Barack Obama addressed the nation from the Oval Office for only the third time of his presidency this past Sunday Decem- ber 6. The to-the-point thir- teen minute speech sought to quell fear among the American public that Daesh, also known as the Islamic State or ISIS, is gaining strength and infiltrat- ing the United States. The ad- dress comes after a shooting rampage in San Bernadino, California by two radicalized terrorists that left 14 dead. US officials have said that one of the shooters, Tashfeen Malik “grew up in Pakistan” and “was radicalized…before ISIS pro- claimed its caliphate” however she had recently pledged her allegiance to the self-proclaimed Islamic State.
President Obama focused on a few major themes in the short speech. He reiterated previous statements saying the United States would not put troops on the ground to fight the Islamic State in Syria. He stated that the plan was working to defeat them but that people needed to be patient and have trust in their government. Per the New York Times, he detailed small, less bombastic measures that he said were helping defeat Daesh, including airstrikes on oil tankers and attempts at peace talks to end the Syrian Civil War.
He also focused on gun con- trol, saying “Congress should act to make sure no one on a No Fly List is able to buy a gun,” per the Los Angeles Times. The conversation surrounding San Bernardino changed rapidly from gun control to terrorism after it was revealed that the two shooters were radicalized terrorists who had thousands of rounds of ammunition and IEDs in their home.
Finally, President Obama fo- cused on the subject that has taken over the nation due to his own comments as well as those by presidential candi- dates Marco Rubio and Don- ald Trump. Islamophobia and discrimination are not answers to the problem, said the President, calling for calm and respect for all religions in the wake of the brutal attack. Mr. Rubio asked for proof of any Muslim discrimination in the United States, while Donald Trump called for a ban on all Muslims entering the US, in- cluding tourists, until the government could solve the terrorism crisis.
On the whole, the response to the president’s speech was familiar and predictable. All of the GOP candidates for president issued statements or tweeted out their disdain for the President’s plan and said he needed to get tougher on terrorism. Meanwhile Democrats lauded his speech as measured and thoughtful instead of brash and reactionary.
Fox News said that the Presi- dent had nothing new to offer except to reiterate his failing strategy, while the New York Times and others said the in- tent was not to unveil a new plan, but to reassure the public that the current one is the best way forward.
Congress is virtually paralyzed with partisan discourse. This makes new legislative action on gun control highly unlikely.
With this inaction occur- ring, massive spikes in gun sales have been reported across the U.S. despite recent terror incidents. Although the President’s speech focused on being united against evil and being patient, it appears that Americans are becoming less patient and more divisive than ever.