Polls Show Dissatisfaction With Country\'s Direction, but Support for Obama\'s Agenda

Just ahead of President Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, new polls find continued public dissatisfaction with the direction of the country, yet support for several of the policies the president has said he will push in his second term.

A new CBS News poll found that the economy remains the public’s chief concern, with fewer than half of Americans approving of Mr. Obama’s handling of it. Most Americans also say the president lacks a clear plan for solving the nation’s problems. And 54 percent say the country is on the wrong track.

Yet looking ahead, more than 6 in 10 Americans say it is at least somewhat likely that the president will bring about significant changes to immigration policy and about two-thirds say so about gun policy.

And on several issues, the CBS News poll finds a majority of Americans are in the president’s corner. Most, 59 percent, back a combination of spending cuts and tax increases to reduce the deficit; 53 pecent say gun control laws should be made more strict; 53 percent support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants currently working in the United States; and 71 percent favor carrying out drone strikes against suspected terrorists.

In a new ABC News/Washington Post poll, a majority of Americans, 56 percent, expressed a negative view of the country’s political system. And underscoring the task facing Senator Marco Rubio of Florida as he prepares to deliver the Republican response to Mr. Obama’s address, 55 percent say they have an unfavorable view of the policies Congressional Republicans will pursue in the next four years. The president fares better, with 52 percent saying they have a favorable impression of the policies he will pursue in his second term, and 43 percent expressing an unfavorable impression.

Focusing on Tuesday’s night’s address, a recent Quinnipiac University poll asked voters what they were most interested in hearing the president discuss. Just over a third c! ited the economy, more than mentioned any other issue. Coming in second was the federal budget deficit, cited by 20 percent, followed by gun policy, at 15 percent.

The CBS News poll was conducted Feb. 6 to 10 among 1,148 adults and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points. The ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted Feb. 6 to 10 among 1,021 adults and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points. The Quinnipiac University poll was conducted Jan. 30 to Feb. 4 among 1,772 registered voters and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus two percentage points.

Live Coverage of Obama\'s State of the Union Address

President Obama delivers his State of the Union address Tuesday night and Times reporters are providing live updates and analysis. “It is our unfinished task to make sure that this government works on behalf of the many, and not just the few,” Mr. Obama will say, according to brief excerpts that the White House released Tuesday evening.

Auto-refresh is: ONTurn ONTurn OFF

Refresh nowUpdating…a title="RSS Feed of these updates" href="http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/live-coverage-of-obamas-state-of-the-union-address/live-updates/">FeedTwitter

A Patch that Monitors the Body

The International Consumer Electronics Show had its share of activity measuring devices, from tiny clips that hang on a pocket to lanyards and wristbands that convert a phone into a private coach.

But BodyMedia is taking a different approach with the Vue Patch, a disposable monitor in a stick-on patch like a large Band-Aid. Once glued on, the Vue will collect data on activity level, sleep patterns and calories burned day and night for week.

The Vue records a week’s worth of activity.

The sensor comes in a palm-size adhesive strip made to be worn on the arm.

The Vue is 5 mm thick - a hair thicker than two nickels stacked together â€" so it can be worn comfrtably under clothes. It is considerably smaller and less bulky than BodyMedia’s current monitors, the Link and Core, which are worn on an armband.

The Vue sticks on using a hydrocolloid polymer adhesive, a gel-like substance that is used in bandages for sensitive injuries like skin grafts and burns because it doesn’t damage tender tissue when removed.

The Vue, which is due in the second half of 2013, will share its information by USB. Once a week of recording is over, you remove the patch, open it and get the sensor out. There is already an update planned that will use Bluetooth to share information while the patch is still on.

The final price is not determined, but the company said it should be less than $100.

A Patch that Monitors the Body

The International Consumer Electronics Show had its share of activity measuring devices, from tiny clips that hang on a pocket to lanyards and wristbands that convert a phone into a private coach.

But BodyMedia is taking a different approach with the Vue Patch, a disposable monitor in a stick-on patch like a large Band-Aid. Once glued on, the Vue will collect data on activity level, sleep patterns and calories burned day and night for week.

The Vue records a week’s worth of activity.

The sensor comes in a palm-size adhesive strip made to be worn on the arm.

The Vue is 5 mm thick - a hair thicker than two nickels stacked together â€" so it can be worn comfrtably under clothes. It is considerably smaller and less bulky than BodyMedia’s current monitors, the Link and Core, which are worn on an armband.

The Vue sticks on using a hydrocolloid polymer adhesive, a gel-like substance that is used in bandages for sensitive injuries like skin grafts and burns because it doesn’t damage tender tissue when removed.

The Vue, which is due in the second half of 2013, will share its information by USB. Once a week of recording is over, you remove the patch, open it and get the sensor out. There is already an update planned that will use Bluetooth to share information while the patch is still on.

The final price is not determined, but the company said it should be less than $100.

For Science\'s Sake, It\'s \'Mohawk Guy\'

To highlight science education and memorable haircuts, one of the guests in Michelle Obama’s box during the State of the Union speech Tuesday night will be the “Mohawk Guy” â€" Bobak Ferdowsi, a member of the team operating NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover who is best known for his spiky, red- and blue-streaked haircut and the stars shaved on the side of his head.

Last Thursday, Mr. Ferdowsi was driving when he got a phone call from John P. Holdren, the president’s science adviser. “He said the first lady would like to invite you to the State of the Union address,” Mr. Ferdowsi said. “It’s kind of a surprise.”

In Tuesday night’s speech, Mr. Obama is likely to touch on familiar themes touting the importance of science education and innovation for the United States economy. In its descriptions of the invited guests, the White House noted that Mr. Ferdowsi volunteers as a mentor at robotics competitions.

Still, it is the hair that gained the 33-year-old Mr. Ferdowsi his renwn, not to mention marriage proposals and more than 50,000 followers on Twitter.

He has a history of getting special haircuts to commemorate milestones on the Mars project. “The team knew I was going to do something special for landing night,” he said. “And rather than let me decide on my own, my boss sent out an e-mail poll to the team, letting them vote on my hair.”

The decision: “They wanted a red, white and blue kind of theme.”

When Mr. Obama phoned the NASA team in August to congratulate its members on the successful landing of the rover, he singled out Mr. Ferdowski, joking, “I, in the past, thought about getting a Mohawk myself, but my team keeps on discouraging me.”

Mr. Ferdowski has had the Mohawk since then, although he has modified the accouterments a couple of times. For the rover’s first drive, he replaced the stars with dots and dashes that spelled out J.P.L., for Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Morse code. (The wheels of the rover have the same ! pattern, endlessly spelling out those letters as it rolls along Mars.)

Now he has a new pattern. “For tonight, I have U.S.A. on one side and Mars on the other,” he said.

A 102-Year-Old Face of Voting Delays at the State of the Union

In the first lady’s box at the State of the Union address on Tuesday night, Desiline Victor, 102, will be seated among Michelle Obama’s guests as a symbol of voters who faced long delays as they tried to cast ballots in last year’s elections.

Ms. Victor, a Haitian immigrant, went to vote to re-elect President Obama on Oct. 28, the first day of early voting in Florida. On that hot Sunday, she stood in line for three hours at her local library in North Miami, before a poll worker advised her to return later when lines would be shorter and she could get assistance in her native Haitian Creole language, which she did.

“No one should have to wait in line that long,” Ms. Victor said on Tuesday through an interpreter, Dabie Pierre-Louis, her godson’s wife, in a telephone interview from her hotel room in Washington. “But I was going to persist because I really wanted to vote.”

Mr. Obama was expected to use Ms. Victor’s story in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday night to ush for making voting and voter registration easier. Her struggle to vote has become symbolic of the obstacles voters nationwide faced as they tried to exercise their right to vote on or before Election Day.

Democrats are especially concerned about voting delays after studies suggested that long lines cost them hundreds of thousands of votes last year. Democrats in the House and Senate have already introduced bills that would require states to provide online voter registration and allow at least 15 days of early voting, among other things. And 14 states, including Florida, are considering whether to expand early voting.

But the efforts face strong resistance from Republicans, who favor tighter restrictions on voting to cut costs and prevent fraud.

Delays were particularly acute in Florida, where Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican-controlled legislature cut early voting to 8 days from 14 days, despite long wait times in 2008. People waited as long as seven hours to vote in lines that were the longest in the nation. A study by an Ohio State University professor and The Orlando Sentinel concluded that more than 200,000 voters in Florida “gave up in frustration” without voting.

A Massachusetts Institute of Technology analysis determined that blacks and Hispanics waited on average nearly twice as long in line to vote as whites. Florida had the nation’s longest lines, at 45 minutes.

An extensive study by the Pew Charitable Trusts of the 2008 and 2010 elections concluded that the electoral system was plagued by deep and widespread problems with registration, wait times, lost votes and absentee and provisional ballots.

Advancement Project, a nonprofit civil rights organization in Washington, brought Ms. Victor’s case to the attention of the White House.

Ms. Victor, who became a citizen in 2005, said that no one had apologized to her for the wait, but that she was “happy and proud” to go to the White House and later attend the president’s speech.

She said she hoped to tell the president that many Haitians remain separated from their families and face insurmountable obstacles to becoming American citizens. She also wants her family members on the island to be able to get visas to visit her while she is still alive.

Jeremy Peters contributed reporting.

Washington Bureau Chief on Economic Growth and E-Books as 17th-Century Avatars

David Leonhardt, The Times’s Washington bureau chief and a contributor to the magazine, is the author of the e-book, “Here’s the Deal: How Washington Can Solve the Deficit and Spur Growth,” published yesterday by Byliner. He will be taking questions from readers about President Obama’s State of the Union address and the state of the economy starting at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow. We had a couple questions for him about his new work.

Yes, several articles were jumping-off points. The most important was a 2009 article called “The Big Fix,” which came out near the depth of the recession. Our goal with that article was to look beyond the immediate crisis â€" which, as the first sentence said, would end eventually â€" and ask what it would take to get the American economy growing at a healthy pace again. Reporting that article was like taking a seminar on economic growth. I spent a long time talking with growth experts like Paul Romer and reading work by Mancur Olson and others. I know some people worry that we overemphasize economic growth at the expense of equality or sustainability. But I’m convinced that faster growth makes every problem easier to solve: middle-class living standards, climate change, health issues and certainly the deficit.

A 2008 article, “Obamanomics,” was also important to the e-book project, as were a few others, such as “Richly Undeserved,” “Students of the Great Recession,” “Making Health Care Better” and “The Three Biggest Tax Breaks â€" and What They Cost Us.” And for anyone skeptical of the value of the education â€" one of the e-book’s themes â€" it’s worth taking a look at the chart that accompanies my article, “Is Religion Your Financial Destiny” which ran in the magazine in May 201.

Why write an e-book

When Tyler Cowen, the economist and co-author of the Marginal Revolution blog, wrote an e-book recently (“The Great Stagnation”), he mentioned that its length â€" about 15,000 words â€" was the length of economics pamphlets written for the public in the 17th century. Somehow, that length had all but fallen out of use until the e-book came along. It’s longer than a long magazine feature â€" which are often between 6,000 and 8,000 words â€" but much shorter than even a short book. And yet the pamphlet length has real advantages. It’s a good length for a single evening’s reading or a plane flight.

Gerry Marzorati, Hugo Lindgren’s predecessor as the editor of the magazine, suggested an e-book, as part of his current role at The Times, and I was immediately tempted. I’ve spent much of the last 12 years writing abou! t the eco! nomy, and it was a pleasure to lay out my thoughts at a more leisurely pace than an 1,100-word column permits.

Washington Bureau Chief on Economic Growth and E-Books as 17th-Century Avatars

David Leonhardt, The Times’s Washington bureau chief and a contributor to the magazine, is the author of the e-book, “Here’s the Deal: How Washington Can Solve the Deficit and Spur Growth,” published yesterday by Byliner. He will be taking questions from readers about President Obama’s State of the Union address and the state of the economy starting at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow. We had a couple questions for him about his new work.

Yes, several articles were jumping-off points. The most important was a 2009 article called “The Big Fix,” which came out near the depth of the recession. Our goal with that article was to look beyond the immediate crisis â€" which, as the first sentence said, would end eventually â€" and ask what it would take to get the American economy growing at a healthy pace again. Reporting that article was like taking a seminar on economic growth. I spent a long time talking with growth experts like Paul Romer and reading work by Mancur Olson and others. I know some people worry that we overemphasize economic growth at the expense of equality or sustainability. But I’m convinced that faster growth makes every problem easier to solve: middle-class living standards, climate change, health issues and certainly the deficit.

A 2008 article, “Obamanomics,” was also important to the e-book project, as were a few others, such as “Richly Undeserved,” “Students of the Great Recession,” “Making Health Care Better” and “The Three Biggest Tax Breaks â€" and What They Cost Us.” And for anyone skeptical of the value of the education â€" one of the e-book’s themes â€" it’s worth taking a look at the chart that accompanies my article, “Is Religion Your Financial Destiny” which ran in the magazine in May 201.

Why write an e-book

When Tyler Cowen, the economist and co-author of the Marginal Revolution blog, wrote an e-book recently (“The Great Stagnation”), he mentioned that its length â€" about 15,000 words â€" was the length of economics pamphlets written for the public in the 17th century. Somehow, that length had all but fallen out of use until the e-book came along. It’s longer than a long magazine feature â€" which are often between 6,000 and 8,000 words â€" but much shorter than even a short book. And yet the pamphlet length has real advantages. It’s a good length for a single evening’s reading or a plane flight.

Gerry Marzorati, Hugo Lindgren’s predecessor as the editor of the magazine, suggested an e-book, as part of his current role at The Times, and I was immediately tempted. I’ve spent much of the last 12 years writing abou! t the eco! nomy, and it was a pleasure to lay out my thoughts at a more leisurely pace than an 1,100-word column permits.

Q&A: Moving Contacts to a New Phone

Q.

If I switch from an Android phone to a new Windows phone, can I transfer my phone numbers

A.

If you have been using a Google account with your Android phone to store your contacts (which have the phone numbers), as well as your mail and calendar appointments, you should be able to get to all of that information by logging into the same Google account on the Windows Phone 8 handset. To do that on a Windows Phone, tap the Settings icon in the App list and choose “Email + accounts.” Tap the “Add account” option and select “Google.” Next, tap “Email, contacts and calendar” and tap the Sign In button. Enter your Google user name and password to log in. (You can read more on adding mail accounts from various services here.)

If both the old phone and new phone are the type that use a SIM (Subscriber Idenity Module) card and the contact files are stored on it, you may be able to import the information from the card to the new phone; AT&T and T-Mobile are the major American carriers that use SIM cards. You can find steps for the do-it-yourself approach on Microsoft’s site. If you would prefer not to do it yourself or you have a phone that does not use the SIM card (like handsets from Verizon or Sprint), check with your wireless carrier for help transferring your contacts from the old phone to the new one.

When you switch smartphone platforms, it may take a few days to get used to all your data in a new place. In addition to phone numbers and other personal information, you may have music, photos and other files you want to move over from the old phone. Microsoft has a guide for moving all these things (as well as the steps for importing Google contacts into its own Outlook.com service) online.

10 Questions: David Axelrod

David Axelrod, President Obama’s longtime strategist, has completed his full-time White House service and overseen his last political campaign. But Mr. Axelrod still advises Mr. Obama even as he has started a new Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago.

Shorn of his trademark mustache in a charity fund-raising promotion and at the behest of his wife, Susan, â€" he says that “it’s not coming back” â€" Mr. Axelrod sat down with John Harwood to discuss Mr. Obama’s State of the Union address and the state of American politics in the wake of November’s election. What follows is a condensed, edited transcript of their conversation.

Q.

How much do you still keep your hands in advising the president, talking to his team as we approach big events like the State of the Uion

A.

He’s a friend, they are friends. When they call, I pick up the phone. I’m not involved in the way I was during the campaign or before, obviously, when I was in the White House. But I keep in touch.

Q.

What kind of a tool is the State of the Union and how do you try to use it

A.

At this point, the concern should be less about the president’s approval rating and his favorability, which are at high levels right now. How do you use that political currency to make the case you need to make Right now, we have a standoff on these fiscal issues. This is probably the largest audience he’s going to have throughout that debate. It can move the needle of public opinion, and that’s what moves the needle in Congress. But you have to build on that speech.

Q.

How are politics in Washington different because of the election results, and how is the p! resident different

A.

The election result has caused some introspection. Particularly in the Congress, you see Eric Cantor and others trying to redefine the Republican brand a little in the last few weeks. Obstructionism has lost its appeal to many. And certainly, the messages on issues like immigration reform and even gun safety are beginning to permeate there. So, I think this is a feeling-out time. And it is a different kind of time for the president. He’s older, he’s wiser, he’s been through a few rodeos now â€" knows where the bucking is going to come.

Certainly there’s a confidence that comes with the affirmation of the American people. There’s no denying that. Any president would take heart in achieving re-election â€" and by a wider margin than people anticipated.

But I also think a wise president doesn’t overreact to that. He undertands that these are tough problems and the politics are still difficult.

Q.

Do you see the kind of entrenched bitterness between the parties as something that is now a permanent feature of our politics Or do you see signs that it’s part of a cycle and the cycle will change

A.

The first instinct of politicians is survival. And if the Republicans in Congress make a judgment that they as a party can’t succeed nationally with a steady diet of obstructionism, then I think things will change. And I sense that there is some of that going on. The problem is you have many members of Congress who will never face a serious general election challenge. They’ll only face serious primary challenges. That tends to polarize the Congress. And so, it’s going to take the leaders of Congress to say, “You know what We’ve got bigger concerns, and we’ve got to come to some compromise on some of these issues, or we will forever define our party in a! way that! won’t allow us to win a national election again.

Q.

Will the window for cooperation close at some point over the next few months

Q.

The real question is, what are the judgments that the Republican Party is making about what they need to strengthen their own brand I would suggest that cooperation, some progress, some demonstration of the ability to get things done is important to them. How long that will go on I don’t know. The rule of thumb is that the first two years are far more promising than the last. And [President Obama] would be wise to proceed on that assumption.

Q.

Were you responsible for the “demonization” of Wall Street, and did the president’s rhetoric go too far

A.

No, I don’t think I was responsible for that. What was responsible for that was irresponsible behavior that helped bring about the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression. I don’t thnk anybody was, as a strategy, demonizing the business community. We were too busy trying to save the country from the impacts of some irresponsible decisions that a handful of people on Wall Street made.

I understand that there are some raw feelings about some of the debate and discussion during that period. There are times when we could’ve chosen words more carefully. But I must say, I know a lot of the leaders of the financial community. They seem like tough, resilient people. I don’t think we should be focusing on a word here and a word there. Let’s focus on constructive ways to move the country forward.

Q.

I had another person in business say to me, “You know, the president just doesn’t like people who are very financially successful because he thinks their values are wrong, they’re pursuing the wrong things.” Is that true

A.

I don’t think that’s true at all. The president respects success and particularly the ! ingenuity! behind that success.

The president admires people who have a good idea, see it through, and make something of value for the economy, for the world, for the country. He may have a different view of people who game the system â€" and who make great wealth â€" simply by doing that.

Q.

Do you think the budget sequester [across-the-board budget cuts currently scheduled for March 1 unless Congress acts] will take effect

A.

I don’t know the answer to whether the sequester will take effect. Washington tends to work on deadlines. So, I think the next three weeks are going to be important. I know that there’s a glum mood in Washington about getting something done before March 1st. But I’m still holding out hope that reason will prevail and people will come to the table and do what the country wants them to do, which is compromise in a balanced way and move forward.

Most responsible people in Washington understand that. Most people at hom should understand that when you have debt you have to pay, you don’t simply say, “We’re gonna just cut everything in our household budget by 10%.” You decide what’s important and you make those adjustments. And that’s what we, as a country, have to do.

Q.

You helped elect the first African-American president. Is it your view going forward now that there are no identity barriers to winning the presidency Is the glass ceiling for a woman harder or less hard than it was for an African-American

A.

A glass ceiling is hard until you break it. And that glass ceiling hasn’t been broken. But I think Hillary [Rodham Clinton] certainly has the capacity to do that if she runs. There are others. You see these things inexorably shifting. And I’m confident â€" if not in 2016, then down the line â€" that! barrier ! will fall and others will.

The younger generation of Americans is a far more tolerant generation. And because of the media age in which we live you’re gonna see these barriers fall, one by one, and probably more quickly than anybody anticipates.

Q.

What do you hope to accomplish with the Institute of Politics you’ve created at the University of Chicago

A.

The best thing that I can do at this stage in my life is help encourage young people to get into the public arena, whatever their views. There are so many bright, young people on this campus, many of whom want to contribute but are also suspicious of the political process because of what they’ve seen. And my goal is to expose them to the many good people that I’ve met along the way, Republicans and Democrats and people with different points of view, who have performed honorable service in the arena. I want them to become acquainted with how exciting and invigorating the work of movng your community or your state or your country or the world forward is.

And so our goal is to expose them to a lot of practitioners in the field, to put them in internships, to give them a chance to really see the inside of the whole public debate from various vantage points, and then encourage them to jump in.

A Small But Full-Featured Keyboard for the iPad Mini

Courtesy of Logitech The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Mini.

While the small size of the iPad Mini is its charm, it is also a liability. The challenge of typing on a glass keyboard increases as its size shrinks.

But just as with the full-size iPad, accessory makers have come to the rescue. For the Mini, Logitech has created a diminutive keyboard with full-size features.

Liltingly called the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Mini, the keyboard is itself about the same size and thickness as an iPad Mini. It attaches with a magnetic hinge â€" just like iPad covers â€" and has a built-in lip where the table stands horizontally or vertically while in use.

The keyboard connects to the Mini through Bluetooth in a straightforward process. Logitech claims a keyboard battery life of 180 hours.

The keys are nearly full size and are scissor keys, so they move during typing, unlike keys on some accessory keyboards. The keyboard comes with home and command keys, although many of those require memorization; to call up Siri, for instance, the Fn and 2 keys are pressed.

The keyboard is backed with aluminum that appears identical to that of the iPad, so when closed the result looks like an iPad sandwich.

But that may be the one real problem with the keyboard â€" its size. It’s as if you are toting not one, but two Minis â€" and wasn’t the slight size and weight of the Mini part of the attraction

A quibble is that although the keyboard does set off the magnetic lock on the iPad, the magnet is not strong enough to keep the board stuck to the pad. It tends to flop open.

The Logit! ech Ultrathin Keyboard Mini is due out this month at a price of $80.

The State of Our Union Is (Fill in the Blank)

You’ve heard it so many times before: “The state of our union is strong,” or some variation thereof. But as The Times’s Binyamin Appelbaum notes, that phrasing is a more recent phenomenon. Here’s a look at the state of the union, according to the presidents, throughout history from his research.

George Washington, 1795: Every part of the Union displays indications of rapid and various improvement; and with burthens so light as scarcely to be perceived, with resources fully adequate to our present exigencies, with governments founded on the genuine principles of rational liberty, and with mild and wholesome laws, is it too much to say that our country exhibits a spectacle of national happiness never surpassed, if ever before equaled

James Monroe, 1823: If we compare the present condition of our Union with its actual state at the close of our Revolution, the history of the world furnishes no example of a progress in improvement in all the important circumstances which constitute the happiness of a nation which bears any resemblance to it.

Andrew Jackson, 1835: In performing my duty at the opening of your present session it gives me pleasure to congratulate you again upon the prosperous condition of our beloved country.

Franklin Pierce, 1855: It is matter of congratulation that the Republic is tranquilly advancing in a career of prosperity and peace.

James Buchanan, 1860: The Union of the Stat! es, which is the source of all these blessings, is threatened with destruction.

Abraham Lincoln, 1862: Since your last annual assembling another year of health and bountiful harvests has passed, and while it has not pleased the Almighty to bless us with a return of peace, we can but press on, guided by the best light He gives us, trusting that in His own good time and wise way all will yet be well.

Andrew Johnson, 1865: It is therefore a source of profound regret that in complying with the obligation imposed upon the President by the Constitution to give to Congress from time to time information of the state of the Union I am unable to communicate any definitive adjustment satisfactory to the American people, of the questions which since the close of the rebellion have agitated the public mind. On the cntrary, candor compels me to declare that at this time there is no Union as our fathers understood the term, and as they meant it to be understood by us.

Benjamin Harrison, 1889: There are few transactions in the administration of the Government that are even temporarily held in the confidence of those charged with the conduct of the public business. Every step taken is under the observation of an intelligent and watchful people.The state of the Union is known from day to day, and suggestions as to needed legislation find an earlier voice than that which speaks in these annual communications of the President to Congress.

Theodore Roosevelt, 1901: We are now indeed one Nation, one in fact as well as in name; we are united in our devotion to the flag which is the symbol of national greatness and unity; and the very completeness of our uni! on enable! s us all, in every part of the country, to glory in the valor shown alike by the sons of the North and the sons of the South in the times that tried men’s souls.

Woodrow Wilson, 1918: The year that has elapsed since I last stood before you to fulfill my constitutional duty to give to the Congress from time to time information on the state of the Union has been so crowded with great events, great processes, and great results that I cannot hope to give you an adequate picture of its transactions or of the far-reaching changes which have been wrought of our nation and of the world.

Calvin Coolidge, 1928: No Congress of the United States ever assembled, on surveying the state of the Union, has met with a more pleasing prospect than that which appears at the present time.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1941: Therefore, as your President, performing my constitutional duty to “give to the Congress information of the state of the Union,” I find it, unhappily, necessary to report that the future and the safety of our country and of our democracy are overwhelmingly involved in events far beyond our borders.

Harry Truman, 1950: I am happy to be able to report to you today that the state of the Union continues to be good. Our Republic continues to increase in the enjoyment of freedom within its borders, and to offer strength and encouragement to all those who love freedom throughout the world.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1957: The State of the Union, at the opening of the 85th Congress continues to vindicate the wisdom of the principles on which this Republic is rounded.

John F. Kennedy, 1963: And today, having witnessed in recent months a heightened respect for our national purpose and power-having seen the courageous calm of a united people in a perilous hour-and having observed a steady improvement in the opportunities and well-being of our citizens-I can report to you that the state of this old but youthful Union, is good. (At 1:37 in video.)

Lyndon Johnson, 1965: This, then, is the state of the Union: Free and restless, growing and full of hope. So it was in the beginning. So it shall always be, while God is willing, and we are strong enough to keep the faith. (At 48:19 in video.)

Johnson, 1967: I have come here tonight to report to you that this is a time of testing for our Nation. (At 0:43 in video.)

Richard Nixon, 1973: The basic state of our Union today is sound, and full of promise.

Gerald Ford, 1975: Today, that freshman Member from Michigan stands where Mr. Truman stood, and I must say to you that the state of the Union is not good: Millions of Americans are out of work. Recession and inflation are eroding the money of millions more. Prices are too high, and sales are too slow. (At 1:47 in video.)

Jimmy Carter, 1979: Tonight, there is every sign that the state of our Union is sound. (At 1:14 in video.)

Ronald Reagan, 1982: And ! that is why I can report to you tonight that in the near future the state of the Union and the economy will be betterâ€"much betterâ€"if we summon the strength to continue on the course that we’ve charted. (At 10:25 in video.)

Reagan, 1986: I am pleased to report the state of our Union is stronger than a year ago and growing stronger each day. (At 2:05 in video.)

Reagan, 1988: Tonight then, we’re strong, prosperous, at peace, and we are free. This is the state of our Union. (At 8:22 in video.)

Bill Clinton, 1994: What is the state of our Union It is growing stronger, but it must be stronger still. With your help and God’shelp, it will be. (At 1:04:27 in video.)

Clinton, 2000: My fellow Americans, the state of our Union is the strongest it has ever been. (At 6:28 in video.)

George W. Bush, 2002: As we gather tonight, our Nation is at war; our economy is in recession; and the civilized world faces unprecedented dangers. Yet, the state of our Union has never been stronger. (At 0:29 in video.)

Bush, 2005: Tonight, with a healthy, growing economy, with more Americans going back to work, with our Nation an active force for good in the world, the state of our Union is confident and strong. (At 1:23 in video.)

Bush, 2007: We’ve met challenges and faced dangers, and we know that more lie ahead. Yet we can go forward with confidence, because the State of our Union is strong; our cause in the world is right; and tonight that cause goes on. (At 49:14 in video.)

Barack Obama, 2010: It’s because of this spirit, this great decency and great strength, that I have never been more hopeful about America’s future than I am tonight. Despite our hardships, our Union is strong. We do not give up. We do not quit. We do not allow fear or division to break our spirit. (At 5:27 in video.)

Obama, 2012: The state of our Union is getting stronger. And we’ve come too far to turn back now. (At 3:37 in video.)

The Early Word: The Unexpected

In Today’s Times

• The Congressional Budget Office said a surprising slowdown in the growth of health care costs has erased hundreds of billions of dollars in projected spending on Medicare and Medicaid, a development that could have major ramifications for the overall economy, Annie Lowrey reports.

• While many will be watching the president on Tuesday to hear the State of the Union address, others will be watching for signs of the state of Barack Obama, Jackie Calmes writes. Based on reports from White House advisers and associates close to the president, he has an assertiveness, confidence, even cockiness that contrast with the caution, compromise and reserve that he showed for much of his first term.

• Strong, stronger, strongest - one of those words has been used to describe the union in each of the last 17 State of the Union addresses, even when things were not going so well, Binyamin Appelbaum writes.

• President Obama bestowed the Medal of Honor on Clinton Romesha, a 31-year-old retired Army staff sergeant, in the East Room of the White House on Monday. He is the fourth living American soldier from the Afghanistan war to receive the honor, Mark Landler reports.

Around the Web

• The auto industry is back and ready to lobby, Politico reports.

• Desiline Victor, a 102-year-old woman who stood in line for three hours to vote for the president last year, will be another one of Michelle Obama’s guests at the State of the Union address, The Washington Post reports.

• The deadline to submit a question for President Obama’s Google Plus Hangout is Wednesday afternoon, The Hill reports. He will answer questions about his State of the Union address in the Thursday Hangout.

Happenings in Washington

• Senator Marco Rubio of Florida will present the Republican response to the president’s speech, followed by a separate Tea Party response, to be delivered by Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky.

• One day afer the anniversary of Whitney Houston’s death, Madame Tussauds will introduce its wax figure of the singer.

The Early Word: The Unexpected

In Today’s Times

• The Congressional Budget Office said a surprising slowdown in the growth of health care costs has erased hundreds of billions of dollars in projected spending on Medicare and Medicaid, a development that could have major ramifications for the overall economy, Annie Lowrey reports.

• While many will be watching the president on Tuesday to hear the State of the Union address, others will be watching for signs of the state of Barack Obama, Jackie Calmes writes. Based on reports from White House advisers and associates close to the president, he has an assertiveness, confidence, even cockiness that contrast with the caution, compromise and reserve that he showed for much of his first term.

• Strong, stronger, strongest - one of those words has been used to describe the union in each of the last 17 State of the Union addresses, even when things were not going so well, Binyamin Appelbaum writes.

• President Obama bestowed the Medal of Honor on Clinton Romesha, a 31-year-old retired Army staff sergeant, in the East Room of the White House on Monday. He is the fourth living American soldier from the Afghanistan war to receive the honor, Mark Landler reports.

Around the Web

• The auto industry is back and ready to lobby, Politico reports.

• Desiline Victor, a 102-year-old woman who stood in line for three hours to vote for the president last year, will be another one of Michelle Obama’s guests at the State of the Union address, The Washington Post reports.

• The deadline to submit a question for President Obama’s Google Plus Hangout is Wednesday afternoon, The Hill reports. He will answer questions about his State of the Union address in the Thursday Hangout.

Happenings in Washington

• Senator Marco Rubio of Florida will present the Republican response to the president’s speech, followed by a separate Tea Party response, to be delivered by Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky.

• One day afer the anniversary of Whitney Houston’s death, Madame Tussauds will introduce its wax figure of the singer.