“This speech was good, not great. It was a reminder of why progressives are looking beyond Obama and worked so hard to press 2016 Democratic presidential candidates to endorse truly big ideas like debt-free college, expanding Social Security benefits, and major Wall Street accountability.

“The state of our union includes big issues that went without mention — from Black Lives Matter to abortion care to mass deportations. It was good that the president shined the spotlight on student debt, clean energy, universal pre-K, voting rights, and campaign finance reform — but he didn’t set big game-changing goals on any of these issues.

“President Obama moved in a positive direction, but he’s a 2008 president in a 2016 world where economic populism and the Warren wing of American politics is on the rise.

“The president would do well if his legacy included executive actions in his final year — combating corporate political spending, giving workers a raise, and many others.”

— Adam Green, Progressive Change Campaign Committee co-founder

Contact: Molly Haigh, 907-750-1999, mollyh@boldprogressives.org

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The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) has nearly 1 million members nationwide fighting for bold progressive change. The PCCC has raised $5.5 million for progressive candidates and committees since its founding in 2009. More at BoldProgressives.org