Political Quotes

“as the world knows by now, tonight President Trump will deliver his delayed State of the Union Message. This is a tradition that, of course, dates back to the Constitution, but the Constitution is ambiguous or unclear or actually doesn't say exactly how that annual message should be delivered. We know that George Washington, for example, delivered his annual message in 1790 at the Federal Hall of New York City, which was the temporary seat of the Federal Government at the time. Although John Adams delivered an in- person address, the tradition didn't last very long. Our third President, Thomas Jefferson, chose to deliver the message in writing, a practice that lasted for nearly a century--that is, until President Woodrow Wilson chose to speak to the Congress in 1913. According to the Washington Post, people were outraged at this breach of tradition, which maybe speaks to how hard change is in Washington, DC. The paper wrote ``All official Washington was agape last night over the decision of the President to go back to the long-abandoned custom.'' Coming face-to-face with Members of Congress was President Wilson's attempt to bring about a closer intimacy between the Congress and the Chief Executive, and I am glad this time the tradition has stuck. I know there are those who disagree, and perhaps that has to do with the endless wave of standing ovations that Congress gives that punctuates the modern speech, which I could do with less of.…”