#287 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Tuesday March 1)
Good morning,
Tonight, President Biden will deliver the State of the Union address. This fulfills the requirement of Article II, Section 3, Clause 1 of the Constitution requiring that the president deliver to Congress a message on the state of the union and recommending actions that he or she deems should be taken up by Congress in its current term.
I received this morning a note that, following the President’s speech, members of both parties will deliver a bipartisan analysis. This is an historic first. Typically (and again tonight), a member of the opposition will tear into everything the President has proposed and set up a clear position as “the opposition.” It is heartening to know that some rational folks, trying to work together, will instead focus on areas where they can work together.
WHAT HE SHOULD SAY
I am hopeful that President Biden will deliver a speech that highlights the greatest challenges that lay before us and propose to Congress a series of reasonable measures that should be able to garner at least some bipartisan support. He should embrace some ideas from his party’s left wing and some ideas from the right. He needs to make clear that he will listen to, and support, good ideas—regardless of their source. Let’s see if we can start working together. Hopefully, the bipartisanship that foreign emergencies require (yet ignored by the Trumpians) can extend to other areas. If I were the President, I might highlight the following as areas in which he might reach out broadly for support of our common national objectives:
1. Russia and Ukraine.
a. We do not believe the Russian people, or even the majority of the Russian leadership, supports the current unprovoked violence committed against the Ukrainian people. For all the bluster about “denazifying” the present government or its illegitimacy; for all the talk of how Ukraine is a sister territory of Russia that needs to be brought back in the fold, (a) in what family would one member wreak such devastation our of love and desire to reconcile, and (b) what does one make of the Ukrainian people’s support of independence back in 1991?
b. The United States, with the support of its NATO allies, has moved swiftly in the past week to respond to the Russian aggression through redeployment of troops but, more importantly, securing global approbation of the aggression and collective economic actions (including in banking, air travel and trade) to inflict a price on Russia. The effects are being felt in Russia.
c. Putin, by his actions, has strengthened European resolve and served to bring them together with a common focus. The military might of the U.S. and NATO stand at the frontiers of NATO prepared to defend our allies, freedom-loving democracies that are pursuing their right to self-determination
2. Voting Rights.
a. We will pursue a scaled-down version of the voting rights legislation, designed to address some Republican concerns with the existing legislation and some of their own objectives. We would hope they support this and not belie the fact that no voting rights legislation is acceptable.
b. A group of dedicated Democrats and Republicans in Congress are preparing legislation to tie-down the Electoral Count Act pf 1887, so there can be no question that the votes of the States are not subject to Vice-Presidential (or other) interference, and that a reasonable number of Congresspeople must object to an electoral slate for it to be debated (not the current one from each house). We must protect our democracy.
3. Build Back Better. I am dialing back this legislation to reflect the demands of some of the moderate wing of our party and those of our Republican friends. I am hoping that, with these concessions, bipartisan support of early childhood education, health care reform and other much-needed programs can proceed.
4. Climate Change. I’m not sure what else can be said, other than we must continue to work toward a common ground in combatting climate change, while maintaining cost-effective energy availability. He must embrace nuclear energy, as another clean energy along with wind, geothermal, and solar. Until technology advances much further than where we are today, we can’t otherwise reduce reliance on fossil fuels and the continuing damming of our natural waterways.
5. We are all in this together. Time for us to deal with issues and not power dynamics. We need to be honest with our constituents about the problems ahead and work together to solve them.
A TINY BIT OF BACKGROUND
The tradition of a formal annual presentation to Congress began with George Washington’s message to Congress in 1790. Thomas Jefferson did away with the “in person” delivery of the address. It did not become in-person again until Woodrow Wilson reestablished the practice in 1913. With the exception of Richard Nixon in 1973 and Jimmy Carter after defeat by Ronald Reagan in 1981, all modern presidents have delivered their remarks in person.
Washington began the tradition, with his first address clocking in at only 1,089 words (the shortest to date). His first inaugural was only 1,431 words, while his second was but 135 words. Beginning with Jackson and continuing 19th and early 20th centuries, the messages were very long, with an exception being Abraham Lincoln, who was the master of brevity, despite arguably having the most to say, and Woodrow Wilson. Truman tops the list at 27,465 words in his January 21, 1946 written address.
The last State of the Union that clocked in under 50 minutes was George W. Bush at 49:24 in 2007. No one since 1964 has been as long-winded as Donald Trump, averaging 1:20:20 (although Bill Clinton came close at an average of 1:14:51). Richard Nixon came in the shortest, with an average of 0:35:26 (his shortest was only 28:55). All of Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and both Bushes averaged under an hour on average.
The state of our union is healthier than people think. And, yet, the state suffers from inequality of opportunity. We have a difficult time working toward long term solutions. We must resist the politicians’ focus on the short term and the next election and start thinking about our children and grandchildren.
Have a great day,
Glenn