Tonight President Barack Obama will deliver his third State of the Union address.
Although the President's State of the Union message is mandated by the Constitution, for most of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the President delivered his remarks in writing, not in person. Woodrow Wilson started the tradition of speaking before a joint meeting of Congress and only since the television era has the event become a major focus of media (and public) attention.
Over the years, the speech has evolved from an assessment of the state of the nation to a list of policy proposals that the president would like to see enacted in the coming year. It has come to resemble the so-called “Queen’s Speech” in the British parliament, which, although it is delivered by the monarch, is written by members of the Prime Minister’s staff regardless of which party is in power, and is little more than a dry laundry-list of the government’s desirables.
Re-election
A president’s third State of the Union address has also come to be the launch of his re-election campaign.
Jimmy Carter, for instance, ended his third State of the Union address in 1980 like this:
“Our challenges are formidable. But there's a new spirit of unity and resolve in our country. We move into the 1980's with confidence and hope and a bright vision of the America we want…”
Bill Clinton, beginning his campaign against Bob Dole in January 1996, proclaimed that “the era of big government is over” and then proceeded to qualify his remarks by saying “but” 27 times in 65 minutes.
The Obama White House is offering Americans an opportunity to ask questions about the State of the Union. Members of his staff will be answering questions through the White House web site, on YouTube, and on Twitter today and through the rest of the week.
Starting a conversation
Here are some questions to start the conversation. Readers can leave additional questions in the comments section, below.
(1) When President Obama took office, he promised not to interfere with the use of medicinal marijuana in those states where it was legal, but the Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Agency have continued to shut down medical marijuana dispensaries and arresting people in California and elsewhere. Why this change of policy?
(2) There is mounting evidence, based on extensive experience around the world (including China) that high-speed rail projects inevitably cost more to build than estimated and seldom carry a sufficient number of passengers to justify their costs. In light of this, why does the Administration continue to push for more such projects in the United States, including in Virginia?
(3) The global price of petroleum has a major effect on the economy yet efforts to increase domestic supplies of energy – including offshore drilling near Virginia and building the proposed Keystone Pipeline from Canada – have been blocked by the Administration. Is President Obama serious about dealing with America’s energy needs?
These are just three questions among many that could be asked. We will be looking forward to the answers from the White House.
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