After the #SOTU

Pre-released transcripts and a cross-country tour left little room for surprise in Tuesday’s State of the Union address; however President Barack Obama caught America’s attention with his confident tone as he addressed a Republican-run Congress for the first time.

According to Twitter analytics, the most talked about moment on the social media site of the address was Obama's addition to his preplanned speech, in which he said, while calling for political unity, that he has "no more campaigns to run." This drew applause from some Republicans in the room, but Obama replied with a quick retort: "I know because I won both of them."

I predicted Wednesday the president was going to take a new approach to his annual speech. His three-day, three-state trip before the SOTU, which was being called union spoilers, was a chance for the president to gain support for his ideas before confronting an opposing body of Congress. The White House also released the speech to the public before the actual address, veering from tradition with only the press receiving an embargoed speech.

The president’s mic drop moment, as media is calling it, is a great example of Obama’s new attitude. Translated as confident or cocky, I don’t think the president much cares. He was telling Congress he isn’t sitting back waiting anymore. The people may have voted for them in the past election, but they also voted for him twice.

The third most talked about moment on Twitter, behind the end of the speech, was Obama’s proposal for free community college for Americans. I also predicted this Wednesday, as it was the most talked about point he made on his pre-speech trip across the country. The president said 40 percent of college students choose community college and allowing free access to higher education would strengthen our workforce and lessen the burden of student loan debt. It has yet to be said how this plan would be paid for.

Also as predicted, the president focused on the growing economy and bustling industries, announcing the Union is strong.

The president did not speak about his data breach policy, as I predicted he would, but he did reiterate his support of net neutrality, which will allow for smaller businesses to compete in the 21st Century.
What I also didn't predict, but was pleasantly surprised to hear, was the president's remarks on helping the middle class. He called for lower taxes for working families, passing a law to make sure a woman is paid the same as a man for doing the same work and raising minimum wage. He proposed high-quality childcare for working parents.

"It's time we stop treating childcare as a side issue, or a woman's issue, and treat it like a national economic priority that is for all of us," Obama said.

The president continued by saying he will take new actions to help states adopt paid leave laws, ensuring every worker in America gets seven days of paid sick leave. It’s refreshing to here. As a young woman entering the workforce, I realized immediately how lucky I was my mother could take off work to take care of me. When I started my new job, I was shocked by how little sick days I was allotted as a new worker.

Finally, and most importantly, Obama called for unity. We’ve laid a foundation, he said, and we need to start working together.

State of the Union speeches are always exciting and filled with hope, but from here Americans wait to see what will happen with a new Congress and a president who seems ready to stand up for what he thinks is right.