U.S. President Barack Obama will present his vision for the nation's economy when he delivers his annual State of the Union address Tuesday night before a joint session of the U.S. Congress. In a video released to his supporters days before the speech, Mr. Obama says he will unveil a blueprint for an economy "built to last," including new proposals for manufacturing, clean energy and education, all of which he says benefit the country's middle class.
The president said the U.S is faced with two vastly different directions for the economy - "one towards less opportunity and less fairness," or an economy that "works for everyone, not just the wealthy few." Mr. Obama is also using Tuesday's State of the Union address - the third of his presidency - as a blueprint for his 2012 re-election campaign, by highlighting the differences between himself and opposition Republicans.