vision. how ironic, they say, our politics seems more divided than ever. it's held up as proof not just of my own flaws of which there are many but also as proof that division itself is misguided naive. that there are too many people in this town who actually benefit from partisanship and gridlock for us to ever do anything about it. i know how tempting such cynicism may b but i still think the cynics are wrong. i still believe that we are one people. (applause) i still believe that together we can do great things even when the odds are long. (applause) i believe this because over and over in my six years in office i have seen america at its best.

i've seen the hope of faces of young graduates from new york to california, our newest officers at west point annapolis colorado springs new london. i've mourned with grieving families in tucson and newtown and boston and west texas and west virginia. i've watched americans beat back adversity from the gulf coast to the great plains, from midwest assembly lines to the mid atlantic seaboard. i've seen gay marriage go from a wedge issue used to drive us apart to a story of freedom across our country, a civil right now legal in several

states that seven in ten americans call home. soy know the generosity of the american people , who every day, live the idea that we are our brother's and sister's keeper and i know they expect those of us who serve here to set a better example. so the question for those of us here tonight is how we, all of us can better reflect america's hopes. i've served in congress with many of you. i know many of you well. there are a lot of good people here on both sides of the aisle. many of you have told me that this isn't what you signed up for. arguing past each other on cable shows the constant fundraising, always looking over your shoulder at how the base will react to every decision.

imagine if we broke out of these tired old patterns. imagine if we did something different. understand a better politics isn't one where democrats abonden their agenda or republicans simply embrace mine. a better politics is where we appeal to each other's basic decencies instead of basic fears. a better politics is be de bait without demonizing. where we talk issues and principles and facts rather than gotcha moments or the fake controversies that have nothing to do with people's daily lives. (applause) a better politics is one where we spend less time towing in dark money for ads that pull us

into the gutter and spend more time lifting young people up with a sense of purpose and possibility and asking them to join in the great mission of building america. if we're going to have arguments, let's have arguments. but let's make them debates worthy of this body and worthy of this country. we still may not agree on a woman's right to choose burks surely we can agree it's a good thing that teen pregnancies and abortions are nearing all-time lows and that every woman should have access to the health care that she needs. (applause) yes passions still fly on immigration, but surely we can all see something of ourselves in the driving young student and agree that no one benefits when a hard working mom is snatched

from her child and that it's possible to shape a law that upholds our tradition as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants. i've talked to republicans and democrats about that. that's something that we can share. we may go at it in campaign season, but surely we can agree that the right to vote is sacred that it's been denied to too many and that on this 50th 50th anniversary of the great march in selma, montgomery the passage of the voting rights act, we can come together, democrats and republicans to make voting easier for every single american! (cheers and applause) we may have different takes on the events of ferguson and new york, but surely we can understand a father who fears his son can't walk home without being harassed, and surely we

can understand the wife who won't rest until the police officer she married walks through the front door at the end of his shift. (applause) and surely we can agree that it's a good thing a that for the first time in 40 years the crime rate and incarceration rate have come down together and use that as a starting point for democrats and republicans community leaders and law enforcement to reform america's criminal justice system so that it protects and serves all of us. (applause) that's a better politics. that's how we start rebuilding trust. that's how we move this country forward. that's what the american people want. that's what they deserve.

i have no more campaigns to run. (applause) (laughter) my only agenda -- i know because i won both of them. (applause) yeah. my only agenda for the next two years is the same tas one i've had -- as the one i've had since i swore an oath on the steps of this capitol to do what i believe is best for america. if you share the broad vision i outlined tonight i ask you to join me in the work at hand. if you disagree with parts of it i hope you will at least work with me when you do agree

and i commit to every republican here tonight that i will not only seek out your ideas, i will seek to work with you to make this country strong. (applause) because i want this chamber, i want this city to reflect the truth that, for all our blind spots and shortcomings, we are a people with the strength and generosity of spirit to bridge divides to unite in common effort, to help our neighbors, whether down the street or on the other side of the world. i want our actions to tell every child in every neighborhood your life matters, and we are committed to improving your life chances as committed as we are to working on behalf of our own kids. (applause) i want future generations to know that we are people who see

our differences as a great gift, that we're a people who value the dignity and worth of every citizen, man and woman, young and old black and white, latino asian, immigrant, native american, gay, straight, americans with mental illness or physical disability. everybody matters. i want them to grow up in a country that shows the world what we still know to be true, that we are still more than a collection of red and blue states, that we are the united states of america. (applause) i want them to grow up in a country where a young mom can sit down and write a letter to a president with a story that sums

up these past six years. "it's amazing what you can bounce back from when you have to. we are a strong tight-knit family who has made it through some very, very hard times." my fellow americans, we, too are a strong tight-knit family. we, too have made it through some hard times. 15 years into this new century, we have picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off and begun again the work of remaking america. we have laid a new foundation, a brighter future is ours to write. let's begin this new chapter together, and let's start the work right now. thank you. god bless you. god bless this country we love. thank you. (applause) >> woodruff: and that completes the president's state

of the union speech, exactly one hour, as he talks about a great year for america and seems to be taking on a victory lap, next to last state of the union speech and joining us judy wood rough, mark shields, david brooks and we'll all talk about what we saw in the speech tonight, david. >> it's one of the better state of the union speeches. a nice mix of rhetoric and policy. some uplift, some aggressively uplifting. 60% of the country still thinks the country is on track. he was pretty celebratory, a little off kilter with the move. the middle class economics, a three-part vision giving people security, competitiveness and skills. i think interesting throughout how we praise policy. so in 2008 i thought it was a

very liberal speech but this as a speech i thought was very well crafted. >> what tid you hear? i heard a stronger speech at the beginning than the end and i thought he really exploited the advantage he has. i didn't think it was a victory lap as much as a victory stroll, and he is playing to his strengths right now. the republicans are enormously divided. you've got mitch mcconnell taking credit for the economy and john boehner saying the economy is in worse shape than it was. the republican national chamber said the economy is a calamity and the president has numbers in his favor. he has facts in his report. and i thought that part of the speech with where he built on that and that record was the strongest part of it. i thought when he got a little self referential at the end quoting himself i think that's always dangerous to do in a

speech. >> ifill: he began and ended that way talked ant this being the anniversary of illinois and -- >> it was the inauguration of his presidency. i thought that was interesting. as soon as he said it, i said oh, yes, that's right. i just thought the speech was stronger and you can see the fight inside the administration as to what you go with. at the end, they have late bit of a laundry list of items, but he was obviously on the middle class economics, especially childcare and family care, i thought he was quite strong andtite quiet emphatic. >> woodruff: and didn't spend much time on foreign policy. they said it would be a third of the speech. i don't know i have to that much.

i guess my question is was it too idealistic at the end where he was saying we're better than this, we're the united states of america, we need to work together. does he run the risk of sounding naive, david? >> i think he hasn't been as bipartisan as he should have been opened i don't think the republicans have been either, i think they probably have been worse. you see the evolution of the man. he came in thinking that but things quickly got bipartisan and his competitive nature, he's extremely competitive, has been around. and we saw it most in the comment when he said, i will not run again, i forgot the exact word, like i won twice, and that's in him, the hypercompetitiveness, has been growing week by week and year by year and frames this speech as well. this was an in your face speech to republicans. we saw how miserable john

boehner was sitting back there. this was not a conciliatory speech. amazing, he got crushed in the election and came out very strong and assertive and the growing economy helps. >> ifill: he devoted a big chunk of the speech to what he called middle class economics. he started off by saying the shadow of crisis is passed and here's what we can do next. did that strike you as effective? >> i thought it was the most effective. i was struck by the tepid response to some things, when he -- obviously on iran, there was minimal when he said he threatened to veto any sanctions congress passed. and climate change i thought he didn't get the kind of enthusiastic response i thought. maybe at that point we were just

four to five minutes in. >> ifill: asking for authorization to use force. >> force, specifically. >> ifill: a very light applause. >> minimum enthusiasm for that. the trade deals, i'm first to admit they haven't lived up to the hype, that was defensive as far as democrats are concerned and most persons believe trade deals have led to more wages. in closing the loopholes, there was no mention of a gas tax on the infrastructure. it was a one-issue kind of split. if we're going low bridges, roads improvements, become competitive, there is there has to be money to do it with. >> no dollar signs attached to anything tonight. >> we thought it would be more, because he had a lot of the ideas and we felt taint we would vet get the a sense of how they would be paid for. maybe there will be cost sheets handed out later but not much of

that. the domestic policy was strong. i like how they organize in three baskets of competitiveness, but it was very european. a lot of the things he said, other countries have this, sick leave, childcare, free education, free that -- there was a lot of free -- and their tradeoff is obviously involved -- >> ifill: is european code for what? >> code for european. social policy? >> woodruff: come on, david! >> ifill: was he right? there are always tradeoffs. we do not have 50% youth unemployment rate for a reason. a lot of things i agree with the childcare policy but there are tradeoffs. >> woodruff: but the premise he started out saying we've turned the page, this has been a breakthrough year. is he entitled to say that?

>> absolutely. when you get the republican poll talking about the numbers, twice as many american people think we're better off today than a year ago. the optimism going forward is based upon reality. >> their view is the deficit has come down. i don't think he mentioned the deficit in the speech. >> i think turn the page is a little overdrawn. it's still true middle class wages haven't increased in a number of years, but the deficit has come down a lot. i think saying we've had nine years of crisis and busted out of it is a little overdrawn. >> ifill: here we have a president entering the twilight of his presidency no matter how you put it and he seemed to at

least strive to come across as awfully confident at this particular point in time when there's no guarantee anything he proposed will pass congress. >> energized and engaged. this is a man who was sidelined by his own party in 2014 and he came off the sidelines. he is very much in the game, and he wants the ball, and that was very much present. >> that's why i think the contrast for the election defeat is so striking. i think it's in his competitive nature and also strategy and a pretty good one because you make your own momentum and he has. >> i don't think he would agree this is the twilight of his presidency. he would argue i still have daylight left here. >> ifill: the president is make his way slowly out signing autographs mainly of democratic members of congress. as we watch him go out, do you

think he did what he set out to accomplish tonight, david? >> yes, the speech far surpassed my expectation. the policies were presented in a good way. some of the childcare, the sick leave, it's about earning sick leave, he attached it to american values. so i thought, if you're into this sort of thing, this was an interesting speech. >> woodruff: mark. mitt romney promised in the campaign that in four years he and paul ryan would cut unemployment in the united states to under 6%. in less than two years, it's 5.6%. and i think we saw this in the president's manner. i think he united the democrats tonight to great degree, the sum of whom had great misgivings about the loss of the party and his role in that.

and i'm not sure there was any bipartisan consensus -- >> ifill: you saw the look on paul ryan, new chairman of the house ways and means committee -- >> i guess that happens every once in a while. >> well as he leaves the hall. talk briefly about paul ryan, new chairman of the house ways and means committee, he seemed not to be thrilled with the ideas. >> no, he definitely opposed them. the one thing obama said, there are a couple of things he said but hasn't acted on and ryan is engaged in tax reform. he said that paragraph in probably every single state of the union and never was a proposal to follow up. >> they probably all agree taxes need to be reformed. >> right. everybody knows the same formula, lower rates and close loopholes. i thought that's the thing you lead with because that's where you can get at least the shadow of bipartisan agreement. >> woodruff: mark and david

you will stay here. right now we'll bring in domenico montanaro, our political director, he's been in the studio listening. he and his team have been crunching numbers tonight. domenico, what were you watching? >> we know president obama in past state of the unions has been big on jobs economy, work. tonight again jobs was a big number, 28 times he mentioned it. the economy 32 work 57 times. judy he did mention debt and deficit five times, just a quick count there at the end as you were mentioning that. these are all president obama's words clustered together from 2009 to 2014. last time around you can see economy jobs and work really stand out and that's a big difference from president george w. bush who, in his speeches, you see much more foreign policy dominating. we have iraq, terrorists must

fight, weapons, all stand out much more in that cluster. president clinton before them people, work children, new all of these stood out. that was in a peacetime when president clinton talking about domestic issues and much more known for "i feel your pain." >> ifill: i want to ask you to pick up on that because i'm curious to the degree a wartime president has a different state of the union speech. starting with you, mark. >> absolutely to domenico's point. bill clinton said sort of wistfully the tragedy of his president was he didn't have a crisis or a foreign challenge that keeps you from being a great president. you know, i mean it's really an acknowledgment. >> possibly the most narcissistic thing ever said. >> well, thought by most, spoke by few.

no question president bush's presidency was defined by iraq and 9/11 his response to it. i think that's how he wants to be remembered and how most people remember him. >> by the way most must, and the earlier two presidents rhetorically, the use of the word, we must, we must, a moral fashion, probably a little more pompous. i think president obama has reduced those than previous presidentys. he has a more casual state of the union. the words "screwed up" in a speech, the president did not used to talk that way. he's trying to relate to the middle class. the casualness of the tone is trying to say i get it i talk like you, i'm with you. >> two quick points, one was when he said it's good news fellas, when he talked about the economy and the republicans sat there mute. that wasn't in the text.

that's really good news. it sounded like he was telling them that. the other thing in defense of his cuba opening, he quoted "his holiness pope francis" as being the architect. there was some deft touches politically and strategically. >> woodruff: it's a far cry from state of the union addresses from roosevelt and -- just name them. >> reagan was the most conversational. reagan really had a great gift for doing it almost just like he was chatting and then he would do the exhortation. it was reaganesque in that sense. >> ifill: one of the things that showed up consistently in our polling all year long is people hated the idea of gridlock and he spoke directly to that they hated that almost than anything else congress is doing. >> woodruff: the thing that almost always happens after the

state of the union is we hear from the opposition, that is the republicans, and we'll hear from the newly elected junior senator from the state of iowa, joni ernst, speaking in the senate armed services committee meeting room. let's go to senator ernst. >> good evening. i'm joni ernst. as a mother, a soldier, and a newly elected senator from the great state of iowa, i am proud to speak with you tonight. a few moments ago, we heard the president lay out his vision for the year to come. even if we may not always agree, it's important to hear different points of view in this great country. we appreciate the president sharing his. tonight, though, rather than respond to a speech, i'd like to talk about your priorities. i'd like to have a conversation about the new republican congress you just elected, and

how we plan to make washington focus on your concerns again. we heard the message you sent in november loud and clear, and now we're getting to work to change the direction washington has been taking our country. the new republican congress also understands how difficult these past six years have been. for many of us, the sting of the economy and the frustration with washington's dysfunction weren't things we had to read about. we felt them every day. we felt them in red oak, the little town in southwestern iowa where i grew up and am still proud to call home today. as a young girl, i plowed the fields of our family farm. i worked construction with my dad. to save for college i worked the morning biscuit line at hardees. we were raised to live simply not to waste.

it was a lesson my mother taught me every rainy morning. you see, growing up, i had only one good pair of shoes. so, on rainy school days, my mom would slip plastic bread bags over them to keep them dry. but i was never embarrassed because the school bus would be filled with rows and rows of young iowans with bread bags slipped over their feet. our parents may not have had much, but they worked hard for what they did have. these days, though, many families feel like they're working harder and harder, with less and less to show for it. not just in red oak, but across the country. we see our neighbors agonize over stagnant wages and lost jobs. we see the hurt caused by canceled healthcare plans and higher monthly insurance bills.

we see too many moms and dads put their own dreams on hold while growing more fearful about the kind of future they'll be able to leave to their children. americans have been hurting, but when we demanded solutions, too often washington responded with the same stale mindset that led to failed policies like obamacare. it's a mindset that gave us political talking points, not serious solutions. that's why the new republican majority you elected started by reforming congress to make it function again. and now, we're working hard to pass the kind of serious job- creation ideas you deserve. one you've probably heard about is the keystone jobs bill. president obama has been delaying this bipartisan infrastructure project for years

even though many members of his party, unions and a strong majority of americans support it. the president's own state department has said keystone's construction could support thousands of jobs and pump billions into our economy, and do it with minimal environmental impact. we worked with democrats to pass this bill through the house. we're doing the same now in the senate. president obama will soon have a decision to make: will he sign the bill or block good american jobs? there's a lot we can achieve if we work together. let's tear down trade barriers in places like europe and the pacific. let's sell more of what we make and grow in america over there so we can boost manufacturing,