What State of the Union Says About American Politics

The world of politics has always been one filled with raucous debate and fiery speeches.

Starting with the first constitutional convention where the nation’s founders fought over the ideas that would become the principles of what was called the experiment that was America, to the historic debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, to the emotionally charged and passionate arguments in the 1960’s over civil rights, politics is not for the weak.

So the annual event that we call the State of the Union Address Thursday night had lots of reminders of all this political history.

It has always been seen as an event filled with pomp and circumstance, from the shouting of the famous words, “Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States”, to the long walk to the large podium, the loud applause on one side of the chamber and the silence on the other, and with the party of the current president standing up a lot during the speech while the members of the opposing party do more sitting than standing.

With cameras pointing in all directions, we witness the smiles and the smurks, the nodding of heads and the shaking of heads, the glares, the sneers and even sometimes the tears.

It is all certainly representative of American politics and on display are our leaders, from both parties, all of whom have taken an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States” offering us a view of what our politics is all about.

(Photo Getty Images)