They’re less an address about the state of the nation and more of a television extravaganza, a spectacle where the only thing that matters is how things look.
It’s like what the Super Bowl has become, something less about 60 minutes of football and more about the circus surrounding it: the two-week buildup, media day, a controversial off-the-cuff remark by a player or coach that’s supposed to infuriate the other team, the commercials, and this year, some version of a drinking game involving Taylor Swift. Every time she’s on camera, take a shot!
Honestly, does anyone think viewers will tune in to Thursday’s State of the Union address to hear about the actual state of the union? No, they’ve already decided how the nation is doing. Instead, they’ll tune in to see one thing: whether Joe Biden is too old, or whether he can flip the script and convince people he can still go the distance.
That’s all anyone will talk about on Friday morning.
And probably because it is a television event, it’s an important moment in Biden’s presidency and candidacy. (More on that in a second.)
Remember when he jogged from backstage to the microphone at the Democratic National Convention in 2020? What, you think he ran because he felt like getting in some quick cardio? No, that was all about optics. Look at that old guy run! He’s still got it!
That’s what this speech is about tonight.
In theory, the address is supposed to tout the administration’s achievements (and Biden has several), list national priorities, offer tactical anecdotes about guests, and propose a legislative agenda for the year ahead ― or, in Biden’s case, the next four years.
But for most viewers, those things are little more than empty boasts, false promises and political props, nothing memorable. The only moment most voters can recall in such a forum is “You lie,” which didn’t even happen during a State of the Union address. No doubt taking a cue from that moment, Rep. Marjorie Taylor…
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