and breaking in terms of news relatively recently. an enormous amount of news tonight political and otherwise. but we begin as we must in washington, d.c. when a president addresses a joint session of congress, it s usually for the state of the union address. only very rarely do presidents ever ask congress to address a joint session for something other than the state of the union. before tonight, president obama had only done that once before when he unveiled his health reform plan. his health reform plan that ultimately became his health reform law. republicans now denounce it as obama care and lots of other things besides and they pledge that they will will it away somehow, but his health reform plan passed. the most significant change to the socially safety net in this country since medicare passed nearly 50 years ago. he got that done. tonight, once again, before a joint session of congress, president obama faced his stiff political head winds and called for another big
but we begin as we must in washington, d.c. when a president addresses a joint session of congress, it s usually for the state of the union address. only very rarely do presidents ever ask congress to address a joint session for something other than the state of the union. before tonight, president obama had only done that once before when he unveiled his health reform plan. his health reform plan that ultimately became his health reform law. republicans now denounce it as obama care and lots of other things besides and they pledge that they will will it away somehow, but his health reform plan passed. the most significant change to the socially safety net in this country since medicare passed nearly 50 years ago. he got that done. tonight, once again, before a joint session of congress, president obama faced his stiff political head winds and called for another big new initiative. one to fend off the unspoken, but looming, threat that the country may be about to plunge back