January 20, 2015
Tonight the president will present his State of the Union message to Congress, and it will be broadcast by several television networks. Our Constitution states 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.”
Until 1946, the address was known as, “The Annual Message.” During the early 1940’s it was informally called, “The State of the Union” message/address. It became the “State of the Union Address” in 1947.
The Constitution requires that the President share information with Congress; it does not require a personal presence or a speech, and it certainly could not have required broadcast in media that did not exist at the time.
Until President Wilson’s address, the report to Congress was a tedious accounting of what the various executive departments had been doing throughout the year. Wilson established a precedent, followed by all his successors, of using the address to promote his agenda.
In this technological age of instant information available to members of Congress, and to virtually every American as well , it seems to me that the president could fulfill the constitutional requirements with a written report to Congress, personally meeting with members of Congress throughout the year, and utilizing the many multifaceted media throughout the year to communicate to all of us. In fact, all the presidents have done these things for years.
We will continue to observe the State-of-the-Union-Address custom because we love the pageantry, but we no longer live in the 18th Century, and our policies should reflect and make better use of the personal and instant communication that exists in our time.
Just sayin’