can build a middle class after got -- out of government jobs paid for by borrowed dollars. pat, it works the other way. a government is big in policy as this one is maintained on the backs of the middle class. and those who hope to join it. ♪ host: on this day after the state of the union address and the republican response, some of the headlines. upholstery journal, usa today -- the wall street journal, usa today, and roll call. it is wednesday, january 25, your reaction to what you heard last night from the president as well as the republican response from mitch daniels. later, allen west will join us and senator mark pryor. you can join in with your phone calls. we are dividing up on walls -- the phone calls between political parties. our twitter redress, @cspanwj. some of the headlines from outside of washington, d.c. i intend to fight the obstruction with action is the headline. from the boston globe, the president wants to higher taxes on rich. the detroit free press, and the president will be traveling there later this week. from the tallahassee democrat in florida where the primary is six days away, the president challenges to shrink a scrap between rich and poor. from the of atlanta journal- constitution, we have come too far to turn back. the president is hitting the road later today. he will be traveling west to cedar rapids, iowa, phoenix, ariz., and then lost vegas, nevada. all key states for the reelection. it will travel on thursday to denver, then friday to detroit, and then he will address democrats in cambridge, md.. here's more from the president's speech last night as he talked about regulations and government bureaucracy. [video clip] >> the executive branch also needs to change. too often it is inefficient, outdated, and remote. [applause] i had as this congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy so that our government is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the american people. [applause] finally, none of this can happen unless we also lower the temperature in this town. we need to and the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction. that politics is about clinging to rigid -- rigid ideology instead of building consensus around common-sense ideas. i am a democrat. but i believe what republican abraham lincoln believed. government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves and no more. host: the president, his speech last night is available on our web address, c-span.org, and let's dig into the editorials. beginning with the washington post, the state of the union. the editors writing that the president's speech last night combines soaring rhetoric with small for proposals. as with last year's debt of the union speech, when he relegated the debt to neera side late in the speech, mr. obama did not go beyond the rhetoric -- the rhetorical not on the issue. indeed, in arguing for increased investment, mr. obama gave up on the traditional approach of paying with an increase in the gasoline tax or similar user fees. that editorial from the washington post. from below wall street journal, there is this. in the obama recovery, growth has never exceeded 4% in any quarter and fell off markedly in mid-2010 for the third quarter of 2011. he is trying to run as an incumbent who is striving to help the economy but has been stymied at every turn by congress. not even msnbc can believe this. fort two years he had the largest democratic majorities in congress since the 1970's and achieve nearly everything he wanted. the headline, obama has done nearly everything he wanted. that is the problem. and over the last year, americans have become more aware of the deep and equities in the economy and the government's responsibility to act. mr. obama deserves some of the credit for that, but there is a lot more to do with the unrelenting tough times in the efforts of occupy wall street and other protests. what americans want now is strong political leadership. some of the editorials on this wednesday morning, the day after the state of the union. randy joins us from michigan. caller: thank you for c-span and for taking my call. i have to say that was a great speech and i was glad to see the president stand up and put the republicans feet to the fire. we're not losing 700,000 jobs a month as we were when we were under the republican regime. the tax breaks that these republicans cannot seem to get out of their head to go beyond seemed to prove that they do not work. i will say that i guess they do know trickle-down because they complain about the trickle down government. they know it does not work because the reagan trickle-down economy has soured. i'm glad mr. obama is standing up for the 99%. there is a big gap in this country and they have been stepping on the rest of us for too long. host: steve on the republican line in wisconsin as we look at this headline from politico. a reluctant populist. good morning. caller: it was 750,000 jobs a month when we did have a republican president, but do not forget, nancy pelosi ran the house and harry reid ran the senate at that time. now something missing in last night's speech was last weekend's panel on how to get this country going again said a whole bunch of stuff like the keystone pipeline, more oil, gas, everything. republicans in the house have brought up many things, but the president and harry reid are the ones that will not bring them up. and that thing they're really stood out last night was a president, and you showed it here right away, he wanted more power for the executive. that is leaning toward a dictatorship. and everybody ought to know that. host: thank you for the call. another editorial from the usa today. looking at inequities in income. the focus was on middle-class income last night. if there was one message to be drawn from the state of the union, it is this -- the american dream is under extreme pressure and in need of immediate attention. the romney campaign issued this video as the president was finishing his speech. [video clip] >> this is the real state of our union. the unemployed do not get tickets to sit next to the first lady. instead tonight the president will do what he does best, to give a nice speech. the idea of american tourists. a lot of memorable phrases and it. but he will not give you the hard numbers. >> our journey goes forward. the state of our union is strong. >> three years ago we have measured candidate obama bias hopeful promises. today president obama has amassed an actual record of debt, declined, and disappointment. host: from the romney campaign. he is campaigning in floor today and focusing on immigration. newt gingrich and rick santorum campaigning in the state were the primary will be held six days from now. we will continue to cover the process all on the c-span platforms, including our website, c-span.org. bill is on the phone from elizabeth, new jersey. caller: i do not want to go as far as saying disappointed, but all of light of how much more aggressive tone. he had said that when i make the nomination, he should get an up or down vote in 90 days. all of like to have camera placed that with that they will get a vote in 90 days. the should have brought up the keystone pipeline and said yes, i understand that it is 20,000 jobs now, but there is too much of the possibility of 150,000 environmental cleanup jobs later. and i will not allow that to happen. host: from our twitter page, one of our viewers saying, you cannot legislate the poor and the prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. twitter has been keeping track of the number of tweets and we have shown you that for our -- on our hub page for the state of the union. the number of tweets last night wrapping up with the republican response, 766,000, 681 tweed's related to the state of the union. some of the key words, education, fairness, manufacturing. mark joined us on the democratic line in philadelphia. caller: it's been awhile since i have been able to get through. it seems like you are the only guy i can get through to. what i like to say is that i thought the president's speech was good. like the other caller said, i think he needs a little bit more passion. i think that he has to make the case -- i would not do so much with the economic inequality thing. i think basically what he has got to say and the pitches, they may not be getting better that quickly, but the one hand the keys of state back to the guys that got you into the ditch in the first place? you do not want to blame bush. you do not have to blame the prior republican congresses, but that is what he has got to do. at this point is the only way he can go. and this economic inequality, i think most people realize there are born to be a lot are rich people making money. i do not think people care as long as they have a job. host: the headline from usa today. they are differing on the economic picture. -- elixir. another tribute to gabby giffords are officially handing in her resignation. you can watch the process at 9:00 when the gavel -- when the congress gavels in. nancy pelosi will ask for unanimous consent from her colleagues to speak out of order. she will then discuss gabby giffords career in the house of representatives. following that, republican leaders including the speaker of the house will deliver remarks. and representative debbie wasserman schultz, a longtime friend of gabby giffords, will read the congresswoman's letter of resignation. there will be one order of business. a piece of legislation that she has been putting forward that would use ultralight aircraft to bring illegal drugs across the border, it would add stiffer penalties. she was a congresswoman on a border district. a piece of legislation will come up and all this will happen just after 9:00 this morning after the gavel comes down for morning business. you will watch the tribute and the letter of resignation, and sometime between 9:45 and 10:30 eastern time. we will posted on our web page. from pennsylvania, good morning. caller: thank you for this opportunity. you have a wonderful program. i wanted to say and consider myself a tea party republican, and i think that romney is the best candidate and the best one to go up against an incumbent democrat. also, i wanted to make mention that obama is for the working poor and the ones to help the economy, he should take up the candidates offer for the pipeline. because if we do not do that, it will create a lot of jobs. secondly, they are threatening to run the pipeline west and sell it to china and that would be a disaster. i want to remind the american people that we're paying 27 cents more a gallon than what we did a year ago. and gas is considerably higher than when bush left office. host: from our twitter page. the president has become an expert at finding ways to divide us. you can join the conversation at our twitter page. from the new york daily news, this headline. bam, came on. the republican response came from its daniels from indiana. he is the former budget director in the george w. bush administration. he talked about the deficit and the middle class. [video clip] >> no feature of the obama presidency has been sadder than its constant efforts to divide us, to curry favor with some americans by castigating others. as in previous moments of national danger, we americans are on the same boat. if we draft, over a niagara of debt, we will all suffered regardless of race, gender, or other categories. if we fail to shift to a pro- jobs economic policy, there will never be in the public revenue to pay for our safety net and national security or whatever size government we decide to have. as loyal opposition who puts patriotism and national success ahead of party or etiology or any self-interest, we say that anyone who will join us in the cause of growth and solvency is our ally and our friend. we will speak the language of unity. let us rebuild our finances and the safety net and reopen the doors of the stairway upward. any other disagreements we may have to wait. host: mitch daniels delivering the republican response selected by the speaker of the house and minority leader mitch mcconnell. a populist pitch. he offered few details on his initiatives even as he tried their rally the nation to return to old-fashioned american values. his rhetoric was not aimed directly at the gop but the ideas at every turn were at odds with republican policy. from a joke from our twitter page, we are moving to what america used to be. when? host: we will go next to sasha from california. caller: i think the president had a wonderful speech. i think it was absolutely wonderful. the republicans take what he says and turn it into something negative. i think it is absolutely ridiculous. he is a wonderful president. i think the state of the union was a wonderful message in a people cannot get that message, that is pretty much on american. host: from the washington post, the president saying that this nation must address inequality. in an election year state of the union message that will serve as the template of months of campaigning ahead, he outlined prescriptions to reinforce the tentative economic recovery. cindy rights this. the obstructionist party will not play well for the next eight months. david on the republican line in tennessee, good morning. caller: my first time ever calling about anything political. host: we are glad to call -- we are glad to hear from you. caller: the president's speech last night, i felt, was more of -- more of a campaign speech than a state of the union speech. it seemed like that as he was campaigning, he seems to be using all of our dollars to do all of these things, to fly off here and there. host: thank you for the call. let's go back to the usa today and the story by richard wald indicating that the republican national committee began running television ads in three battleground states. what difference statistics, 13 million people unemployed, 49 million people in poverty. reince priebus says that the president's sole priority is getting reelected. there is that 30-second ad from the rnc. [video clip] >> if they do not have this done in three years it will be a one- term proposition. >> why should they support him? 4 million people out of work for more than a year. on view influenced by obama campaign supporters. >> things are not going in the right direction. they are going in the wrong direction. >> i do not think they are better off than they were crutcher years ago. did in the republican national committee is responsible for this advertisement. host: some other headlines. obama taking congress to task and a picture of the president as he greets gabby giffords. a reminder that she will officially hand in her resignation letter this morning carried live coverage beginning at 9:00 when the house gavels in. we will hear from the democratic leader nancy pelosi had about 9:45, possibly closer to 10:00, in which she was asked to speak out of order. following that tribute to gabby giffords, as she steps down from the u.s. house of representatives, as we heard on sunday, in order to fully recover from a gunshot wound. the hill newspaper has this headline. and finally from politico, a pledge of economic equality is the front page story in the printed addition of political. harry joins us from making, and missouri. caller: he talked about bridges and things like that but as people know, there is a $7.5 billion bridge being built in california by the chinese with chinese materials. has c-span than any story on this at all? it is being blacked out by the media. host: what questions do you want us to ask? caller: i wanted to know if you had done a story on the bridge being built by the chinese in california? host: where specifically is it being built? caller: san francisco oakland. but nobody in the media is talking about this at all. the unions do not say anything. i do not think there is many of people that know about this. host: thank you to that -- thank you for the call. some key words that were used last night. budget for deficit or debt frequently used in previous state of the union addresses, not so much last night. also, businesses, education, health care, war, and troops. president reagan only used it once in 2010. and government, you can see this online or check it out in today's new york times. centered joins us from florida. welcome to the conversation from the -- sandra joins us from florida. caller: i thought the republican response -- i enjoyed listening to that. it was the first time that i could really listen to a republican in a long time, because when republicans like newt gingrich and santorum pay poverty and black people wanting and celts -- wanting handouts, it makes it very hard to listen to what they have to say. when i was 14 years old, i would walk to a bus to go to pick tomatoes. that does not bother me. at that time, i made $8 a day for about 12 hours a work permit i was proud to get that $8 a day. i have worked hard ever since. and the thought the republicans and newt gingrich and santorum would use that kind of forum, we really do not need that route. republicans to half a point. we have to watch our spending just like we have to watch the spending in our homes. both parties have very good points if they would put aside partisan divides like -- realize that we have to live within our means and that black people are not looking for handouts. i believe that all people should have health care. host: thank you for that call. a follow-up to carry who joined us from missouri about that chinese bridge. donna points out, read all about that, it is chinese steel. some of your e-mails from louisville, colorado. they have not uttered the name george w. bush in three years. also from glenda of kentucky. finally the president's speech is just talk. you can send us an e-mail. steve joins us from arizona. welcome to the conversation from the republican line. caller: i was going to say, i have listened to the speech and then i listened to the republican response. it reminds me of when -- remember when mayor koch presided over the people's court? he used to say after he had listened asides, he would say, somebody is lying to me here. one side was not jiving with the other. i'll never forget that. that is what reminds me of what happened here. somebody -- one side or the other is lying to us. it is just not jibing. it just seems like it is the same old same old. they are both saying the same thing. no real answers. host: thank you for the call. from the new york times, a look from behind the podium. his third state of the union. it ran just about an hour in length, followed by the republican response. next is a lame from michigan on the independent line. -- elaine from michigan on the independent line. caller: it did feel like that campaign speech. i think four more years of obama will put the final coffin nail in for us. gingrich comes across as a brazen arrogant. mitt romney is the only possible hope to run against obama. and we desperately need that. host: the president's speech got under way at just past 9:00 eastern time. here is more is the president talked about trying to bring down the temperature here in washington, the corrosive effect of politics and partisanship, and economic inequality for the middle class. [video clip] >> i talked about the deficit of trust between main street and wall street. but the divide between this city in the rest of the country is at least as bad. it seems to get worse every year. some of this has to do what the corrosive influence of money in politics. together let's take some steps to fix that. send me a bill that bans insider-trading by members of congress. i will sign it tomorrow. [applause] let's limit any official from owning stocks in industries they impact. let's make sur