Democrats hope Obama’s State of Union speech will be start of populist agenda --- In recent weeks, some Democratic lawmakers and strategists have urged the White House to focus less on academic-sounding discussions of income inequality and to simplify Obama’s message to reflect the everyday concerns of Americans. White House officials say they have long planned to emphasize such issues. -- The approach is notable because raising taxes on the wealthy to pay for domestic initiatives was a centerpiece of Obama’s first-term economic agenda — a move aimed squarely at shrinking income inequality. In speeches over the past year, the president has bounced between wonky discussions about inequality and practical speeches on helping the middle class. --- Obama is planning to follow the State of the Union address with trips to Maryland’s Prince George’s County and to Wisconsin , Tennessee and Pennsylvania before an event later this week focused on long-term unemployment, which is one of the nation’s most persistent economic problems. The president is expected to announce that he will take executive actions to address a wide range of economic challenges, aides said. -- Republicans are preparing a counterattack, warning that Obama will compromise his ability to get anything done in Congress if he goes it alone. - More, Washingtonpost, at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democrats-hope-obamas-state-of-union-speech-will-be-start-of-populist-agenda/2014/01/27/90651dd2-8767-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html?hpid=z3