January 28, 2010 | Commentary

Analyzing Obama's First State of the Union

Political scientist Kenneth Janda says the 'elephant in the room' was raising taxes

By Brendan Cosgrove

EVANSTON, Ill. --- After a rather divisive year of politics in Washington, President Barack Obama's first State of the Union address emphasized cooperation as a way for lawmakers to eliminate what the President said was a "deficit of trust" with voters. In this audio Q&A, Kenneth Janda, Payson S. Wild professor emeritus of political science, shares his views on President Obama's speech and the overall political climate in the country with November's midterm elections looming.