# He Shall From Time to Time (SOTU 2018) **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 23, 2018, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261 "2018-01-23T00:58:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RadioWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RadioWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioWave)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261/1 "2018-01-23T00:58:47Z")
> [@](#): > > He shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient. One week from now, President Donald J. Trump delivers his first state of the union address to the nation. You may recall that he addressed a joint session of Congress back in February and surprised many with a relatively calm (for him) stick-to-the-script speech. This time, I expect he’ll bring more fire and fury if not facts. His strength has always been self aggrandizement and this is the perfect opportunity for him to bring it with both barrels. Expect him to spend the majority of time talking about his many great accomplishments, more accomplishments in fact, than any President in history has ever achieved. All this in spite of the non stop obstruction of the Democrats and fake news media. I also think it will be a very personal speech for him, attacking people and reporters by name. One thing I think we won’t get is any major new policy announcements or initiatives. For the response, I think the Democrats should be using this to their advantage in the mid terms rather than trying to fast track a nominee for 2020. Sure, spend a few minutes tying the Republican party to Trump and reminding them of what a scumbag he is but then start focusing on building the 2018 theme. Turn the conversation away from Pelosi and Obama and towards people like Patty Schachtner and her message of helping everyday people. Talk about the common man and what they’re doing to help them and then show how Republican policies are going to hurt their children in the long run by adding debt, increasing the wealth disparity between rich and middle class and ruining the environment. Make it an emotional appeal. For those drinking along at home, I think the bingo buzzwords to watch out for will be “Russia” and “Fake” in the same sentence. What are your predictions? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261/2 "2018-01-23T02:23:25Z")
I predict it’ll be fairly boilerplate and reasonably well-composed, but when Trump reads a phrase he likes (and was not previously familiar with, as he’ll have had no part in writing the address), he’ll go off on a semi-coherent tangent that will be widely considered the highlight. ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261/3 "2018-01-23T03:24:48Z")
Kim Jong Un will get a mention, and either a clever new nickname, a new threat to incinerate Pygongyang, or Trump will claim credit for the latest dialog between the Koreas. Also we’ll hear how villainous and untrustworthy China is. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261/4 "2018-01-23T05:51:07Z")
He’ll be praising everything from how he saved the banks and auto companies, all the way to his help with something that never happened (like exposing Obama as a Kenyan Muslim). Jokes about Mexico and Hillary. Yada yada. I’m hoping he’ll make an excuse to cancel it and not embarrass an entire nation. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261/5 "2018-01-23T05:57:05Z")
He’ll trudge through some crap that he’s never read before, and so long as he gets through it without pooping on the floor, the cable news will declare it to be the most presidential address since Lincoln’s second inaugural. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261/6 "2018-01-23T05:58:08Z")
Definitely Dow Jones and its 90 record-breaking highs. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261/7 "2018-01-23T06:07:35Z")
I’m sure Stephen Miller has written another masterpiece, this time he doesn’t have to share credit with that other Steve. ---
**Author:** ![AI\_Proofreader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@AI\_Proofreader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AI_Proofreader)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261/8 "2018-01-23T06:12:32Z")
I’d bet good money that he’ll claim credit for things he had nothing to do with or actively opposed at some point, at least a dozen times. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261/9 "2018-01-23T15:12:57Z")
I predict that I’ll not bother watching because: 1. I gave up on this useless showboating of a political speech long ago. 2. Trump. Otherwise, yeah, he’ll tell us how great he is. Best president there ever was! ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261/10 "2018-01-23T17:46:25Z")
> [@AI\_Proofreader](#): > > I’d bet good money that he’ll claim credit for things he had nothing to do with or actively opposed at some point, at least a dozen times. Like f’rinstance > [@Velocity](#): > > Definitely Dow Jones and its 90 record-breaking highs. Totally agreed; he’ll be all about the economy, jobs, the Dow, the tax bill. He’ll mention WalMart raising wages. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261/11 "2018-01-23T18:37:22Z")
“[The President] shall From time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he **shall** judge necessary and expedient.” [INDENT] – US Constitution, Article II, Section 3 [/INDENT]Note that it doesn’t say the President has to do this every year on a given date, nor that he has to deliver the State of the Union in person before a joint session of Congress. I’d love to see a president decide to skip the annual SOTU rigamarole, and just send out a white paper, from “time to time”. ---
**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 23, 2018, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261/12 "2018-01-23T18:42:39Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > “[The President] shall From time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he **shall** judge necessary and expedient.” > [INDENT] – US Constitution, Article II, Section 3 > > [/INDENT]Note that it doesn’t say the President has to do this every year on a given date, nor that he has to deliver the State of the Union in person before a joint session of Congress. > > I’d love to see a president decide to skip the annual SOTU rigamarole, and just send out a white paper, from “time to time”. I’d like to see him send a one sentence message: “Things are cool. TTYL” ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261/13 "2018-01-23T18:43:52Z")
Three possibilities: 1. He will struggle through a speech he can barely read and little understands 2. We will get an incoherent “The State Of Trump” campaign rally speech 3. The most likely-a muddled combination of the two. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261/14 "2018-01-23T18:47:35Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I’d like to see him send a one sentence message: “Things are cool. TTYL” Works for me. (By the way, my desire to can the SOTU is a bipartisan one - the SOTU is a waste of time, mere political posturing that achieves nothing, no matter the political affiliation of the incumbent.) ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261/15 "2018-01-23T21:38:54Z")
I can’t help wondering if he’ll stick to the script. My guess is he will at first, but as he and his ego warm up, he’ll go off-script. Who’s giving the Democratic response? Whoever it is should be prepared to adjust the response to address any idiotic/incendiary off-the-cuff remarks. ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261/16 "2018-01-23T21:45:19Z")
Scenes we’d like to see: a Democrat shouting “you lie!” ---
**Author:** ![tripthicket](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripthicket/32/297_2.png) [@tripthicket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tripthicket)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261/17 "2018-01-24T03:10:56Z")
Putting money down that his yuge electoral college victory will get a mention. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261/18 "2018-01-24T13:01:26Z")
I predict that three quarters of the way through he’ll mumble, glug some water (half of which will dribble down his chin), choke on the water, and collapse. Other than this, the speech will be unremarkable. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261/19 "2018-01-24T13:17:49Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I predict that I’ll not bother watching because: > > 1. I gave up on this useless showboating of a political speech long ago. > > 2. Trump. > > Otherwise, yeah, he’ll tell us how great he is. Best president there ever was! All of this. The usual SOTU address is largely content-free anyway, and the novelty of a president unable to give a coherent speech without deviating into rambling incoherence, petty sniping and/or delusional self-aggrandizement wore off long ago. > [@HelenGawn](#): > > Scenes we’d like to see: a Democrat shouting “you lie!” And the triggering of millions of Republican snowflakes complaining about how _mean_ Democrats are. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261/20 "2018-01-29T19:52:33Z")
My money is on the more scripted address. Afterwards, however, he will claim that it had the highest ratings ever (in fact, that may end up being true but not for the reasons he thinks). It will have been the best SOTU address given by any President ever! Just tremendous! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-shall-from-time-to-time-sotu-2018/807261.md?page=2)