Tomorrow night, President Biden will deliver his State of the Union before a joint session of Congress. Spoiler alert – the Democrats will say the state of the union is strong, the Republicans will say it is weak, and political pundits will spend hours dissecting who stood up when, and *gasp* did you see the face that one person made?!? By Wednesday afternoon, we won’t remember any of it.
The players of political theater will spend tomorrow night talking about everyday Americans like us, but they certainly won’t be talking to us. Instead, they’re talking to their partisan base. It’s no coincidence that the number of Americans who watch the State of the Union (~16%) is roughly the same as the percentage of Americans who participate in primary elections. Our politics is built for party bases, not everyday people.
In reality, we all know the state of our union is far more complex than any speech or response can capture. While the leaders of the major parties and media focus on platitudes, the issues facing everyday Americans go ignored. We’re doing things differently at Forward, and we look forward to hearing you share your story with us.