Jeff Hurvitz: State of disunion?

On January 8, 1790, at the-then U.S. capitol in New York City, President Washington delivered the first State of The Union address to a joint session of Congress. It was brought to birth through Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution which asked that each President deliver information on the country’s condition along with measures recommended for the legislature. That presentation of 1,099 words thus began an annual tradition.

On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump gave a speech that lasted a record one hour and 47 minutes. It was viewed by an estimated TV audience of 27.8 million, down from last year’s 31.45. In besting President Bill Clinton’s 2000 address that lasted one hour and 28 minutes, our POTUS brought more division to an already split condition.

He spent much of his time blasting Democrats, along with his predecessor, and boasting of his own accomplishments, many of which were highly questionable. It was not what this country needed. Had he stuck just with facts, such as the closing of our southern border and his hand in neutralizing Iran’s nuclear program, his presentation would have had much more weight.

The whole concept of the State of The Union address has steadily grown out of proportion. The first major injection of media into the equation occurred when radio coverage was introduced in 1923. President Harry Truman became the first to appear on TV in 1947. Then President Lyndon Johnson had the event move into prime time TV in 1965. With the progression has come more fluff and less substance.

The most recent incarnations have become promotional pieces for administrations. President Trump spent much time celebrating the gold medal-earning U.S. Olympic teams’ success. A great achievement for sure. But where was the mention of a real battle threatening to take place, as U.S. warships threaten to fire upon Iran? The country needed to hear about the rationale of this. Also, it needed a factual look at our economy, as prices have gone up. And while war heroes were properly introduced, where was the mention of U.S. citizens whose lives were taken by ICE agents?

To realize the split that has occurred in the U.S. one need only look at the breakout of TV viewership for the address. Conservative Fox News claimed 9.1-million sets of eyes, while Fox Broadcast Network had 3.3. Liberal-skewing NBC had 3.6, MSNow 3.4 and CNN 2.2. As viewers have retreated to their respective corners of the political ring, it would have been a good idea to see our leader act as a unifier in his speech.

That this most recent State of the Union address has become more of a component in a political campaign is nothing more than a wasted opportunity. The event has strayed way too far from its 1790 origins. It is time that we see a return to its original purpose.

It was philosopher John Dewey who said that a key to democracy was “the necessity of every mature human being in formation of the values that regulate the living of men together.” The word together appeared absent from the thought process in the address by our President.

Jeff Hurvitz (jrhurvitz@aol.com) is a freelance writer and native Philadelphian.