Here’s The State Of The State Of The Union Address

[Draggingtree]

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The spectacle that is State of the Union address is a relatively modern invention of the television era. President Obama should pare it down.

By Andrew Carico JANUARY 20, 2015

 

The television spectacle, the pompous rhetoric, the counting of applause lines, the media spin, and, if it is particularly entertaining, a “you lied” shout from the House floor or reaction of scorn from a Supreme Court Justice: Such is the state of the modern State of the Union address. Yet, it wasn’t always so.

 

Article II of the U.S. Constitution grants the president the power, “from time to time, to give the Congress information of the state of the union.” However, it does not determine the vigor with which a president will approach this duty.

How President Obama Should Treat the State of the Union Address

For President Obama to deliver a State of the Union address that reverses his downward poll numbers and rebounds from his midterm repudiation, he would do well not to present himself as the “Leader” of the country, attempting to tell Congress what the people want, but to instead present himself as a constitutional statesman, making constitutionally-based arguments and engaging in thoughtful deliberation with the newly elected Congress.

A statesman is someone who understands constitutional principles, leads by way of those principles, and seeks to make those principles work in political life.

[Cyber_Liberty]

Minor detail: Joe Wilson did not yell "You lie!" during a SOTU speech.