Professor John Peterson and I joined BBC Scotland on Wednesday morning to discuss President Obama’s State of the Union address. A lively discussion considered whether the speech is Obama “legacy”, politics for the 2016 Presidential election, or both; whether any of the proposals are likely to be significant; and whether Obama can claim success on the economic or foreign policy fronts.

Listen to discussion from 2:15.10

This speech is not as much about Obama as it is about Democrats holding the White House in 2016.

There is not a snowball’s chance in hell that any of the proposals made by Obama last night will be endorsed by Republicans. But those proposals — reducing the cost of university education, assurances on health, and maternity leave — tap into the concerns of middle-class Americans. So the Democrats will say, “Look, you do not want to throw us out of the White House in two years’ time.”