Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Did Joe Forget The State of the Union?
Every new president is eager, upon taking office, to look presidential and take control of the narrative. Their first State of the Union address is their best opportunity to do both. The State of the Union is usually in late January, although it is occasionally in early February. It’s now nearly March, and I haven’t heard anything about The State of the Union address – I wonder why that is?
The standing ovations, the adoring gallery, the frustrated Republicans – all on national TV! Every channel! You would think that Joe Biden would be chomping at the bit for the opportunity to assert his dominance in the address you know he’s dreamed of giving for the past 50 years. 50 years! And now he gets his chance, at last! Did it slip his mind? Am I missing something? Why hasn’t this already happened after weeks of dutiful media build up?
What a strange year…
Published in General
The way he remembers it, it went over very well, resulting in a large mandate for his policies.
Next is not likely either. Perhaps he’ll opt for the written report, or more likely, Harris will do the reading instead.
If I read the history correctly, JFK was the last president to give a SOTU after first inauguration. So, Biden is just following tradition.
The phrase should be “his mind slipped”. Away. My feeling is that he is simply incapable of giving any speech longer than three sentences. His handlers cannot risk letting the public see how his dementia has advanced. I do wonder if someone will tell us that no state-of-the-union speech will be given this year, and why.
Ah – I didn’t realize that. Thanks for the correction.
I didn’t think they did state of the unions when they are first elected.
But Trump gave a speech to Congress on 2/28/17. It wasn’t a SOTU technically but may as well have been.
If you’re Kamala Harris you’re hoping Biden can find some excuse to skip the next one. Two years and a day is all she needs for him to stick it out.
In Joe’s defense, he might have been afraid that Nancy would tear up the speech before he finished…
They could prerecord it.
But perhaps it’s that the Republicans would have an opportunity to rebut it, and the stations would have to carry it.
Did you see him digging out his cheat sheet the other day? The guy is gone.
Hannity: Even with a Cheat Sheet, Biden Is Struggling To Form Coherent Sentences (clip) :: Grabien – The Multimedia Marketplace
So? It is what the people voted for. It is what they elected. It is what needs to run the country. I hope he gets 4 terms.
Hey Joe, when we turn the camera we just want you to just open and close your mouth a bunch of times. We’ll add the words later . . .
The House hasn’t met in full session in a year, have they? I think they’re still voting in shifts. If they don’t want to have a SOTU because they don’t want the entirety of the federal elected government shoved in one room it may be the only blessing of this pandemic.
It was too much to hope for that an American president would revive the old tradition of just sending a letter over to Congress. I rather despise the State of the Union show, regardless of who the president is. Maybe I would enjoy it if we ever had a president present a list of enormous budget cuts rather than a list of items he wants more spending for. And the modern tradition of bringing forth guest victims is grating.
Advance copy of the SOTU speech:
Madam Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, the people in the front row in robes, you know, and my fellow citizens. Pause and look up this year we have begun a transportation of new beginnings to end the decisiveness that has pushed us apart. My administration has taken steps to end quality between races and genders. We should wait for applause as we heal our county and look up left to the gallery. My wife.
Slower please but together we can next line. There may be something in my pants. Thank you.
That would earn a standing ovation from the Democrats.
As he doesn’t know where he is half the time, a charitable estimate, it is reasonable to assume that he also forgot one of his most important functions. It is also, however, one which will very probably dramatically highlight his stumbling, slurring speech (?) mannerisms for not only the entire country to see, but also such “allies” as Xi, Putin and others. It is so frightening to think of what these monsters are thinking right now and the plans they are surely making to hurt America as the best time they have been offered in five years. At the risk of seeming to agree with Biden– now referred to in some quarters as Xiden– I must say his forecast of a “Dark Winter’ may have been eerily prescient, but not due to COVID but very possibly due to what the CCP has in store for us. For example, if they attack Taiwan, does anyone seriously think the Biden-Susan Rice administration will lift a finger about it? Others may; I emphatically do not. And, if this is the case, where do they, the CCP, stop?
Sincerely, Jim
I still can’t imagine why Biden wouldn’t take the opportunity to “heal” the nation with one of his “impassioned” speeches, or say the state of the nation is lousy thanks to Trump.
The Constitution mandates a State of the Union (Article 2, Section 3), but doesn’t give specifics as to a date or time, nor does it say how it is to be done. I seem to remember reading for a long time, the SOTU was just a written report sent to Congress. As for actually speaking, the Constitution says (emphasis mine), “. . . he [the President] may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them . . .”
I’m too lazy to look through the Amendments to see if specifics were added later, but I doubt it.
I can’t remember the exact lines, but in Delirious, where John Candy is a soap opera writer who wakes up in his show and is able to manipulate the action, there’s a scene where a character says his line and then awkwardly says, “Gentleman exits stage left”. Candy responds, “I have them saying stage directions? How drunk was I last night?”
Truly laughed out loud.
Trump needed to do a SOTU speech in his first year because he needed every opportunity to appear presidential he could get. He was under constant attack and needed some event to push an agenda forward. Biden doesnt have that problem he has the Praetorian Guard in the media to protect him from criticism – in fact, I would predict he’ll not give a SOTU speech at all – he maybe the first president in modern times to write a report to congress, and then release a heavily produced PR video promoting it. The video package would then become the center piece of the mid term campaigns.
It’s not a worthy trade for Trump losing the presidency, but losing Wilson’s State of the Union speech tradition would be a positive of a Biden presidency.
Yes it ruins a night of network TV for no good reason. I remember as a kid, these things would annoy me so much – my shows being taken off the air for no good reason.
You know, this really is John Gill.
Is it possible it’s going to be given from CPAC this year?