Obama: State of the Union to offer ‘blueprint’ for U.S. economy

President Obama says his State of the Union message will carry forward many of the themes he discussed in Kansas last month, and will be a speech that will “lay out a blueprint for an American economy that’s built to last.”

Obama previewed his annual address to Congress in a video message to supporters of his reelection campaign that was to be emailed Saturday morning (see video below).

The president said Tuesday’s speech would “bookend” the message of his speech in Osawatomie, Kan., on Dec. 6, where he sought to capture public concern about rising economic inequality and wrap his policies in a call for a “fair shot” for America’s middle class.

“This is a make-or-break moment for the middle class and folks trying to work their way into the middle class. Because we can go in two directions. One is towards less opportunity and less fairness. Or we can fight for where I think we need to go: building an economy that works for everyone, not just a wealthy few,” Obama said.

“On Tuesday night, I’m going to talk about how we’ll get there.”

That blueprint has four key pillars -- a focus on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and what Obama calls a “return to American values – of fairness for all, and responsibility from all.”

“They’re big ideas, because we’ve got to meet this moment. And this speech is going to be about how we do it,” he said.

Obama’s campaign is using Tuesday’s speech, his third State of the Union address and sixth to a joint session of Congress, to continue mobilizing for the unfolding campaign. Supporters are being encouraged to sign up to attend watch parties across the country.

On Wednesday, Obama will begin a five-city tour outside Washington to build on the speech. The stops are all in states the Obama campaign has targeted for the 2012 race -- Iowa, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Michigan.