no item was too random or small to throw in there of the clinton era to a broader, almost breezier big picture address tonight. and yes, to a stage craft question it is probably true that the co-mingling of the

parties in the floor of the house chamber tonight did make for a nicer approach to the speech and its contents. this is the chamber where you'll recall we famously heard "you lie" yelled from a member of the house, the president heckled while he spoke. that was not the case tonight. as the president now says his good-byes and gets ready to leave the chamber, talking to congressman louis, we'll start with chief white house correspondent chuck todd. chuck, you concur, a different speech. >> well, look. the goal they had was to be thematic, not the laundry list. i think it's clear they feel good about the beginning and the end. i think you could tell they were still struggling with the constraints of feeling that they had to put out some policy proposals, some initiatives and

struggled to stay thematic in the middle of the speech. he set a high bar for himself just ten days ago with the tucson speech and obviously a very different type of speech that he was trying to give so, look. their goal was to talk above us. to try to have connect bet we are the american people. they know they get one or two shots that the a year. but we'll see how this reacts. they're dial testing it in their political circles. >> david gregory, a big effort to reach out and grab the american spirit. we had sputnik invoked. the soviet spacecraft that lived a short three weeks. the size of a beach ball and sure got the attention of americans as it passed over the sky. >> he talked a lot about the american family, brian. he talked about what sets us apart as a nation. at the very end he talked about how chaotic and how contentious our democracy could be and no one would trade it for any other

country in the world. this was about this -- this phrase we hear a lot, american exceptionalism. republicans thinking that the president apologized for america's place in the world. this was to renew that, to talk about america coming back from economic disaster, stronger than before, and look. this was also a down payment, brian on the re-election message of the campaign for the president two years away. >> andrea mitchell, we had a poll shows 44% of respondents thought china was the dominant economy in the world. white house, the president taking great pains to point out to anyone who will listen, u.s. economy is three times the size of china though they're a larger country. the president very sensitive lately, highly bothered by any kind of defeatism, especially vis-a-vis china and part of what he went after tonight. >> i think he was trying to invoke the optimism, the can-do spirit that brings to mind ronald reagan in these settings.

that plus the heroes sitting with the first lady, of course, been replicated by all of the presidents since reagan first did it in 1982. but the fact that he is trying to say we have passed the point of crisis, and now, we can do something. we can invest. at the same time, though, he's trying to pay more than lip service to american appetites for deficit reduction and that's where i think the fact checkers will go after him because i think they do the math and what he's promising on deficit reduction doesn't add until they get to the specifics as the white house tells us today of the budget itself. >> mark whitaker is with us. this did have drop it in the bucket and dropped calls in the state of the union. a promise discussed among us. double the exports by 2014.

something really most thinking people would think was patently ridiculous. >> brian, like a lot of things in the speech, actually, we fact checked this while the president was speaking and what i think he was doing is recycling a promise made last year to double exports within five years. they have made progress so i think he is not taking the benchmark isn't where exports are right now but the fact is even if we're going to get to that, that is not something that we can control on our own. it's heavily dependent on policies, currency policies and other policies around the world and it's a reminder, yes, he is steadies ronald reagan. he wants to talk about exceptionalism and our fate is no longer up just to us. if we get there and fulfill the promises in this speech, are going to heavily depend on events we continue elsewhere in the world. >> what you're seeing is pat

leahy of vermont escorting the president out of the chamber and looks like what it is. they're printed copies of the speech distributed in the chamber and people would love always to get the president's signature on the cover to mark the occasion. kelly, was our -- from where we sat listening to the broadcast, the theory that by co-mingling the parties it did make for a kind of warmer, more polite and civil reception. >> that was very much my sense, brian. having attended a number of these i felt that the number of standing ovations was significantly fewer. the volume certainly a little more muted. certainly, a sense of coleenlg yalty of issues where everyone can stand, talking about support for the troops or issues like education. one policy issue that seemed to get a lot of people to their feet was with respect to the health care law, a provision known as the 1099 that has to do with small businesses and there is bipartisan support for that

but it really had a different feeling. as i skned the room with an issue i knew was a key for one member or another and seated next to someone and that issue might not be something to get behind, i had a feeling there were some elbows brushing against people as one person would stand and the other stay seated and even on issues where i think you might have seen more people rise to their feet or perhaps cheer a bit, they were a little bit more muted. people stayed in the seats a bit more so the tone was different. speaker boehner today said he felt some of what happened in the past wasn't appropriate to begin with so the kind of mood in the room tonight may have been more of what many people now say should be the norm for one of these sorts of addresses to the nation. >> so as the chamber empties, members of congress run for the television cameras to get them on the late local news back home and the president following the superb blocking of bill livingoog goes, we geel to the

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as we mark this occasion, we're also mindful of the empty chair in this chamber and we pray for the health of our colleague and our friend gabby giffords. >> it was a mention we knew was coming in the speech tonight, obviously, a prominent member of congress missing, and just tonight, from houston, texas, in her rehabilitation hospital room, a photo has been released

of congresswoman giffords' husband astronaut mark kelly sitting at her bedside and note the very same lapel ribbon, the black and white we saw on so many members of congress today. they're holding hands. as is the case with previous photos released. we are not yet allowed to see congresswoman giffords but it was important to the family and those around here that everyone know that they were watching the speech tonight. and chuck todd, while we were in the break, you made a point about it's kind of sinking in how different this speech was, how different the tone was. and the double-edged sword of the mixed audience tonight, partisanwise, it made for a different reaction. >> the president watching this -- he feeds off of an audience. he sometimes needs that and you could see it. i feel like just if you just look at this theatrically. he seemed to struggle with that.

at the end, david, you were saying this off air, it was more him, the civility argument to make, this is why he ran for president in the first place. this is where he -- the conversation he wanted to have. but you could tell, i think at the beginning there was a struggle there. maybe it was a speech by committee in the middle part. that happens with state of the unions. no president is harm -- >> now the republican response not to cut you off. congresswoman paul ryan, the chairman of the house budget committee. >> good evening. i'm congresswoman paul ryan from jamesville, wisconsin. chairman here at the house budget committee. president obama just addressed a congressional chamber filled with many new faces. one face we did not see tonight was that of our friend and colleague congresswoman gabrielle giffords of arizona. we all miss gabby and her cheerful spirit and we're praying for her to return to the house chamber. earlier this month, president obama spoke movingly at a memorial event for the six people who died on that violent

morning in tucson. still, there are no words that can lift the sorrow that now engulfs the family and friends of the fallen. what we can do is assure them that the nation is praying for them, that in the worlds of the psalmist, the lord heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds and that over time grace will replace grief. as gabby continues to make progress, we must keep her and the others in our thoughts. tonight, the president focused a lot of attention on our economy in general. and our our deficit and debt in particular. he was right to do so. and some of his words were reassuring. as chairman of the house budget committee, i assure you that we want to work with the president to restrain federal spending. in one of our first acts in the new majority house republicans voted to cut congress' own budget and just today the house voted to restore the spending discipline that washington sorely needs. the reason is simple.

a few years ago, reducing spending was important. today, it's imperative. here's why. we face a crushing burden of debt. the debt will soon eclipse our entire economy and grow to catastrophic levels in the years ahead. on this current path when my three children who are now 6, 7 and 8 years old raising their children the federal government will double in size and so will the taxes they pay. no economy can sustain such high levels of debt and taxation. the next generation will inherent a stagnant economy and a diminished country. frankly, it's within of my greatest concerns as a parent and i know many of you feel the same way. our debt is the product of acts by many presidents and many congresses over many years. no one person or party is responsible for it. there's no doubt the president came into office facing a severe fiscal and economic situation.

unfortunately, instead of restoring the fundamentals of economic growth he engaged in a stimulus spending spree that failed to deliver on the promise of creating jobs and plunged us deeper into debt. the facts are clear, since taking office, president obama has signed into law spending increases of nearly 25% for domestic government agencies. and 84% increase when you include the failed stimulus. all of this new government spending was sold as investment. yet, after two years, the unemployment rate remains above 9% and government has had over $3 trillion to the debt. then the president and his party made matters worse creating a new, open-ended health care entitlement. what we already know about the president's health care law is this. costs are going up. premiums are rising. and millions of people will lose the coverage they currently have. job creation is being stifled by

all of its taxes, penalties, mandates and fees. businesses and unions from around the country are asking the obama administration for waivers from the mandates. washington should not be in the business of picking winners and losers. the president mentioned the need for regulatory reform to ease the burden on american businesses. we agree. and we think it's health care law would be a great place to start. last week, house republicans voted for a full repeal of this law as we pledged to do. and we will work to replace it with fiscally responsible, patient-centered reforms that actually reduce costs and expand coverage. health care spending is driving the explosive growth of our debt. and the president's law is accelerating our country toward bankruptcy. our debt is out of control. what was a fiscal challenge is now a fiscal crisis. we cannot deny it. instead, we must as americans confront it responsibly.

and that is exactly what republicans pledge to do. americans are skeptical of both political parties and that skepticism is justified especially when it comes to spending. so hold all of us accountable. in this very room the house will debate, produce and advance a budget. last year in a failure, congress chose not to pass or even propose a budget. the spending spree continued unchecked. we owe you a better choice and a different vision. our forthcoming budget is our obligation to you to show you we would d things differently, how we'll cut spending to get the debt down, help create jobs and prosperity and reform government programs. if we act soon and responsibly, people in and near retirement will be protected. these budget debates are not just about the programs of government. they're also about the purpose of government. so i'd like to share with you

the principles that guide us. they're anchored in the wisdom of the founders, in the spirit of declaration of independence and the words of the american constitution. they have to do with the importance of limited government and with the blessing of self government. we believe government's role is both vital and limited to defend the nation from attack and provide for the common defense. to secure our borders, to protect innocent live, to uphold our laws and constitutional rights, to ensure domestic tranquility and equal opportunity. and to provide a safety net to help provide a safety net for those who cannot provide for themselves. we believe that the government has an important role to create the conditions that promote entrepreneursh entrepreneurship. we believe as our founders did that the pursuit of happiness depends on individual liberty and individual liberty requires

limited government. limited government also means effective government. when government takes on too many tasks, it usually doesn't do any of them very well. it's no coincidence that trust in government is at an all-time low now that the size of government is at an all-time high. the president and the democratic leadership have shown by their actions that they believe government needs to increase its size and its reach, its price tag and its power. whether sold as stimulus or repackaged as investment, their actions show they want a federal government that controls too much, taxes too much and spends too much in order to do too much. and during the last two years, that is exactly what we have gotten. along with record deficits and debt. to the point where the president is now urging congress to increase the debt limit. we believe the days of business as usual must come to an end. we hold to a couple of simple

convictions. endless borrowing is not a strategy. spending cuts have to come first. our nation is approaching a tipping point. we're at a moment where if government's growth is left unchecked and unchallenged america's best century will be considered our past century. this is a future in which we'll transform our social safety net into a hammock which lulls people into dependency. depending on bureaucracy to foster innovation, competitiveness and wise consumer choices has never worked and it won't work now. we need to chart a new course. speaking candidly as one citizen to another, we still have time. but not much time. if we continue down our current path, we know what our future will be. just take a look at what's happening to greece. ireland, the united kingdom and other nations in europe. they didn't act soon enough and

now their governments have been forced to impose painful austerity measures, large benefit cuts to seniors and huge tax increases on everybody. their day of reckoning has arrived. ours is around the corner. that is why we have to act now. some people will back away from this challenge. but i see this challenge as an opportunity to rebuild what lincoln called the central ideas of the republic. we believe a renewed commitment to limited government will unshackle our economy and create millions of new jobs and opportunities for all people of every background to succeed and prosper. under this approach, the spirit of initiative, not political clout, determines who succeeds. millions of families have fallen on hard times not because of our ideals of free enterprise but because our leaders failed to live up to those ideals, because of poor zigss made in washington and wall street that caused a financial crisis, squandered our

savings, broken our trust and crippled our economy. today, a similar kind of irresponsibility threatens not only our livelihoods but our way of life. we need to reclaim our american system of limited government, reasonable regulations and sound money which is blessed us with unprecedented prosperity and done more to help the poor than any other economic system ever designed. that's the real secret to job creation, not borrowing and spending more money in washington. limited government and free enterprise have helped make america the greatest nation on earth. these are not easy times. but america is an exceptional nation. in all the chapters of human history, there is never been anything quite like america. the american story has been cherished, advanced and defended over the centuries. and it now falls to this

generation to pass into our children a nation that's stronger, more vibrant, more decent. and better than the one we inherited. thank you and good night. >> that was congressman paul ryan who was told by more than one friend to be cheerful, optimistic and remind viewers of the third ronald reagan reference we have had tonight. doesn't look old enough to be a seven termer in congress. celebrates his 41st birthday this saturday. believed to be a fiscal presence in the house where he's chairman of the budget committee. we want to broaden our conversation in the house of representatives is former republican florida congressman better known to millions of viewers as morning joe, joe scarborough with us for our coverage. joe, where are you exactly? >> i am in the statuary hall right now. >> okay. looks like you are in front of a

fireplace. >> there is a fireplace in statuary hall that i'm in front of. >> thank you, congressman. that's why you were elected to the congress and i wasn't. also with us, the newest member of the fleet of political analysts around here, former governor of pennsylvania, former just recently ed rendell, governor, welcome. thank you for being with us. >> my pleasure. >> your reaction to the speech and one topic you thought was a huge deficiency in the speech? >> yeah. on balance, a great speech. coopted a ton of republican issues, earmarks to deficit reduction and military recruiters on college campuses. good stuff for the base. but i thought he didn't seize the moment on gun control. and i really feel sorry about that because i think the country's supports significant gun control, limiting of those magazines to ten shots. i think it's got overwhelming public support. if there ever was a time for gun control in this country, the time is know. >> joe scarborough, that

question goes to you. do you agree it was missing as a topic and the conventional wisdom is always that the gun lobby has the house of representatives pretty well locked up. the votes aren't there. i've heard prominent democrats say it isn't worth trying. do you agree with that line? >> well, john kerry agreed with that in 2004 and al gore did again in 2000, so, no. i don't know that that was an issue that the president was going to seize on. i do want to follow up, though, on what you all have been talking about earlier about the tone inside the chamber. i've been to about ten of these or so. i have to say, it was like no speech i have ever heard. in a state of the union address. the energy was down. the president seemed tepid and there's no doubt that about ten, 15 minutes into it, he sensed that. chuck todd was talking about how you look at the tucson speech.

this president feeds off the energy of the crowd. one democrat, one good boston democrat told me as he was leaving when i said, what's going on in there? i've never seen an audience as flat or a president as flat as this. he said, it's like when you're in catholic school and the sister tells you that the cardinal's coming tomorrow and you better be on your best behavior. well, we were on our best behavior tonight and it was just boring all around. but he continued and said, but the important thing is, it's not where you sit tonight. it's where you stand tomorrow. and that's when things are going to get exciting around here. >> well, david gregory, that's kind of confirmation of what we were talking about before the break. >> well, right. you know, the president wanted to do a lot tonight. there were omissions. gun violence being one of them. but setting an overall tone, this was the president coming out after losing in november, having a good lame duck session and now in some ways trying to

put republicans on the defensive. trying to position himself as a fiscal conservative but there's cards he didn't turn over either. social security, didn't say much in the speech except let's try to work together. on immigration, didn't say very much other than let's try to work together so there's a lot left unsaid here about how the president intends to engage republicans. i agree with governor rendell. some issues he highlights and doing business successfully as taxes at the end of the lame duck session. >> i think it is difficult for the republicans to have a scathing response to this. i think he took their issues and co-opted them and had stuff in there for the base. i mean, the president's dead right about investing. if we don't invest in our future right now and the areas he crafted are exactly right. if we don't do that, we are in big trouble and i think he sounded the right tone. i think it was subdued because that was the nature of the aftermath of the gabby giffords

shootinging. >> perhaps. the makeup of the audience tonight. we'll hear more from the white house and the construction and their own reaction internally to the speech. after this break. when we come back, the man who is taking the place of david axelrod at the president's side in the white house. david plough of campaign for the white house fame. standing by to talk to us when we continue. and a 15 to 1 student to faculty ratio... to make learning more... personal. today, she runs a thriving tutoring company that offers kids the same individualized attention she had. my name is beatrice hair, i teach hundreds of kids one on one, and i am a phoenix. [ male announcer ] learn more about the college of education at phoenix.edu. [ male announcer ] learn more about the college of education everyone has someone to go heart healthy for. who's your someone? campbell's healthy request can help. low cholesterol, zero grams trans fat, and a healthy level of sodium.

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we're back. our live coverage continues of the state of the union address 2011. we are joined by the new man in charge of the communications shop among other departments in the white house, david plough came to fame in his own limited way after the original campaign. the successful campaign for the white house. after a couple of years in chicago, he's come to washington in effect to replace david axelrod going home to chicago. let's not waste precious broadcast time arguing about whether or not this was a different speech for barack obama or any other president to deliver in that chamber. let me ask, instead, why such a different speech this year? >> well, i think it was a serious speech but an optimistic speech and what the american people are looking for is a plan for the future. and that's what the president laid out tonight. we need to outeducate, outinnovate and outbuild the

rest of the world. also, challenge congress. we need to reform our government and be serious about cutting spending and we need to do all that together. i think the american people have sent a pretty clear message. they expect our leaders to work together and that's what the president intends to do. >> david, let's pick up on joe scarborough's point and those veteran of catholic school can associate with it immediately. he put it in school terms. another way to put it was in the audience tonight while it made for a more civil reception for the speech, you could say clic s cliques were broken up and buddy system and blocs cheer and applaud as a group or sit on their hands as a group broken up and it might have put the gathering off the usual footing. do you think that's fair? >> well, listen. i think it was great that many members sat together tonight. as the president said are we going to work together tomorrow? i don't think people are looking for sort of canned applause lines. what people are hungry for is a plan for their future.

how will we make sure they can succeed and we succeed in the years and decades to come. that's what the president laid out. we have to enno investigate, educate, rebuild. get serious about cutting spending so i think the president challenged congress to work with him and the american people to seize some of the opportunities we have. >> and let's go to one issue, specifically. since the speech wrapped up now, we have heard republicans and democrats including new york city mayor mike bloomberg tonight asking hard questions of the absence of gun control as a topic in this speech. i was told earlier today at the white house by a senior administration official, the president will take on the topic of guns, different venue, different speech, later date s. that true and why the decision to leave it on the side for tonight? >> well, obviously, this was a speech very focused on our economy and how we'll win in the future. the president is clear about his position on the assault weapons

ban to use an example. you know, back in the campaign. that position's been restated so he's going to address this. it's a very important issue and one i know there's debate on the hill. but the speech tonight was really about people are worried now about the economy and they're worried about the future and i think they were hungry for a road map how to win the future for america and that's what the president was focused on and i think he laid out a compelling case of what to focus on to win that future. >> david plough, newest member of the senior white house staff, thank you very much for finding time to join us tonight after the president's speech. let's go right back in to statuary hall and talk to joe scarborough once again. and joe, let's talk about what's also happening tonight. there's not one but two responses to the president. one, the officially authorized, sanctioned republican party

response which we just saw but there's another one for the tea party given by michele bachmann who, you know, some lawmakers will be very direct in how angry they are at this. what's it do? >> well, it distracts. paul ryan is a rising star of the republican party. he comes from a swing district in wisconsin. he is a real up and comer, and to have that speech distracted by michele bachmann is not good for the republican party. last night, i spoke to white house officials and the president's inner circle. they were delighted by the fact that michele bachmann was taking up this space. this is a woman that said she wanted minnesotans to be armed and dangerous. you don't pick better opponents if you're in the white house than that. and on the other side, i talked to republican leadership today on the hill who just shook their head and rolled their eyes and said, michele bachmann is about

michele bachmann and really bad for us and a distraction, so you never know how these things play out but i suspect the republicans are right. the white house is right. that this was not a good move for the gop. >> on the other hand, joe, it's like a family, isn't it? i mean, the gop has this new and rising faction, the democrats have been through this. they always carry out their political business in public. >> right. >> the liberal wing, the conservative wing of the democratic party. >> but there's so many others that could have delivered this message without the baggage that michele bachmann brings. somebody that called the president's government thuggish. that, again, talks about americans needing to be armed and dangerous to oppose legislation. it could have been marco rubio, it could have been rand paul, it could have been one of many. but again, brian, the caution tonight is, and i say this not only about the republican

responses but also the president's speech. there were a lot of times we sat in the chamber and thought bill clinton bombed the 1990s when he went on and on and it seemed dull and boring and self consumed. and his numbers shoot up in the polls. americans may be drawn to what this president does tonight. >> boy, you're not saying media experts sometimes wrong, are you, joe? >> no, i'm not. i'm not. in fact, i'm telling you as republican members of congress sat and snickered in the seats as bill clinton seemed to go into the third and fourth hour and just like wiley coe oyote w said we got, but his numbers shot up. >> there's sometime zones where the speech is continuing. joe scarborough, thanks as always. we'll come back with more coverage of the state of the union address here live in washington.

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we're back. our coverage of the state of the union continues and in addition to our panel and correspondents we are joined by another guest

who you saw perhaps on camera front and center listening to the president of the united states, the longest serving female member of the u.s. senate in american history. five termer barbara mikulski, democrat of the state of maryland. thank you for talking to us tonight. >> good evening, brian. it was a very special night. we came in two by twos. a little bit like noah's ark but there was a great sense of warmth and comradery. very different from other states of the union. >> i was going to ask you because in the time since you left the chamber and maybe were awaiting to do media interviews or talk to the stations back home in baltimore or what have you, some of the analysis has been that because of that closeness and jumbling up the usual party combinations and the cliques that the reception in the hall was different, more civil, yes, but it gave the president a different appearance on television as if it was

received perhaps in a more bland fashion to match the different tone of the speech. what do you think about that? >> well, first of all, i think the crowd -- the -- my colleagues were in a very sober mood. these are very sober times that are challenging the country. i think the fact that we were organized ourselves for substance and not a pep rally really showed that we were more intent in listening to the president than listening to ourself shout and yell like we were at the super bowl. but i think the -- my colleagues in the house and the senate were very intent on listening to the president. i think we wanted to show the american people that after tucson we could listen together. now, i agree. we need to be able to work together but i don't think it was bland. i think it was intent. >> to your point about tucson, senator, the issue of gun control.

we've had democrats and republicans in just the time since the speech really wondering where the issue was in the president's speech. did you find it notably absent? >> well, i thought the president would speak to gun control but i also thought he would also speak to the fact that we truly have to treat mental health in the same way that we treat physical health. there was a great tragedy that occurred in tucson. we had people killed. we had them killed by a very sick, disturbed, young man. we had a failure there of gun control and we had a failure there of mental health and we cannot continue to fail people who have those problems. that's why when we look at the cuts and freeze in discretionary spending i hope we don't throw women and children and health care under the bus. >> senator barbara mikulski of maryland, thank you very much, senator, for joining us as part of our live coverage here tonight following the state of the union. we continue here in the studio with members of our panel.

chief white house correspondent chuck todd, i know what you do in the interim between segments is read incoming e-mails both spin from the home team and criticism from the other party and what seems to be on the issues the response? >> well, it is -- it is on the issue of the budget, the deficit. that's where republicans are hitting. i mean, this is where they're trying to have a unified message. this was the beginning of a three-week roll-out of the president's agenda. he's going to start selling this a little bit to the public. he goes to wisconsin tomorrow. about an hour south of green bay. he's probably glad that the bears lost getting a better reception on that front and then you have the roll-out of the actual budget. that's where we'll have the redetails, that's where he had to put meat on the bone. that's where he was joking about the salmon, they're talking of merging departments. this is the fight the white house is preparing with paul ryan and the republicans because

paul ryan will be point man on this. >> yet, mark whitaker, today at the white house, senior officials gave every hint of a rope-a-dope to this. the talking point is we'll see what republican party we get in opposition. we'll see how they want to come at us and where they want to cut. >> you know, it is interesting that the president took about -- we have it in pages but about five pages of the speech to talk about all the new investments we need to continue to make before he got around to the point he's actually calling for a freeze on all discretionary spending for five years so the question is how does that math add up? >> i'm told michele bachmann has made her way to our television camera having delivered the tea party version of the response and we're close to our off air time here but congresswoman, we're happy to be able to talk to you. i know you were stuck behind a motorcade tonight. my first and foremost question is what was it about the gop

response that was less than satisfying to you to feel the need to give the subset tea party response to the president's speech tonight because it is angered as you know some of your fellow republicans? >> well, actually, i thought paul ryan did a wonderful job and this wasn't at all competition with what the gop official response was. the tea party express asked me to speak to their constituency right after the state of the union and we would do that via internet. it was the media over the weekend that decided to make this a competition. i spoke with the leadership. i've spoken with paul ryan. they all know that this had nothing to do with the competition. and we all go to the microphones after the state of the union and speak to people across the country and so the leadership said that they urge everyone to do something like this so this wasn't competition at all. >> so this was not in your view now a response from the tea party faction of the republican party, the caucus of which i

think you founded in then the h >> actually, the republican party and the tea party are actually fair lly sympatico. the coalition we saw built in the last election where a lot of tea party people that voted republican. it is a broad coalition so this response again tonight was the tea party movement asking me to speak to their constituency and i was more than happy to do this. >> congresswoman, i wish we had more time tonight but we appreciate you finding your way to our camera. congresswoman michele bachmann after -- >> thank you, brian. >> after the response to this tonight. with thanks to the team here in washington, that will do it for our coverage. i'm brian williams, nbc news, in our washington bureau.