How to deliver a memorable State of the Union speech

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Mar 07, 2024 View in browser   By Peder Schaefer Presented by Feeding America Journalists set up equipment for TV networks in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol today in preparation for President Joe Biden's State of the Union address. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images AVOID THE LAUNDRY LIST — When President Joe Biden takes the podium for his State of the Union address tonight, he’ll talk about making sure the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share, call on Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law and seek to lay out a stark contrast with a second potential Trump administration. He’ll also be attempting to ease concerns about his age and give his flagging poll numbers a boost. It won’t be easy. Biden will be fighting against history — only rarely have State of the Union speeches made an impact on the trajectory of a presidency or a reelection campaign. Instead, in recent decades, presidents have tended to deliver speeches that sound like glorified laundry lists of ideas. “It’s a reminder of the limits of rhetoric,” said Terry Szuplat, a former Obama speechwriter who worked on many State of the Unions during his time in the White House. Szuplat said that many of the greatest moments in American presidential speechmaking have come from a president responding to a moment of triumph or tragedy — such as Ronald Reagan’s address in Berlin in 1987 or John F. Kennedy’s 1962 speech on the space race — rather than formal SOTU addresses. The challenge with a State of the Union, Szuplat said, is that mobs of federal bureaucrats and armchair advisors try to force their pet policy and messaging ideas into the speech, making it difficult for the president to deliver a cohesive message. Some State of the Union speeches have still managed to break through. The trick? Embrace big, weighty ideas. Use evocative, memorable language worthy of the historic moment. Most of all, avoid the laundry list. “Great presidents have used State of the Union addresses as templates or a road map for the future of their presidency,” said presidential historian Yanek Mieczkowski of the University of Central Florida. Here are five speeches that hit that mark: 1823 — President James Monroe: The Monroe Doctrine In his 1823 State of the Union Speech President James Monroe outlined the Monroe Doctrine, his policy that warned European nations not to interfere in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere. While the Monroe Doctrine holds no legal standing, it’s an idea that’s been pivotal to American foreign policy for the past two centuries and the subject of countless exams for American high schoolers. The doctrine he laid out in 1823 has also been central to his legacy since. 1848 — President James K. Polk: Kicking off the gold rush  James K. Polk’s 1848 State of the Union speech marked the beginning of a new era in American life. He told Congress — and an interested public — that there was gold to be had in California. “The abundance of gold in [California] are of such an extraordinary character as would scarcely command belief,” Polk said, thereby kicking off the California gold rush. While there had been rumors of gold in the West trickling back East for months, it wasn’t until Polk confirmed the rumors in his speech that more Americans decided to head for the mines. In the wake of the speech, the non-native population of California exploded, making conditions ripe for California to apply for statehood, which later led to controversy in Congress and the Compromise of 1850. 1862 — President Abraham Lincoln: ‘Last best hope’  In the midst of a second year of Civil War, Abraham Lincoln’s 1862 State of the Union address sought to defend his Emancipation Proclamation and steady a nervous Union after the bloodshed at Antietam. But while the speech is notable for its un-Lincoln-like length and a long discourse on a compensated emancipation plan, where it shines most is Lincoln’s language connecting the cause of freedom with the direction of the nation. In closing, Lincoln wrote the memorable words: “We shall nobly save or meanly lose the last best hope of earth.” 1941 — President Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Four Freedoms In 1940, Franklin Delano Roosevelt won an unprecedented third presidential term as the specter of fascism loomed. FDR had campaigned for reelection on a relatively isolationist message, but as conditions worsened in Europe he used his January 1941 State of the Union speech to make his pitch that it was pivotal for America to defend democracy abroad. At the core of his speech FDR placed the “four essential human freedoms” — freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want and freedom from fear. 2002 — George W. Bush: ‘Axis of evil’ When George W. Bush stepped to the dais in January 2002, he was under intense pressure to calm an ailing nation and map out a strategy to address terrorism. 9/11 had occurred only a few months before, and a feeling of fear had enveloped the country. In an attempt to refocus concerns on rogue states rather than rogue terrorist groups, Bush said in his speech that North Korea, Iran and Iraq constituted an “axis of evil” that threatened “the peace of the world.” The phrase got major headlines, and the speech became one of the more memorable State of the Unions delivered in recent memory. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at pschaefer@politico.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @p_s_schaefer.   A message from Feeding America: By increasing TEFAP funding in the farm bill, Congress has the power to help us begin to end hunger. Learn more.   What'd I Miss? — Two clinics resume IVF treatment in Alabama: Two clinics in Alabama say they are resuming in vitro fertilization procedures after the governor signed legislation that protects physicians who provide the treatment. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday evening signed legislation passed by the state’s GOP-controlled Legislature that gives physicians providing IVF “civil and criminal immunity for any death or damage to embryos,” weeks after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children. — Biden’s Cabinet will stay through 2024, top aide says: White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients said in an interview Wednesday that the Cabinet and senior White House staff will remain in place for the balance of Biden’s first term — confirming reporting last year that Zients had requested senior personnel stay on through 2024. “We’ve had extraordinary retention and people who are committed to this president,” he said. “So, yes, we have the team in place.” — Ahead of SOTU, House passes bill named after murdered Georgia nursing student: Hours before President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, the House passed legislation that would require the detention of undocumented migrants charged with theft or burglary. The Laken Riley Act, named after a Georgia nursing student allegedly murdered by an undocumented immigrant, passed 251-170 with 37 Democrats in support. The measure would also empower state attorneys general to sue the federal government if they can show their states are being harmed through failure to enforce national immigration policies. And it comes as recent polling shows Americans see immigration as the most important issue facing the U.S. Nightly Road to 2024 GETTING IN LINE — Nevada’s Republican governor showed his strongest support Wednesday for Donald Trump in his legal battles since the former president was first indicted for falsifying business records nearly a year ago, reports the Associated Press. At the same time, Joe Lombardo distanced himself from Nevada’s six Republican so-called fake electors in a window into how he will weigh in on the 2024 election season. Lombardo’s comments came in a wide-ranging discussion with Jon Ralston, CEO and editor of The Nevada Independent, which hosts the speaker series “IndyTalks.” Over 90 minutes, Lombardo defended his vetoes of gun-control measures, gave himself a B+ grade for his first 14 months in office and lamented that he is still figuring out how to bring accountability to a historic $2.6 billion investment in public education. THE TRUMP TRAIN — Brian Jack, one of Donald Trump’s top lieutenants and longest-serving aides, filed to run for Congress in Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District today. A Fayette County native, Jack, 36, will be running for the seat held by Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.), who announced his retirement in December. Trump encouraged Jack to run in a post made to Truth Social this morning in which he said his longtime aide should “go for it, pursue his dream, and run for Congress.” Trump said that if Jack decided to run, he would have his “Complete and Total Endorsement!” THE DECEPTION DIFFERENCE — Donald Trump’s efforts to thwart a federal investigation into his hoarding of national security secrets set him apart from other political figures who’ve faced allegations of mishandling classified information, including President Joe Biden, Hillary and Bill Clinton, Mike Pence and James Comey, special counsel Jack Smith said in a court filing today. Rather than serve as evidence that Trump is being singled out by politically motivated prosecutors, Smith contends that the long list of figures — most of whom never faced any charges — underscores the egregiousness of Trump’s conduct, which was “aggravated” by his months-long refusal to return the documents. “While each of them, to varying degrees, bears a slight resemblance to this case … none is alleged to have willfully retained a vast trove of highly sensitive, confidential materials and repeatedly sought to thwart their lawful return and engaged in a multi-faceted scheme of deception and obstruction,” prosecutors argued in a 29-page brief, POLITICO reports. “There is no one who is similarly situated.” AROUND THE WORLD Humanitarian aid is dropped by the United States over Gaza City, Gaza Strip, on March 2, 2024. | Mohammed Hajjar/AP PORT PROMISE — During his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden will order the U.S. military to establish a temporary port in Gaza so more humanitarian aid can get to Palestinians in need, three senior administration officials said today, reports POLITICO. The U.S. military has “unique capabilities” that allow it to construct a port or causeway without having to send forces to Gaza’s shores, said one of the officials. “We’re not planning for this to be an operation that would require U.S. boots on the ground,” said a second one. All were granted anonymity to preview the president’s announcement. The move will help ships dock on the enclave’s coast to deliver food, water, medicine and other assistance. The Biden administration is working with governments and commercial partners to establish a maritime corridor from Cyprus to Gaza that will supplement aid already being delivered via airdrops and land routes. The U.S. is resorting to this military mission because Israel isn’t letting in enough aid to alleviate the humanitarian crisis caused by the Israel-Hamas war plaguing 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza, officials said. Biden will also announce the opening of a third land crossing into Gaza, which the United Nations confirmed today will allow aid to flow into the northern part of the territory. The U.S. continues to push on Israel to open more land routes which allow for more assistance to reach people in need more quickly and efficiently than via other avenues. POCKET POWER — Sweden is joining NATO, and it’s not coming empty-handed. Sweden’s membership is a huge geopolitical boost for NATO. Alliance members now encircle the Baltic Sea (with the exception of the narrow entry to St. Petersburg on the Gulf of Finland and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad). As well as making life difficult for Russia’s Baltic Sea Fleet, it also gives the alliance the ability to monitor critical pipelines and cables beneath the surface. Sweden is also a pocket military power. Despite a population of only 10 million, and last year spending only 1.54 percent of its GDP on defense, the country’s centuries of neutrality have forced it to develop a world-class military-industrial complex. POLITICO EU has a breakdown of Sweden’s capacities as part of NATO, now that its membership was made official today.   A message from Feeding America:   Nightly Number 13.54 degrees Celsius The average global temperature (56.37 degrees Fahrenheit) for the month of February, making it the hottest February on record. That marks the ninth straight record breaking month; February broke the old record set in 2016 by an eighth of a degree. RADAR SWEEP CATCHING UP — Are you behind on your viewing of Oscars movies? Or just a fan of some good criticism? In the magazine n+1, A.S. Hamrah continues a yearly tradition of taking a quick, capsule look at many of the Best Picture nominees and other films up for Oscars just in time for the ceremony this Sunday. Hamrah’s look at the movies also weaves many of their themes together, building a cohesive piece that takes a look at the year in movies — or at least the ones people in the industry liked enough to nominate for Oscars. Parting Image On this date in 1965: Civil rights demonstrators struggle on the ground as state troopers use violence to break up a march in Selma, Ala., on what is now known as Bloody Sunday. The supporters of black voting rights organized a march from Selma to Montgomery to protest the killing of a demonstrator by a state trooper and to improve voter registration for Black Americans. | AP Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.   A message from Feeding America: The Emergency Food Assistance Food Program (TEFAP) is one of the most effective ways we can reduce hunger in America. We need Congressional support to expand it. Right now, children, seniors, and families are facing hunger. Congress has the ability to help this issue. It’s time for them to step up. Learn more.     Follow us on Twitter Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh   Follow us

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