Obama's speech more than words?

NEW: President Obama in Maryland and Pennsylvania on Wednesday NEW: Obama visits retailer, pushes increase in minimum wage Republicans complain the President pushes same, tired policies

(CNN) -- Another State of the Union address, another road trip for President Barack Obama to push now-familiar policies that he said he would pursue on his own if Congress won't cooperate.

At a Costco in suburban Maryland on Wednesday, Obama amplified his call for an increase in the minimum wage. He then traveled to Pennsylvania for another event staged around the economy.

"Americans overwhelmingly agree, nobody who's working full time should ever have to raise a family in poverty," the President said. "And that is why I firmly believe it is time to give America a raise."

Obama heads to Wisconsin and Tennessee on Thursday, continuing a tradition of selling his policy prescription directly to the public after the ceremonial report to the nation.

Vintage Obama

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President Barack Obama delivers the State of Union address before a joint session of Congress in the House chamber on Tuesday, January 28, 2014, in Washington, as Vice President Joe Biden, left, and House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio listen. The underlying theme of Obama's fifth State of the Union address was his call for the government to work on behalf of all Americans in 2014, and his pledge to do so even if Congress refused to join him in an election year. Vice President Joe Biden, left, and Speaker of the House John Boehner before the speech. Members of the U.S. Supreme Court (from left): Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justices Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan prior to the president's speech. From left, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida; U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York; and U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, wait for Obama's speech. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius arrives for the address. Obama called on Republicans to stop trying to undermine his 2010 health care reform law passed with no GOP support, saying, "The American people aren't interested in refighting old battles." Obama said during his speech, "What I offer tonight is a set of concrete, practical proposals to speed up growth, strengthen the middle class, and build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class. Some require congressional action, and I'm eager to work with all of you. But America does not stand still, and neither will I." Republican senators and representatives listen to President Barack Obama's speech during the State of the Union. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Connecticut, center, and Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Alabama, cheer during Obama's speech. US Army Ranger Sgt. First Class Cory Remsburg, injured while serving in Afghanistan, acknowledges the crowd during a standing ovation for him as President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union speech. "Let's make this a year of action," Obama said. "That's what most Americans want -- for all of us in this chamber to focus on their lives, their hopes, their aspirations." President Obama calls on Congress to "join the rest of the country. Say yes. Give America a raise" in minimum wage. 2014 State of the Union 2014 State of the Union 2014 State of the Union 2014 State of the Union 2014 State of the Union 2014 State of the Union 2014 State of the Union 2014 State of the Union 2014 State of the Union 2014 State of the Union 2014 State of the Union 2014 State of the Union HIDE CAPTION << <

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Photos: 2014 State of the Union

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Everyone sees the President, the VIPs, the robes and the brass. But CNN went in search of the unseen guests, the everyday Americans in the balconies for the State of the Union speech. Members of Congress can invite one guest each. These are some of the people they chose. We lead with Matt Cooke. During the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Cooke threw himself between attacker Nidal Hasan and a fellow soldier and was shot five times himself. A shy man who works to prevent military suicides, he struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and sat near a House chamber door during the State of the Union in case of a panic attack. He said he attended the speech to fight for Fort Hood families and their push that the 2009 attack be considered a terrorist act. Luis Castaneda: The fifth-grader won his ticket from Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, in an essay contest. Luis wrote that going to the State of the Union would change his life forever and help move him toward his lifetime goal of attending Yale. Asked if his family is proud, Luis' grandmother Sylvia choked back tears. Shelly Collins: A Silicon Valley CEO, Collins runs Enscient, an information technology company. She sits on the National Women's Business Council and also is an activist pushing for more science, technology, engineering and math education. Rep. Mike Honda, D-California, invited her as his guest. Katie Greene: Fifteen years ago, Greene and her neighbors in Riverside, California, formed "The Group," a determined we-can-fix-our-community organization that still meets every other Thursday morning. Greene begged Rep. Mark Takano, D-California, for a State of the Union ticket for a year, and she beamed that attending the speech was on her bucket list. "This is exceedingly special," she told CNN. Aaron Hirsh: The 44-year-old father of two came to the State of the Union because of his personal experience with Obamacare. Hirsh told CNN that his individual market policy was canceled and the insurance company replacement was 80% more expensive. When Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, put out a call for stories related to Obamacare, Hirsh responded and was invited to be Scalise's guest Tuesday night. Rev. Mark Tyler: Tyler is the pastor of the historic Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. He also works with a group called POWER -- Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower & Rebuild -- to bring together different faiths and races and help people who are struggling. Jeff Colaiacovo: Wearing his Purple Heart ribbon to the speech, Colaiacovo told CNN that Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Florida, invited him to the State of the Union after he had difficulty getting his Veterans Affairs benefits. Colaiacovo served in Vietnam but said VA red tape still blocked his benefits until Frankel helped. "The system is a merry-go-round," he told CNN. Real people go to Washington Real people go to Washington Real people go to Washington Real people go to Washington Real people go to Washington Real people go to Washington Real people go to Washington HIDE CAPTION << <

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Real people go to Washington

GOP Response: Focus on opportunity gap

In his address on Tuesday, the President talked a good game of acting on his own if necessary, but his words also showed he knows that true progress depends on cooperation with a divided and recalcitrant Congress.

"Sometimes we stumble; we make mistakes; we get frustrated or discouraged," he said near the end, seeming to describe 2013 - when his approval ratings dropped. "But for more than 200 years, we have put those things aside and placed our collective shoulder to the wheel of progress."

It was vintage Obama, blending hopeful calls for a unified approach with declarations of presidential independence through executive orders.

There were the now familiar calls to recalibrate the tax code, spend more to rebuild roads and bridges, bolster education and avoid war if at all possible.

He said what? Obama's speech explained

Oratorical skills

He brought many to tears with a tribute to Sgt. First Class Cory Remsburg, a disabled war veteran who sat next to First Lady Michelle Obama and waved with wounded limbs to a prolonged standing ovation.

Even Republicans relentlessly critical of the President conceded his oratorical skill.

"A speech by Barack Obama is a lot like sex," said GOP strategist and CNN contributor Alex Castellanos. "The worst there ever was is still excellent."

According to a snap CNN/ORC International poll, 44% of respondents had a "very positive" response to Obama's speech, while 32% described a "somewhat positive" response and 22% didn't like it at all.

Last year, 53% of respondents in a similar poll rated their response to the 2013 address as very positive.

An optimistic goal

The underlying theme of Obama's fifth State of the Union address was his call for the government to work on behalf of all Americans in 2014, and his pledge to do so even if Congress refused to join him in an election year.

"Let's make this a year of action," Obama said. "That's what most Americans want -- for all of us in this chamber to focus on their lives, their hopes, their aspirations."

It's an optimistic goal for a President with a 43% approval rating entering his sixth year in office and facing a determined opposition in the Republican-led House of Representatives with congressional elections looming in November.

Search the transcript of Obama's speech

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Quotes from State of the Union speeches

War hero honored at State of the Union

"What I offer tonight is a set of concrete, practical proposals to speed up growth, strengthen the middle class, and build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class," Obama said. "Some require congressional action, and I'm eager to work with all of you. But America does not stand still, and neither will I."

Obama: End 'Mad Men' workplace policies

Going it alone

On issue after issue, he invited Congress to work with him but said he also would go it alone.

Obama called for more government support to rebuild the nation's infrastructure, but also said that "I will act on my own to slash bureaucracy and streamline the permitting process for key projects, so we can get more construction workers on the job as fast as possible."

The President also promised an executive order to raise the minimum wage for some government contract workers. While the action is relatively narrow and affects less than half a million people, Obama urged Congress to follow suit for all low-wage workers in America.

Opinion: Can Obama deliver action on inequality?

GOP responds

Earlier Tuesday, House Speaker John Boehner chafed at such unilateral action, telling reporters that Republicans are "just not going to sit here and let the President trample all over us."

In the official Republican response, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington complained that Obama's policies "are making people's lives harder."

"We hope the President will join us in a year of real action -- by empowering people -- not by making their lives harder with unprecedented spending, higher taxes, and fewer jobs," she said.

Agreeing on immigration

One area of possible progress is immigration reform. Obama got a long ovation when he urged Republicans in the House to join Democrats in passing a Senate plan that got bipartisan support.

Gender equality big part of SOTU speech

McMorris Rodgers also brought up the issue backed by some Republicans as a way to bolster their weak support among Hispanic Americans, the nation's largest minority demographic.

"We're working on a step-by-step solution to immigration reform by first securing our borders and making sure America will always attract the best, brightest, and hardest working from around the world," she said in describing the more limited GOP approach to the comprehensive Senate measure that includes a path to legal status for immigrants living illegally in the country.

CNN Poll: Speech watcher reaction less positive than previous years

Cruz on Obama's 'imperial presidency'

Disagreeing on Obamacare

On another major reform issue, Obama chided Republicans for trying to undermine his signature health care law that passed in 2010 without GOP support. He cited the millions of people helped by the reforms that ended denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions among its benefits.

"The American people aren't interested in refighting old battles," Obama said. "Let's not have another 40-something votes to repeal a law that's already helping millions of Americans. ...The first 40 were plenty. ... We all owe it to the American people to say what we're for, not just what we're against."

In her response, though, McMorris Rodgers continued the GOP attack line on the health care reforms as big government run amok and causing harm to people by raising costs and limiting their personal choices of doctors and medical treatment.

This year's State of the Union is a defining test for Obama

The CNN/ORC poll indicated 59% of respondents thought Obama's policies as presented in the speech would help the economy, a lower figure than in recent years.

Laying out goals

Obama said he will order the U.S. Treasury to create a new federal retirement savings account called MyRA, a savings bond that would guarantee "a decent return with no risk of losing what you put in." It will be available to those whose jobs don't offer traditional retirement savings programs, he said.

Additionally, Obama called for:

-- Eliminating $4 billion in tax subsidies for the fossil fuel industries "that don't need it" and instead "invest more in fuels of the future."

-- Equal pay for women, noting they make 77 cents for each dollar a man earns, which he called "wrong" and "an embarrassment" to prompt loud and long applause.

-- Setting new fuel standards for American trucks to help reduce U.S. oil imports "and what we pay at the pump."

-- Reworking the corporate tax code. He urged Congress to work with him to close "wasteful, complicated loopholes that punish businesses investing here" and instead "lower tax rates for businesses that create jobs right here at home."

-- Congress to lift restrictions on transferring detainees from Guantanamo Bay so the prison can be closed in 2014.

Obama also reiterated that he will veto any new sanctions bill from Congress that would derail talks on preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, adding that "for the sake of our national security, we must give diplomacy a chance to succeed."

Brazile: Obama's message: A dysfunctional Congress, but we'll get it done anyway

Increasing minimum wage

Even as he cited a growing economy and increasing corporate profits, Obama said average wages have been flat. Along with his order raising the minimum wage for workers on federal contracts, Obama asked Congress to get on board with a Democratic proposal to raise the federal minimum to $10.10 per hour.

Republicans largely oppose any federal increase, saying it will place a burden on employers.

"This is definitely the President's agenda and has been for some time now," said CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley, who added it was hard to see how Republicans would respond any differently than before and therefore, it was hard to see big things happening in 2014.

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Obama's speech more than words?

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