January 23, 2011 - 7:35 pm
On ABC’s Sunday talking head show:
“Between Jefferson and Woodrow Wilson, no one delivered this in person. They sent the report to Congress in writing. But, now we’ve turned this into this panorama. In which an interminable speech, every president, regardless of party — tries to stroke every erogenous zone in the electorate and it becomes a political pep rally, to use the phrase of Chief Justice [John] Roberts last year. If it’s going to be a pep rally with the president’s supporters of whatever party standing up and bringing approval and histrionic pouting on the part of the other, then it’s no place for the judiciary, no place for the uniformed military, and no place for non-adolescent legislators.”
Indeed.
It would be impossible to send a written SOTU to the Congress. Remember Obamacare? They dont know how to read.
Thanks. I was reading Theodore Roosevelts SOTU messages. They were read in the well of the House by a clerk.
Maybe they need to throw the party and have nobody come.
It’s become a complete bore. I’ve skipped every single one since Reagan’s first, I think. I’ve missed nothing I couldn’t find out in the paper the next morning – and lately, within minutes on the interwebs, if I cared to – and have saved the waste of at least two hours per year of my time.
I wonder if any of the justices will attend given their treatment at the last SOTU.
“I wonder if any of the justices will attend given their treatment at the last SOTU.”
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All of the Citizen United dissenters, I’m guessing.
They had a GREAT old time last year.
That is the real question of the moment. If the Supreme Court as a whole refused to attend the SOTU show then that would by necessity bring about the discussion of how the SOTU has lost its’ meaning from being a Constitutional Mandate that the executive would inform the legislative once a year. I actually believe since the first SOTU which was broadcast every single sitting executive and legislature has been ignoring the Constitutional Mandate in favor of a purely political event.
If we were to return to the written report, while not sexy, it could do much to restore our confidence in govt.
I’m with Estragon. Boring to most people, and even to poltical insiders the event itself is meaningless, they can just as easily read it on the White House web site and get the news reports a few minutes after it ends… not to mention follow live-blogging by the blogger of their choice.
As an event, it only matters to the pure politicals who worship at the shrine of the 12-hr (down from 24 hrs, soon to be 2-hrs) news cycle.
Yes, the judiciary and uniformed military have no business there. It’s pure political kabuki and is unseemly that they be part of it.
Damn… a great tool for the next prez; return to the days of written reports. A wonderful and wholly traditional “shake-up”!!
I must confess. I love the feeling I get when I hear.
“Mr. Speaker, The President of the United States!”
It’s pretty much downhill from there.
The only real news out of SOTU this year will be who attends and where they sit. At least we won’t have Nancy P popping up and down behind the President every 15 seconds.
We (the people) have to pay the lease (or installment) on the teleprompter anyway. So, might as well let it get used. It’s a little less embarrassing a forum for them than the elementary school.
The liberals will be there. They fear being called racist far to much to skip it.
I wonder if Obama will bash people who have done things he does not like. Given his call for civility, he should not pull another stunt like bashing the Supreme Court. But he seems to like bashing people. It will be difficult for him to be civil.
The fun part is that the conservatives will bash him back this time.
As I watch my next door neighbor entering her second year of unemployment, receive requests from a food bank that is stretched beyond its limits, observe scores of people using something called dbt (food stamps), see lines at the soup kitchens and unemployment offices, I’m to sit and watch obama and friends tell me how good things are? Don’t insult my intelligence!
How is Obama’s SOTU address any different from an acceptance speech at the Oscars or Golden Globes?
Hummm. Tough one! The speakers at the Oscars or Golden Globes actually had to do something?
Oscar winner: Id like to thank …
POTUS: Youll thank me for this later …
I know how to make it worthwhile: Take a shot every time he uses the first person singular.
….I know how to make it worthwhile: Take a shot every time he uses the first person singular….
Also a shot every time he uses a metaphor which could be construed as violent.
Just for the record, the Armed Forces are the military and every member of Armed Forces are authorized to wear the uniform of their respective Services. Please stop using the term, uniformed military, because it suggests there is an un-uniformed military. The word, military, will do nicely. This terminology began during the Bush Administration when Secretary Rumsfeld and his staff and their colleagues in the conservative media tried to blur the lines between civil and military. DoD, Service, and contractor civilians are civilians…not lawful combatants. The President, SECDEF, and Service secreataries are the only civilians with command authority.
Members of the uniformed military will be sitting in the audience next to representatives of the legislative congress as they listen to what the governmental executive president has to say.
Actually, though still authorized to wear the uniform on occasion, as a retiree, I might be a member of the non-uniformed military. The utilities still fit okay. The service and dress uniforms however, need a little work.