Opinion by David Von Drehle: State of the Union addresses are hackneyed, misleading, self-serving and dull. And the Constitution doesn’t even require them.
. Realizing that the occasional report to Congress could be turned into a political spectacle — a display of presidential grandeur rather than an exercise in subservience to the Article I authority of Congress — Wilson traveled to the Capitol to lecture the lawmakers.,” but not silent enough — gave the first SOTU on radio, in 1923. Harry S. Truman trotted the vehicle onto TV in 1947. Lyndon B.
Ronald Reagan, the former actor, decided in 1982 that a leading man needs a supporting cast, and began the quickly exhausted tradition ofwho exemplify the big man’s wisdom. Somewhere in there, members of Congress began abasing themselves by leaping to their feet to applaud every few sentences — or, if they were in the opposition party, staring stonily as the cheers resounded across the aisle., averaging a merciful 35 minutes and 26 seconds.
The braggadocio will include a few change-ups, in which he forces the opposition to join the applause as further proof of presidential authority. Usually this is done by saluting the troops, but a hero firefighter or a sick child can also do the cynical trick. When was the last time you heard someone say, “Gosh, that sure was a good State of the Union address”? Television viewers have. Hackneyed, misleading, self-serving and dull, the annual address should be put out of its misery — and ours.
White House staffers toil so furiously because they believe the ritual is a boost to presidential ratings — and Biden certainly needs a boost. But if he really wants to win the public’s affection, he’ll hand a written report to the speaker, then look into the cameras and say:
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