President Obama Proposed Policy Initiatives During State Of The Union Address

Obama Calls For Middle-Class Tax Credits, Free Community College Funded By Taxes On Wealthy. During his State of the Union address, President Obama proposed new policy initiatives urging Congress to make “community college free for most students, enhance tax credits for education and child care, and impose new taxes and fees on high-income earners and large financial institutions.” [The New York Times, 1/20/15]

Right-Wing Media Smear Obama's Plan As “Class Warfare”

Fox Guests Rich Lowry And Jason Riley Call Obama's Proposals “Class Warfare.” On the January 21 edition of Fox News' On the Record, National Review editor Rich Lowry called Obama's rhetoric about bipartisan cooperation “insincere” and claimed that the administration is stuck on “divisive class warfare kind of politics.” Wall Street Journal editorial board member Jason Riley also dismissed Obama's policies as “just class warfare.” [Fox News, On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, 1/21/15]

Fox's Megyn Kelly: “Did You Hear The Class Warfare Bell Being Sounded Tonight?” On the January 20 edition of Fox News' The Kelly File, host Megyn Kelly asked Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) about the economic policies Obama introduced in his address, “Did you hear the class warfare bell being sounded tonight?” [Fox News, The Kelly File, 1/20/15]

FBN Host Stuart Varney Calls Obama “The Class Warfare President.” On the January 21 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, Fox Business Network host Stuart Varney smeared Obama's economic policy proposals, and called him “the class warfare president.” Co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck added that in his address, Obama was “in a state of give-away,” and Fox displayed a graphic which stated, “Taxpayers on the hook for WH freebie offers.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 1/21/15]

NRO: Obama Has Decided We Need A “Healthy Batch Of Class Warfare.” In a National Review Online article, Cato Institute senior fellow Michael Tanner decried Obama's policy proposals as an attempt by the president to incite “a healthy batch of class warfare”:

The American economy is finally coming back, after one of the slowest post-recession recoveries in recent history. So naturally President Obama has decided that what we really need now is a return to the era of tax and spend. Oh, and of course, a healthy batch of class warfare too.

[...]

The president would pay for his spending spree with a massive tax hike on small businesses and capital investment. The tax hike would cost Americans $320 billion over ten years, including higher taxes on capital gains, banks' assets, and financial transactions. He would also end the tax deductibility of earnings in the highly popular 529 College Plans. [National Review Online, 1/21/15]

Right-Wing Media Also Decry Obama's State Of The Union Proposals As “Santa Claus”-Style Giveaways

Rush Limbaugh Said He Refused To Watch State Of The Union Because It's Obama's “Next Santa Claus List.” On the January 21 edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show, Limbaugh admitted that he didn't watch the State of the Union, saying he abstained because he knew he was “going to be lied to” and that it would only be an occasion for Obama to “announce the next Santa Claus list.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Rush Limbaugh Show, 1/21/15]

NRO: Obama's Policy Initiatives Motivated By “A Santa Claus Kind Of Mood.” National Review Online's John Fund wrote of Obama's policy proposals after the State of the Union address: "[O]n everything from enhanced child-care tax credits to free community college," President Obama has proven to be “in a Santa Claus kind of mood.” [National Review Online, 1/20/15]

Breitbart: Obama's Policy Proposals Are Part Of His “Santa Claus Routine.” Breitbart.com characterized President Obama's economic policy proposals as a “Santa Claus routine,” saying his initiatives have nothing “to do with responsible government,” but rather are about creating “a brief illusion of popularity.” [Breitbart.com, 1/21/15]

Washington Times: Obama's Economic Policy Proposals Illustrate His “Plans To Be Santa Claus.” The Washington Times wrote that President Obama's economic policy proposals illustrate his “plans to be Santa Claus” and to give “everyone everything they want - for free” during his last two years in office. [The Washington Times, 1/20/15]