(CNN) -- President Barack Obama will give his second State of the Union address Tuesday, his first since Democrats suffered major setbacks in the November elections. Two CNN contributors, syndicated columnist Roland Martin and Redstate.com editor Erick Erickson, offer their views.
Roland Martin: Jobs and economy
The leaks coming out of the White House suggest that President Barack Obama will "go big" in projecting a grand vision for the future of America. OK, cool. But in the meantime, millions still will want to know where the jobs are.
Look, we can sit here all day and be grandiose in our vision, and there is nothing wrong with that. I get it. But in 2009, President Obama said that a potential second term will hinge on how he handles the economy. And unless this economy turns around and that unemployment numbers drop in a significant way, that's all that will matter in November 2012.
Politicians are politicians. Most will say what needs to get elected rather than the pure truth that voters need. The fiscal crisis we are in as a country must be confronted by truth-tellers on both sides.
What is needed Tuesday in the State of the Union address isn't lofty ideals but clearly established priorities to get this nation moving again. And that means looking at both parties and saying emphatically, "This is what I want, and the American people will follow me to get it."
Anything less and it will be another State of the Union speech that no one will remember past Wednesday morning.
Erick Erickson: Entitlement reform and Afghanistan
Tuesday, President Obama gives his State of the Union speech. Not since Ronald Reagan and, just maybe, the first one given by George H.W. Bush have the speeches really been worthwhile.
Bush really started up full-time turning the State of the Union speech into a laundry list of new policy proposals.
What will Obama say in State of Union?
Date of the Union?
2010: We need 'serious financial reform'
2010: Obama's health care pledge
No one wants or needs any more policy proposals. Obama's staff is hinting that he will call for greater spending on infrastructure and education while cutting spending. Spending more and spending less never works out to spending less.
People at the White House are also hinting that Obama will call for entitlement reform. Unless he is willing to shut down his health-care entitlement expansion, few independents and no Republicans are going to take him seriously.
I will personally be interested to hear Obama's suggestions for entitlement reform and whether he will lead substantively with suggestions or say he wants reform while offering little on exactly what changes he wants, such as means testing and increasing the retirement age for Social Security.
Obama will also need to address Afghanistan. Already, the withdrawal timetable is less than firm. His liberal base is upset with our continued presence there and the continued use of Guantanamo Bay as a prison. It will be a difficult tightrope act for him but one he cannot avoid lest he draw even more attention to it by his omission.
Republican Rep. Paul Ryan's response should be interesting. He has proposed a 75-year plan to right-size the government and reform entitlements. Unfortunately, his plan has not been re-analyzed since the Democrats' health care plan passed, and the numbers may need adjusting. I am looking for him to offer a plan for full repeal of Obamacare, or at least its complete defunding.
The opinions offered in this commentary are solely those of the authors.
