Austin360 blogs > TV Blog > Archives > 2005 > February > 02 > Entry
Tips for the State of the Union
The State of the Union is gobbling up two-thirds of prime time tonight, and that’s a bummer. From 8 to 10 p.m., don’t expect to see “Jack & Bobby,” “The West Wing,” “Law & Order” or anything else that is remotely entertaining.
It would be one thing if this droning by Whichever President Is in Office were the least bit enlightening or exciting. But it never is. It’s always a litany of reasons why, in this person’s opinion, the State of Our Union is simply fabulous.
I consider myself a political junkie to the core. I routinely watch both political conventions from gavel-to-gavel every four years. I’ve been doing this since I was a tot, and I have no plans to stop — unless, of course, cable news and C-SPAN stop covering them.
And I watch election results, inaugurations, press conferences, House and Senate votes … just about anything that involves the political process.
But the State of the Union address, which I watch because it’s my civic duty (not to mention political obsession), is by far the biggest chore. As a major television event, it should be better. Here are some suggestions:
The speech should be less than 30 minutes long. Not a second longer. Everyone knows the audience’s attention span is shrinking, so anything more time-consuming than a half-hour sitcom is pointless.
Incorporate visual elements — but not the ludicrous charts and graphs that made Ross Perot a laughingstock. One of those year-in-review pieces that are so popular on New Year’s Eve newscasts would be enjoyable. And if it were actual news without the White House spin, that would be even better, but that’s asking too much.
Humor should be mandatory, and I’m not talking about the weak-kneed jokes and wisecracks the president thinks are funny. The Great Communicator Ronald Reagan knew the value of real entertainment writers. An occasional spark of wit will not lessen the dignity of the event — we’re not talking about dirty jokes or silly puns here. The State of the Union is no time to lay an egg in the funny department. But a little self-deprecating humor, or an amusing aside, goes a long way.
- Hire a really good acting/public speaking coach for the president. The media will have a field day with this at first, but the end result will be worth it. We haven’t had a scintillating public speaker in the White House in decades, probably since the Roosevelt Men were in Washington. Reagan came close, but he was more style than substance.
Delivering a good speech requires more than learning lines, reading a TelePrompTer and standing up straight. It starts with a well-written text and a delivery that is both authoritative and conversational. You’re talking to the American people, Mr. President, not a lifeless TV camera.
It’s unlikely that any of these suggestions will be taken seriously. Most are too time-consuming. A quick-and-easy alternative would be to hire an actor like Martin Sheen or Alan Alda to play the president and deliver the State of the Union. Now, wouldn’t that be more fun?
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