--- title: State of the Union Echoes Obama's 2004 Convention Speech description: Returning to old themes and admitting a disappointment canonical: https://time.com/4178469/state-of-the-union-obama-convention/ author: Charlotte Alter article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-13T04:42:34.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:40:42.662Z article:section: Politics og:title: Obama's Last SOTU Mirrors His 2004 Convention Speech og:description: With one huge difference og:url: https://time.com/4178469/state-of-the-union-obama-convention/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7fbcde80d058ba92/698878e98e060136bf4641b1/president-barack-obama-state-of-the-union-9.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2792 og:image:height: 1571 og:image:alt: President Obama Delivers His Last State Of The Union Address To Joint Session Of Congress og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Obama's Last SOTU Mirrors His 2004 Convention Speech twitter:description: With one huge difference twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7fbcde80d058ba92/698878e98e060136bf4641b1/president-barack-obama-state-of-the-union-9.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Obama's Final State of the Union Echoed His 2004 Convention Speech > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=1248284f-a2c3-49b1-bcb8-640bd76ce690&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: State of the Union in Under 4 Minutes [Watch (HLS stream): State of the Union in Under 4 Minutes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/IYWlSLur.m3u8) (3:59)  _Published 2016-01-13. State of the Union in Under 4 Minutes_  by [Charlotte Alter](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Senior Correspondent Jan 13, 2016 4:42 AM UTC State of the Union in Under 4 Minutes  by [Charlotte Alter](https://time.com/author/charlotte-alter/)  ## Charlotte Alter Senior Correspondent Jan 13, 2016 4:42 AM UTC In the final moments of the last State of the Union of his Presidency, Barack Obama returned Tuesday to the lofty idealism that propelled him into the national spotlight at the 2004 Democratic Convention. Obama’s keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention called for national unity, an end to the divisions between “red state” and “blue state” mentalities that divides America, and a renewed commitment to hope as the engine of American politics. “There’s not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America,” he said, before adding: --- > “” --- That was the speech that launched the then-state Senator from Illinois to national fame, beginning the speculation about an Obama presidency and anchoring him a rising star within the Democratic party. On Tuesday, in his last State of the Union as President, Obama returned to similar language and themes, including similar parallel sentence construction, repeated vignettes of ordinary Americans, the same examples that subvert the entrenched political divisions that have taken root in a polarized political climate. Read it for yourself: --- > “” --- The irony is that this hopeful rhetoric suggests a national unity that even Obama acknowledges never quite materialized. Earlier in his speech Tuesday night, Obama said his failure to stitch together the American political divide was among the few regrets of his presidency. “Our public life withers when only the most extreme voices get attention,” he said. “It’s one of the few regrets of my presidency — that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better.” ## Transcript [00:00] Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members [00:05] of Congress, My Fellow Americans. Tonight [00:12] marks the eighth year that I've come here to report on [00:16] the State of the Union. And for this final one, I'm [00:22] gonna try to make it a little shorter. I know some of you [00:25] are antsy to get back to Iowa. I've been there. [00:27] [ LAUGH ] I'll be shaking hands afterwards if you want [00:30] some tips. But for my final address to this chamber, I [00:34] wanna focus on the next five years, the next ten years. [00:38] And four big questions That I believe we as a country [00:41] have to answer. First, how do we give everyone a fair [00:45] shot at opportunity and security in this new economy? [00:48] How do we make technology work for us and not [00:51] against us? How do we keep America safe and lead [00:54] the world without becoming its policeman? How can we [00:57] make our politics reflect What's best in us and not [01:01] what's worst. The United States of America right now [01:05] has the strongest, most durable economy in the world. [01:09] We're in the middle of the longest streak of private [01:11] sector job creation in history. More than 14 million new [01:15] jobs, the strongest two years of job growth since the [01:19] 1990s, Our unemployment rate cut in half. Priority [01:23] number one is protecting the American people and [01:25] going after terrorist networks. [ APPLAUSE ] The United [01:28] States of America is the most powerful nation on Earth. [01:32] Period. [ APPLAUSE ] When you come after Americans, [01:35] we go after you and it may take time but we have long [01:38] memories and our reach has no limits Our foreign [01:41] policies to be focussed on threat from ISIS and [01:44] Al- Qaeda but it can't stop there. The world will look [01:49] to us to help solve these problems and our answer [01:51] needs to be more than tough talk. War calls to [01:55] corporate bombs [ INAUDIBLE ]. We also can't Try to [01:59] take over and rebuild every country that falls into [02:03] crisis. But on issues of global concern, we [02:07] will mobilize the world to work with us. And make sure [02:11] other countries pull their weight. Leadership means a [02:14] wise application of military power. And rallying [02:18] the world behind causes that are right. The future we [02:21] want. Opportunity and security for our families, a [02:25] rising standard of living, a sustainable peaceful [02:30] planet for our kids. But I can't do these things on my [02:33] own. So my fellow Americans, whatever you may [02:36] believe, Whether you prefer one party or no [02:41] party, whether you supported my agenda or fought as [02:44] hard as you could against it, our collected futures [02:48] depends on your willingness to uphold your [02:53] duties as a citizen. To vote. But [02:57] I can promise that a little over a year from now, when I [03:01] no longer hold this office, I will be right there with you [03:03] as a citizen. Inspired by those voices of [03:08] fairness and vision, of grit and good [03:12] humor and kindness that helped America travel so far. [03:17] That's the America I know. that's the country we love. [03:22] Clear eyed, big hearted, undaunted [03:27] by challenge. Optimistic, that unarmed [03:31] truth and unconditional love will have the final word. [03:35] [ APPLAUSE ] That's what makes me so hopeful about [03:38] our future. I believe in change because [03:42] I believe in you, the American people. And that's why I [03:46] stand here as confident as I have ever been that the [03:48] state of our union [ APPLAUSE ] Is strong. [ APPLAUSE ] [03:48] Thank you. God bless. 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