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Top Comments: Improving the SOTU Speech Edition [1]

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Date: 2023-02-14  

There has to be a way to make this more effective than it is

Last week’s SOTU speech was likely the best one most of have ever watched. Unlike most of the them, which are long winded and boring and punctuated by personal stories few people care about and way too many applause breaks, this one had some engaging moments thanks to the unruly children on the right and some forceful language from Biden that could potentially close the door on the neoliberal faction of the Democratic Party.

The thing is the SOTU doesn’t need to be a speech in the House chamber. For most of this country’s history, the SOTU was a letter the President sent to Congress usually via the Speaker of House. It was in my lifetime this happened when former President Carter delivered his final SOTU as a letter to Congress in January of 1981. We could easily go back to this an avoid the whole shebang and the risk of the deaths of virtually the entire elected federal government.

Obviously this will never happen in today’s media environment. But what if we take a page from the recent January 6th Committee hearings as a way to punch up the effectiveness of the SOTU. Instead of just a speech before a joint session of Congress, the administration could create an hour long show where the president gives a speech but the speech is interspersed with photos and videos of some the accomplishments the government has done in the past year. There could be interviews with average Americans who got support from the various programs funded in the current or previous fiscal years. This would enable people to see what the government is actually doing on their behalf. Imagine video detailing a road construction project funded by the Infrastructure Act or the opening of a microchip factory funded by the CHIPS Act including comments from a new employee of the factory or driver exclaiming how much safer the new road is. There could be a video with someone who is now paying only $35 for insulin because they are on Medicare asking why doesn’t everyone have that benefit which could put pressure on lawmakers to extend the coverage. The entire event could be done from the White House. However if we still need the spectacle of an audience attended speech, the government could ask the Washington Capitals for use of their arena to do the show. I am reasonably sure they are well-versed enough in security to ensure the safety of lawmakers and important government employees.

This is my idea of improving the SOTU. Comment below with your ideas.

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