Posted on 01/29/2018 7:33:17 PM PST by Liberty7732
Normally this is where I’d rattle off a few paragraphs advancing my argument, to wit, that the State of the Union is the lamest official event in American politics (the lamest unofficial event is the White House Correspondents Dinner), enjoyed by no one and valued by attendees only for the opportunity it presents for halfwit virtue-signaling on the cheap.
Do I have to make that argument, though? You’ve all endured this miserable spectacle at some point in your lives. You know firsthand how insufferable it is. Instead of me having to convince you, the burden should be on you to convince me: Why wouldn’t America be better off with the president submitting a written statement to Congress in lieu of a speech, as presidents did for nearly the entire 19th century? It was Thomas Jefferson, a man remembered for his many great ideas, who ended the practice of SOTU oratory. It was Woodrow Wilson, a man remembered for his many terrible ones, who brought it back. Presidents change but the speech is invariably boring, too long, and irrelevant politically despite the massive audience and even more massive hype for it year after year. The tradition of oratory continues because every White House views it as a chance to deliver its message directly to the people at a scale unmatched by anything outside of Super Bowl Sunday. But the idea of the SOTU as a potential gamechanger is a myth. Ariel Edwards-Levy, HuffPost’s chief poll analyst, has written a post every year for the past four years around this time reminding readers that the SOTU never affects the polls. Certainly never long-term. It’s a total nothingburger.
(Excerpt) Read more at hotair.com ...
There are probably proposition bets on that in Vegas.
“a speech is not mandated the president has to report to congress from time to time
He could tweet it every Monday if he wanted to.”
{snort} LOL.
The previous 28 were worthless. This is one to watch.
It could happen. LOL
The State of the Union has degenerated into a Stalinesque ritual worthy of the worst era of the Soviet Union.
it’s a embarrassment to patriotic Americans
For some reason, I'm reminded of the final episode of The Prisoner, where Patrick MacGoohan tries to give a speech to a masked assembly, and they shout him down every time he opens his mouth.
-PJ
He needs to address the nation once a year.
If you had spent that much money on Hillary, and were now getting nothing in return, you would be mad too.
She keeps in the public eye to remind everyone how much money was wasted on her campaign.
I hope thy worry about it right up until the very last second of the speech. Don't give them the opportunity to 'sell' their bile by attacking his mention of the memo.
Just make them wait and worry.
Salem took over and they went full RINO-Goldberg et al
He was just a cipher, a front for all the other degenerate hordes...but it’s
hard to top the sociopathy of a 1/2 white not-so-crypto-Muslim/Marxist who hates the white half
I guess that would be me. I didn’t watch even one of the Obungler’s SOTU address, not one. 😁
The treasonous left is getting worried about how effectively Trump uses the bully pulpit. Good.
The state of the union is FUBAR because of the demoncrat party.
And they never ever said this during democrat presidents.
No then they criticize the repubs for not clapping or sitting for the democrap president.
Hopefully Trump will go against the cringeworthy tradition of introducing citizens from the audience.
I agree, it should be ended, it is meaningless political rhetoric.
“Why wouldn’t America be better off with the president submitting a written statement to Congress in lieu of a speech, as presidents did for nearly the entire 19th century?”
Well, back then their suits were not as impressive, and hair and makeup technology was not as sophisticated either. So they were afraid of how they would look on international television. Duh.
And think of how those images and videos would make them look on Instagram and YouTube. Of course those 19th century presidents weren’t going to let that happen. Get real.
They know that this “mentally deficient nincompoop” will knock another one out of the park and with the memo and other events, they are so puckered up they won’t be able to breath before long...
Now that we have a president who might have something worthwhile to say,there are those who would curtail it. Where were these people when Obama was out there spouting off?
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