The State of the Union Address is pointless.
This is in no way meant to be hyperbolic, but there is just nothing that connects the commentary to reality. Each year, the president saunters to the podium, waxes poetic about all the wonderful things their administration has accomplished in the previous 12 months and then leaves to applause from their respective party. It's a victory lap. And one that's taken regardless of whether the administration has earned the right to tout its accomplishments.
This problem is also not party specific. This week President Biden went on-and-on about battling Covid, going head-to-head with Russia and removing our troops from Afghanistan. A few years ago it was President Trump praising our economy, position in the world and overall health of the United States from a global perspective. Seven years ago, President Obama went on ad-nauseam about our healthcare system and how the Affordable Care Act has done wonders in terms of access and price.
The truth is, our Afghanistan exit was poorly handled under Biden, our position in the world was heavily criticized under Trump and the Affordable Care Act kicked a door open when it comes to healthcare, but failed to accomplish much of what was and is still needed in that space.
Yet, each of these leaders was in no way contrite in their respective speeches. By their standards, each is flawless in their approach to being President.
And that's the problem with the State of the Union. It's not grounded in reality. These speeches are 90 minute puff pieces meant to drum up support for the current leader's efforts and party, and they do nothing to attract undecided voters or attempt to heal political division.
Now, if a president were to use this address to discuss their shortcomings in the last year that would get my attention. If Biden said, we really weren't prepared for the trouble we faced when exiting Afghanistan and I never should have declared victory over Covid-19, my respect for the 46th President of this country would rise significantly. If Trump were to admit his candor and abrasiveness is good for intimidation, but bad for coalition building I would have been more inclined to listen to his world view. And if Obama admitted the Affordable Care Act failed to accomplish what it was truly intended to do, and in fact made things more difficult for some citizens then I would want to hear his plan on how to revise the legislation.
My guess is many voters would too.
We live in a society where admitting fault is often seen as a weakness, and it's not. It shows willingness to grow and learn from mistakes. That's what a leader at any level should be. A true leader is someone who knows they aren't going to get it right all the time and the only way to get better is to accept accountability.
It's unrealistic to expect the State of the Union to be a running list of the current president's foibles, but it should be far more than their self-proclaimed greatest hits. Until it evolves, it will only serve to further divide.