Post State of the Union Thoughts

Photo by Jonathan Simcoe on Unsplash

So...

...State of the Union meets The Apprentice meets Undercover Boss meets Extreme Makeover: White House Edition. It was an interesting night. I remember my first State of the Union, back in 2003. I fell asleep in it. I didn't fall asleep in this one. There were some inspiring moments to me: the reunion of the military couple and the granting of a scholarship. There were some disturbing moments to me: the chanting of 4 more years and H.R. 3, the eruption and subsequent removal of a distraught father after hearing about the second amendment promises. There were some divisive moments for me: the failure to shake hands with the speaker of the house, ripping up the advanced copy of the speech. Each had their reasons.

I'm not really going to get into the policy or the politics of this State of the Union. The criticisms and defenses of each side of the aisle were identical but voiced oppositely when President Obama gave his State of the Union speeches. It's a merry go round at the moment.

What I did feel though was that there was a missed opportunity: to cast a compelling vision that will raise our country towards unified action. I was hoping for admission of our division and a call for being better together. There were elements of it: a trillion trees, a million scholarships, the first man and woman on Mars. But I did not find President Trump inspiring about these suggestions. And it was hard to consider, even believe, them when they were drowned out by the partisan agenda of the rest of the speech.

The State of the Union is no longer about the Union. For many presidencies now it has been about advancing a partisan agenda, bolstering polls, starting, solidifying or strengthening campaign rhetoric. Last night was the same, with President Trump's personal flavor.

What was missing was the call to grow and advance the country, and because of America's influence, the world. The State of the Union was missing a uniting vision with grand ideas and goals. I would love to see that in our country and in future State of the Union's.