# 2016 State of the Union address tonight 01/12/16 **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 12, 2016, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971 "2016-01-12T22:17:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971/21 "2016-01-13T02:45:32Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > It’s not a secret. It was until NPR uncovered it. [QUOTE=NPR News Story] A spokeswoman for the Liberty Counsel said it would not say which member of Congress invited Davis. “No, we are not releasing that information,” Charla Bansley told NPR. [/QUOTE] Reporters dug and found it was Jordan. Only after being confronted did Jordan’s office confirm it was them. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971/22 "2016-01-13T03:16:15Z")
I would like to see a series of color photographs of the SOTU over the years. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971/23 "2016-01-13T03:17:46Z")
Good job, Barry. Snarky when necessary, inspiring when needed. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971/24 "2016-01-13T03:24:18Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > It was until NPR uncovered it. > > Reporters dug and found it was Jordan. Only after being confronted did Jordan’s office confirm it was them. I’m sure she had to be vetted by somebody, like the Capitol Police, or the Secret Service. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971/25 "2016-01-13T03:28:07Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > I love watching Paul Ryan sitting behind Obama. His sour look is somehow more entertaining than his predecessor. > > I love that his role requires him to resist clapping even for the controversial idea that we should…cure cancer. “Yeah, that sounds like a leftist, liberal thing, I can’t appear to support that.” Yeah I notice Paul Ryan too , his body language speech volume to me ! ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971/26 "2016-01-13T03:38:33Z")
> [@j666](#): > > (Is it me, or is this one a bit boring?) Aren’t all State of the Union addresses boring? They all say the same sort of thing, they’re full of the President talking about how great his policies are, and inevitably include statements that he’s concerned about bad things and proposals that will probably die in Congress. He should just send a note over to Congress each year instead of wasting everybody’s time with the crap that’s the modern State of the Union address. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971/27 "2016-01-13T03:39:05Z")
He got that ‘cure cancer’ line from The West Wing’ - a credible enough source given the current state of politics. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971/28 "2016-01-13T03:43:00Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Aren’t all State of the Union addresses boring? They all say the same sort of thing, they’re full of the President talking about how great his policies are, and inevitably include statements that he’s concerned about bad things and proposals that will probably die in Congress. > > He should just send a note over to Congress each year instead of wasting everybody’s time with the crap that’s the modern State of the Union address. No, they’re not all boring. And this one interested me more toward the end. I’m surprised you watched it if you feel that way about them. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971/29 "2016-01-13T03:50:21Z")
> [@j666](#): > > I’m surprised you watched it if you feel that way about them. I didn’t. I’ll read it tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971/30 "2016-01-13T04:01:30Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > I didn’t. I’ll read it tomorrow. No, really? Well, thank you for your insightful analysis. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971/31 "2016-01-13T04:02:37Z")
His delivery was eloquent. And it had a positive tone to it. I enjoyed it. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971/32 "2016-01-13T04:31:46Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > His delivery was eloquent. > > And it had a positive tone to it. > > I enjoyed it. Which is why reading it is purposely missing most of the experience. I’m picturing Cap’n Amazing telling his friends “No thanks, I’m going to skip Star Wars and just read a transcript tomorrow.” ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971/33 "2016-01-13T05:22:32Z")
It felt like he was campaigning. I really enjoyed it. He was loose, funny, snarky at times, inspirational, and I also loved seeing Ryan stay rigid most of the night. (“Don’t clap for vets. Don’t clap for curing cancer. Don’t clap for America. Don’t clap for kittens in a shoebox. Nailed it!”) ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971/34 "2016-01-13T05:37:02Z")
[Congressman Tim Murphy sent out his criticism of the State of the Union speech two hours before Obama actually, you know, made the speech.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tim-murphy-obama-state-of-the-union_56959920e4b086bc1cd5d222?section=politics) ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971/35 "2016-01-13T08:23:21Z")
The Republicans were idiots not to have Donald TRUMP give the response to the State of the Union-ratings would have zoomed through the roof and certainly beat the President’s speech itself had they done so. Instead they pick some low-energy genderbent Bobby Jindal. ---
**Author:** ![botsgotme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@botsgotme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/botsgotme)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971/36 "2016-01-13T11:53:39Z")
The Iranians provided a nice riposte!:eek: ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971/37 "2016-01-13T12:31:03Z")
I think it was one of the better speeches he’s ever given. Love it when he told them that the only people in the country with secure jobs and retirement and health benefits were in the chamber. I think he struck a nerve by telling the Congress how they’re trapped in the partisan divide thanks to gerrymandering. A bouquet of skunk cabbage to Nikki Haley for her vapid response. I’m amazed she didn’t open by saying “It’s a beautiful day in South Carolina”. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971/38 "2016-01-13T13:28:02Z")
I swore off SOTUs some time ago - I think in Slick Willie’s time. I just hated the repeated SOs from the supporting party, and the sour looks from the opponents. Really made me think the less of all of them. And after hearing enough of them, the nutshell version coulda been read in 5 minutes. The rest, mostly empty platitudes, with little chance of being implemented. And this from the former PolSci grad student, whose group of geeks used to have SOTU/election night parties. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971/39 "2016-01-13T13:41:43Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > some low-energy genderbent Bobby Jindal. What an unpleasant, reductionist comment. ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971/40 "2016-01-13T13:52:18Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > The Republicans were idiots not to have Donald TRUMP give the response to the State of the Union-ratings would have zoomed through the roof and certainly beat the President’s speech itself had they done so. Instead they pick some low-energy genderbent Bobby Jindal. > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > What an unpleasant, reductionist comment. Seems about right coming from a poster who always writes the name as _ **TRUMP** _. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2016-state-of-the-union-address-tonight-01-12-16/742971.md?page=3)