Southampton - Millions of Americans tuned in Tuesday night to watch President Barack Obama deliver his second State of the Union address from the chamber of the United States House of Representatives. The chamber had a new look this year, with newly appointed Speaker of the House John Boehner seated behind the President. Boehner replaced Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House following the historic 2010-midterm elections in which Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives to Republicans.

A chamber seat remained open for Representative Gabrielle Giffords who is recovering from a gunshot wound to the head. (onlineusanews.com)

Senator Mark Udall of Colorado was the first to request that members of both houses break the tradition of sitting on opposite sides of the chamber and intermingle regardless of political party, in light of the tragic shootings in Tucson, Arizona, which killed six and injured 13 others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Each member of Congress and the Senate donned a black and white ribbon in support of Giffords and all of the victims of the Tucson shooting.

Obama's speech opened on a poignant note and addressed the shooting, as well as hopes for Giffords speedy recovery. A seat remained open in the chamber in her honor. "Tucson reminded us that no matter who we are or where we come from, each of us is a part of something greater - something more consequential than party or political preference. We are part of the American family," said Obama.

The president's approval rating has climbed steadily since he delivered a speech in Tucson two weeks ago in response to the shooting. Members of both parties, and even some of Obama's sharpest critics praised the speech for its themes of unity and civility, and many hoped that the State of the Union address would meet if not surpass the tremendous impact that the Tucson speech had.

The speech overall was upbeat and optimistic in regard to the future of the country; a far cry from the 2010 State of the Union, which was full of uncomfortable moments, including Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito shaking his head and mouthing "not true" when Obama scolded the court for reversing a century old law that restricted corporate involvement in politics.

Following the midterm elections and in advance of the 2012 presidential election, the Obama Administration has made a tactical change in message, painting the president as a centralist rather than a progressive as it had done during the first half of his term in office. The theme of the State of the Union Address was "winning the future," and the President put an emphasis on innovation and investment in education. "We'll invest in biomedical research, information technology, and especially clean energy technology - an investment that will strengthen our security, protect our planet, and create countless new jobs for our people," he said.

Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin delivered the GOP response. (paulryan.house.gov)

Many Republicans viewed Obama's use of the word "investment" as a synonym for spending: "I'm hopeful that the word investment isn't just more stimulus spending and bigger government here in Washington," Speaker of the House Boehner said of the President's use of the word "invest" throughout his address.

Obama, a highly skilled orator, highlighted several areas where he believes the country needs to make significant strides, including innovation, education, infrastructure, lowering the national debt, and reforming government, however he offered little in terms of how this would be accomplished. He did however call for a ban on earmarks, a proposed freeze on discretionary spending and deficit reduction, however this was not enough for Republicans, who are demanding spending cuts as opposed to freezes.

"New laws will only pass with support from Democrats and Republicans. We will move forward together, or not at all - for the challenges we face are bigger than party, and bigger than politics," said Obama who continually stressed the importance of bipartisanship throughout the speech.

Obama made no reference to gun laws, gay marriage or abortion, and made little reference to immigration and national security.

Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, Chairman of the House Budget Committee, delivered the Republican response. In his response, Ryan criticized the Obama administration for their efforts on economic policy and health care reform. He also took the time to speak to his core beliefs, and the beliefs of his party, "Limited government and free enterprise have helped make America the greatest nation on earth," said Ryan.

Newly elected Governor Andrew Cuomo reacted to the Address. (villagevoice.com)

The Dow Jones Industrial Average reacted favorably to the State of the Union Address, breaking 12,000 points for the first time since June 2008. The markets were encouraged by Obama's call to close corporate tax loopholes and use additional revenue to lower tax rates for businesses for the first time in 25 years.

Here in New York, Congressman Tim Bishop and Governor Andrew Cuomo both issued statements in response to last night's State of the Union Address:

"I fully support the President's call to build on our past investments in making college affordable for all Americans students. Not only should Congress make the $10,000 tuition tax credit permanent, we must also protect Pell Grants, Perkins Loans, and all of the tools that help our best and brightest succeed and innovate.

Also critically important is the President's call to "redouble" our efforts to build a 21st century transportation network. Fully paid-for infrastructure investments will put the struggling construction industry back to work today and help private enterprise create the jobs of the future, just as the Interstate Highway System served as a pathway to prosperity when it was begun more than 50 years ago." stated Bishop

"President Obama tonight outlined a strong, transformative and positive path for our nation. His State of the Union address underscored the need for austerity, innovative thinking and collaboration on both sides of the aisle. Promoting private sector job growth through economic development and restrained government spending is the right tactic to put our country on the right track. As President Obama fully understands, New York and many other states are working hard to address multi-billion dollar deficits."

"As a nation, all Americans must refocus their energies to create solutions for future generations. President Obama's leadership will continue to pave the way for our nation to thrive and prosper, and I look forward to working with him and our federal representatives to tackle the sizeable challenges facing New York State and our country." stated Cuomo.

Senate minority leader, Republican Mitch McConnell, reacted to the address in an interview this morning on MSNBC's The Daily Rundown. "I think a more important question is not what the president says, but what he does," said McConnell, "I did find his suggestion about spending reduction completely inadequate. To freeze spending at this astronomically high level that we've achieved over the last two years really is totally inadequate, and I think we are bound for some disagreements on the issue of reducing our annual debt. Running in excess of a trillion dollar deficits each of the last two years has really got to stop."

With the State of the Union Address behind him, Obama will begin making preparations for the race for re-election in 2012. Obama shied away from polarizing politics in an effort to align himself in the center and reach his goal of appealing to Independents and moderate Republicans. Only time will tell if his words will turn into action.