Why no one may remember the State of the Union speech
His second could go on just as long, especially if the president addresses two issues — gun control and mental health care — he raised in his memorial speech in Tucson, Ariz., on Jan. 12. It could also make his SOTU memorable.
The Constitution requires only that the president “from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”Continue Reading
George Washington delivered his SOTUs in person, but Thomas Jefferson (who, historians tell us, was not a very good orator) sent his to Congress in writing for a clerk to read aloud. That practice lasted until 1913, when Woodrow Wilson delivered his address in person. Ever since, presidents have used both options, though with the age of mass media, most prefer to get the free TV time.
The speeches do not, Gallup tells us, swing many votes. A “review of Gallup historical data suggests these speeches rarely affect a president’s public standing in a meaningful way, despite the amount of attention they receive,” Gallup reported.
Most of the people who tune into SOTUs tend to already favor the president they are watching. Though when Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) shouted “You lie!” at Obama at a near SOTU on Sept. 9, 2009 (it was a Joint Session of Congress for Obama to outline his health care reforms), that probably was counted as a negative opinion.
While often not remembered, each word of a SOTU is subjected to fact checking and numerical analysis. The Guardian (U.K.) analyzed the SOTUs of Obama, Bush, Reagan, Kennedy, Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln and Washington to see which word those presidents used most often.
It was — big surprise — “I.”
So how do these speeches get written?
“Obviously, you want to write a speech in a way that is interesting enough that people want to listen and that leaves them feeling a sense of momentum and progress,” Obama senior adviser David Axelrod told The Associated Press last year. “But these are serious times. I don’t think this is a time for rhetorical flights of fancy.”
But telling Obama he can’t indulge in “rhetorical flights of fancy” is like telling a ballerina she can’t dance on her toes, so I would expect at least a few flights this year.
Obama’s first official SOTU was scheduled for Feb. 2, 2010, the same night ABC’s “Lost” was going to air its final show of the season. Either ABC or Obama would blink first.
The White House changed the speech to Jan. 27.
Roger Simon is POLITICO’s chief political columnist.
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