Obama shows some BSU love in his speech to Idaho
President Barack Obama spoke in conservative-leaning Idaho on Wednesday, saying he still has hopes he can bridge the ideological gaps that have created gridlock in the nation’s capital.
He referenced football frequently during his address.
He told the audience at Boise State University that like the school’s football team overtime victory in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, he too can achieve success late in his presidency.
“I don’t need to remind you that big things can happen late in the fourth quarter,” he said.
In his speech, Obama was selling the economic proposal he outlined in his State of the Union address the day before. The president said he was addressing skeptics who say his agenda will not find support in the new Congress under Republican control. However, he said his ideas have traditionally been bipartisan.
He gave another nod to the Broncos when he observed Idaho wasn’t exactly a Democratic stronghold.
“In Idaho, the only blue turf is on your field,” he said.
He also stressed education, and said he wanted to see community college as free and universal as high school. He also wanted more women in the STEM fields.
“When you’ve got everybody on the field, that’s when you win games,” he said.
This was Obama’s first trip to Idaho since he stopped in Boise during his 2008 presidential campaign. He left Idaho for Lawrence, Kansas, where he was expected to speak at the University of Kansas on Thursday.