In the days leading up to the State of the Union, the White House signaled a rhetorical shift. Less talk of inequality, more emphasis on opportunity.  As ABC News reported,

The adjustment reflects an awareness that Obama’s earlier language put him at risk of being perceived as divisive and exposed him to criticism that his rhetoric was exploiting the gap between haves and have-nots.

Reviewing the SOTU, The New Republic found a speech easy on class rhetoric.

 “Opportunity” in general got a far harder workout than “inequality” — nine mentions to one, which is significant given that “opportunity” is the term that conservatives so prefer to use when talking about class and mobility.

The Washington Post attributed some of the shift to the administration’s discussions with Senate Democrats.

At the heart of the concern was whether the income-inequality message would resonate sufficiently with middle-class voters, so critical to the outcome of the midterms.

Some Democratic leaders worried that all the talk about income inequality and the focus on the minimum wage would not connect to the more than 90 percent of voters who have jobs and are not earning less than $10 an hour.

Whatever the reason, the emphasis on opportunity – an emphasis with bipartisan appeal – moves policymakers in the right direction. Inequality, as we’ve written, is not the problem to be solved. Increasing opportunity, mobility, is the right emphasis. If political considerations led the President to shift his emphasis, let’s hope more get the message.