The Disturbing State of the Union

Say Something Real

Michelle Bryant

This week, President Joe Biden stood before members of Congress to deliver what Franklin Roosevelt deemed the “State of the Union Address.” Dating back to 1790, the tradition has evolved over the years. First offered by George Washington, some 234 years ago, the address is required by the Constitution (Article II, Section 3, clause 1). The document requires that the President “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”

Interestingly, there was a period of 112 years that no in-person address occurred and we can thank Thomas Jefferson for starting that trend. Woodrow Wilson brought back the in-person address in 1913 and it was called the President’s Annual Message to Congress. Harry Truman would ultimately cement the title “State of the Union Address.” We’ve gone from a handwritten 1st speech, to radio, and ultimately a televised address in 1947. In 1966, we saw the emergence of the response to the President’s speech by the opposing party.

In 2023, for the first time ever, there were two women sitting behind the president during the address, Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. And the rest, as they say, is history.

I have watched these addresses, for as long as I can remember. Gathering up everyone in the house, my grandfather and mother made us sit quietly on the floor and listen to the President’s remarks. There was something regal, noble, and important about the nation receiving an address from the President of the United States. Regardless of party affiliation, you gave deference to the office and respect to the office holder. Today, that seems like history, too.

Like much of our nation today, the decline in decorum and respect has been swift during these speeches. Appalled and angry, I recoiled in 2009, when South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson shouted, “You lie!” at President Barack Obama. While it wasn’t a State of the Union Address, it was a joint meeting of Congress. The following year, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito basically did the same thing. He just didn’t yell it out loud at Obama. From there we’ve gone steadily downhill.

We were changing how we do politics and not for the better. Public pretense and constraint were out the window. If there was any doubt, Trump’s awarding of a Medal of Freedom to Rush Limbaugh and the 2022 antics of U.S. Representatives Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene screaming, during Biden’s first State of the Union Address” are further proof.

I know I need to focus on the message, issues and policies that touch every facet of our lives. Reproductive freedom, foreign policy, immigration, attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion all command my attention. But I can’t get pass the abhorrent and rude behavior of those entrusted to represent our interests. Distrust and division, within our country, starts with micro-aggressions. We have a bitter and highly partisan Congress. We have a disunion, rife with too many separate factions and interests.