ASIDE FROM THE WORDS

There is an abundance of opportunity for you to read the words of President Obama's State of the Union Address on the web, in the papers, and elsewhere today. I won't duplicate those opportunities here.

Rather, I thought I'd share a few "asides" which caught my attention. Please bear with me.

+ It always bothers me to have to watch the VP and the Speaker reacting. Very distracting.

+ Just once I'd love to hear a President say something like: "Look, folks, this annual event has become a circus. Let's hold the applause until after the speech and can the standing and sitting for the sake of the cameras. It makes this into a political ping pong match, and this stuff is too serious for that."

+ I know the rules don't allow the Supreme Court to react to the words of the President, but if that's the case, move them away from the front row and can the robes. Incidentally, I don't remember hearing a President take a jab at the SC before. They deserved his comment.

+ Bill Livingood,Sergeant-at-Arms of the House, who announces the presence of the President and then acts as his guide through the crowd, is a friend of mine. He never seems to age.

+ Humor (sometimes cutting as it was) found a home in the speech last night. At times it was more like a fireside chat than a State of the Union Address. That's not all bad.

+ I have never appreciated the "Response" from the other party after the Address. It signals a partisan flavor which I feel is over the top. Having said that, I thought Gov. McDonnell did a decent job of it.

+ We are getting much better at reading lips these days. Side comments by those attending aren't nearly as private as the whisperer thinks.

+ Watching last night made me wonder if maybe more progress would be made in the Congress if Members and Senators were seated by seniority instead of by party. Maybe the days of the other side of the aisle should be relegated to history. Wouldn't it be better if elected people had to talk on a daily basis with those from the other party rather than constantly reinforcing their opinions with colleagues from the same party? Chumminess can go only so far before it becomes a distraction and an excuse for stubbornness.

+ What's with the autograph session at the end? Aren't these people who see the President all the time? Don't they have plenty of opportunity to ask for his signature away from the State of the Union Address?

+ Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg is looking particularly frail these days. I suspect her recent illnesses have taken more of a toll than we have been told.

+ Wouldn't it be strange to have an unmarried President? To whom would the cameras point at those staged moments in a speech when everyone stands and turns (awkwardly) toward the First Lady?

+ Last night I rushed home from a basketball game (where Providence College drubbed Connecticut) to watch the Address. It helped my mood. I was anxious throughout the day anticipating the speech. My basketball euphoria gave the speech a lighter finish.


So...that's my semi-serious take on it for the day after the 2010 State of the Union Address by President Obama. Overall, I think he scored well in a troubled year. I'm curious to see how his expressed plans, hopes, and commitments will fly away from the television extravaganza.