Professor reacts to President's speech

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday quickly turned somber; a chair was left empty for recovering Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

The seating arraignment was bipartisan by the president's design.

"What comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight, but whether we can work together tomorrow,” said Obama.

Purdue's Head of the Political Science Department, Bert Rockman said the president did a pretty good job of trying to lower what he calls the partisan temperature.

Rockman said that Obama tried to find common ground on topics such as economic development, investment into the future, and praise for the military.

Rockman said the president's move to put a five-year freeze on spending, for everything except defense and entitlement programs, raised some eyebrows.

"What was that old saying from Watergate, 'Follow the money?' That is where I think the differences will really be quite strong,” said Rockman.

Rockman said both sides will be following that money when Washington's budget is released.

Rockman said one of the biggest obstacles the president had to overcome was a vastly changed political atmosphere, with control of the House now shifting back into the hands of Republicans.