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The Daily Northwestern Wednesday, January 13, 2016
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Obama delivers final State of the Union Speech focuses on hopes, concerns for 2016 By DAVID FISHMAN
the daily northwestern @davidpkfishman
President Obama unleashed Snapchats and hashtags in his last State of the Union address Tuesday night, showing attention to millennials and delivering an optimistic outlook on a political future without partisan conflict. In what may have been his last major address to the American people before his successor is elected, Obama delivered a speech packed with pride in the past and optimism for the future. The president focused on big-picture issues over a laundry list of policies, vehemently defending the issues that have polarized Congress and gridlocked the capital. But Obama, who campaigned on change and compromise, admitted to some responsibility for falling short of that goal and admitted that “rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse.” He also acknowledged that many Americans fear and distrust a political system perceived as “rigged in favor of the rich or the powerful.” Four main questions dominated the speech, including how to bolster a growing economy, harness innovation to curb climate change, protect the nation and put aside partisan politics. But the speech did not include new policy proposals or the executive actions that have come to define Obama’s presidency. Economics Prof. Matthew Notowidigdo said that while Obama should feel proud of preventing a second “Great Recession,” the country hadn’t completely rebounded. “A lot of Americans still feel anxious about the economy,” Notowidigdo said. “Even though unemployment’s down and labor market participation is coming back up, if you went out on street, a lot of Americans would say they don’t feel like the economy has fully recovered.” The presidential election came
up in his introduction and at times throughout the speech. At one point, Obama seemed to implicitly address leading Republican candidate Donald Trump, who has called for a “total and complete shutdown” of U.S. Muslim immigration. “As frustration grows, there will be voices urging us to … scapegoat fellow citizens who don’t look like us, or pray like us, or vote like we do,” he said. “We can’t afford to go down that path. It won’t deliver the economy we want. It will not produce the security we want. But most of all, it contradicts everything that makes us the envy of the world.” Americans should seek to reignite their “spirit of innovation,” not fear it, Obama said. He called for a “moonshot” to cure cancer, raising up Vice President Joe Biden — whose son, Beau, died last year from brain cancer — to head up the initiative. Each year senators and elected officials invite guests to hear the president speak. This year, those people included the first female commandant of West Point, a Syrian refugee and anti-same-sex marriage advocate Kim Davis. First lady Michelle Obama also left a seat empty to symbolize victims lost to gun violence, a topic left largely untouched in Tuesday’s address. Facing a generation increasingly distracted by tweets and texts, Obama sought to capture their attention through new, modern efforts leading up to the address. On Monday, the White House launched a Snapchat account, posting exclusive behind-the-scene “stories.” Throughout the day Wednesday, officials will hold a “West Wing”-themed Q&A on social media under the hashtag “BigBlockofCheeseDay.” And on Friday, Obama will sit down with popular YouTube stars. College Democrats president Robert Bourret said the Obama presidency had been marked by strong private sector job growth and » See SOTU, page 6
Jeffery Wang/Daily Senior Staffer
ONE LAST TIME Students watch the State of the Union address at the Buffett Institute for Global Studies on Tuesday night at an event co-hosted by NU College Democrats and NU Political Union. The annual State of the Union address, the final one to be delivered by President Barack Obama, discussed the agenda for the end of his presidential term.
NU convenes for State of the Union viewing party By FATHMA RAHMAN
the daily northwestern @fathma_rahman
Around 35 students gathered on the main floor of Buffett Institute for Global Studies on Tuesday to watch President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address at the Political Union and College Democrats’ joint viewing party. Following Obama’s one-hour national address, attendees reflected on their views of the president’s agenda as well as his speech mannerisms. “President Obama’s speaking style has a lot of things that he’s very well-renowned for,” said Weinberg sophomore Samuel Wang, an event attendee. “He’s a fantastic speaker, great rhythm, very good at touching emotions — but more
than just that, I think the contents of this speech were excellent.” The two groups joined forces to host this viewing party in an effort to bring students together for the important speech, said Karna Nangia, Political Union co-president and Weinberg senior. “I think that viewing it with people from across the political spectrum and seeing their reactions, being able to talk to them through it and after, is a good reason to have a viewing party,” the Weinberg senior said. Students in attendance actively responded and expressed their opinions throughout the event, from rounds of laughter following Obama’s particular comments about “try(ing) to make it shorter” because there were some who are “antsy to get back to Iowa,” to snaps for his comments on the necessity
for bipartisan reform on topics like criminal justice and substance abuse. Weinberg sophomore Cecily Mejia said she approved of how Obama addressed major issues and brought up unresolved problems, including military conflicts with the Islamic State. “It was interesting because he usually doesn’t take that militant stance,” Mejia said. “I also really liked how he directly called out racism and related (issues).” In what may have been a response to anti-Muslim remarks by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, Obama urged Americans to not take out fear and frustration on “fellow citizens who don’t look like us, or pray like us, or vote like we do.” » See WATCH PARTY, page 6
Funding, privacy concerns stall police body cameras By CHRISTINE FAROLAN
daily senior staffer @crfarolan
Daily file photo by Ciara McCarthy
SNAPSHOT A portion of a law passed in August 2015 regarding police body cameras was enacted Jan. 1. The new ordinance calls for an increased fee for guilty criminal and traffic-related offenses that will fund body cameras.
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
Even with a new effort by Illinois to increase accessibility of policeworn body cameras, large budgetary and privacy issues continue to impede the Evanston Police Department’s effort to adopt the technology. As part of a new state law surrounding body cameras that went into effect on Jan. 1, an extra fee of $5 will be applied to criminal and traffic-related offenses resulting in a guilty conviction. The money will contribute to a state-supported fund for body cameras as well as an expanded police training program that addresses appropriate use of force. Although the act notes the fee
could help fund the technology, this is not reasonable because of Evanston’s very low volume of these incidents, police Chief Richard Eddington said. The department was denied a federal grant for cameras in October 2015. “The concept that we are going to pay for this via traffic fines is utter nonsense,” Eddington said. “There was some really imprecise language used by the state legislature that will continue to be problematic until there are court cases to refine it.” Insufficient funding has slowed things at the state level as well. The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board was mandated to provide further training and guidelines on using body cameras three months ago but has not started due to funding issues, Eddington said. EPD began to seriously consider the use of body cameras when Gov.
Bruce Rauner signed a bill authorizing their implementation in August, Eddington said. However, due to budget cuts and the effect on residents’ right to privacy, among other issues, the department has been unable to make progress, EPD officials said. “The equipment, although it’s pricey, is not the big price. It’s the upkeep of it, the redaction, the storage,” police Cmdr. Joseph Dugan said. If body cameras were utilized, Eddington said he would compare the old and new amounts of stored data to “a 12-ounce Coke can and an oil tanker” due to the police’s sheer number of interactions. The cost of cameras for the department is a minimum of $450,000 in the initial year, which is not feasible in the 2016 budget, Eddington said. » See BODY CAMERAS, page 6
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