Will suggests that Justices, military, and Congress "boycott these undiginified" State of the Union address
March 12, 2010 5:50 am ET by Media Matters staff
From George F. Will's March 12 Washington Post column:
We could take one small step toward restoring institutional equilibrium by thinking as Jefferson did about State of the Union addresses. Justice Antonin Scalia has stopped going to them because justices "sit there like bumps on a log" in the midst of the partisan posturing -- the political pep rally that Roberts described. Sis boom bah humbug.
Next year, Roberts and the rest of the justices should stay away from the president's address. So should the uniformed military, who are out of place in a setting of competitive political grandstanding. For that matter, the 535 legislators should boycott these undignified events. They would, if there were that many congressional grown-ups averse to being props in the childishness of popping up from their seats to cheer, or remaining sullenly seated in semi-pouts, as the politics of the moment dictates.
In the unlikely event that Obama or any other loquacious modern president has any thoughts about the State of the Union that he does not pour forth in the torrential course of his relentless rhetoric, he can mail those thoughts to Congress. The Postal Service needs the business.
Good lord.
Look Mr. Will. You're an idiot. This is more than political grandstanding, although, of course, there is some of that going on no doubt. But, this is the State of the Union address, it addresses a joint session of Congress, it lays out where the President plans to go, his agenda, how he's going to govern.
Do you not think that this is important? I do. Even when the President in the office is someone I might not agree with, I would argue, it's even MORE important for the republicans to be there when Obama does his SOTU next year.
Do these folks HAVE to go to the SOTU? No, they don't have to go, nobody is forced to go. They can stay home if they want to.
Mr. Will, as I said before, you're an idiot. Suggesting that Congressmen stay away from the SOTU is just silly, and would be seen as childish, petty, and petulant. Sounds about right for you all on the right hand side of the aisle.
But there's no indication that the SOTU speech is "undignified".
And, oh yeah, of course we know that it's just coincidence that he made this realization during a Dem's tenure in office - like things suddenly changed once Obama got in office!
'Cause I don't.
Obama did make one small step towards improving the dignity of the speech this year: he did not have any crowd-pleasing guests (remember El Rushbo?) sit next to his wife in the gallery.
Uhmm...Two dozen guests were invited to sit in the presidents box for the SOTU. Many from swing states and for the the Barry's agenda. The "crowd-pleasing" guests included the two heroic officers who thwarted the terrorist shooting in Ft. Hood.
Sorry but Barry's not above the fray on this one.
Furthermore: "Barry"??? Could you show a little more disrespect and contempt next time? Maybe spit or something?
Whilst he has an impressive academic C.V. on paper I do not regard him as having the stuff to cut the mustard as a thinker. Speaking softly in a manner hopeful of enlightening the village idiot is no substitute for actually having thought of something intelligent to say.
Bereft of intellectual rigour, witless and not particularly funny, I can't understand why he is featured in either print or on television.
Oh yeah, the Orioles are gonna s*ck this year Georgie.
George Will is just engaging in some snitty pandering to the right.
from: State of the Union Messages: research notes by Gerhard Peters
No need for Congress to "boycott" the speech because:
Will could have suggested Congress simply withhold the invitation altogether so as to shut down the political theatre. But "boycott" just has a nastier activist ring to it, rather than suggesting the petulence of barring the President from speaking, and forcing him to submit a written report to fulfill his constitutional obligation.