As a political junkie, I’ll admit it: I love the president’s annual State of the Union speeches, regardless of who’s in the White House.
Every year, I’m inspired by the ceremonial nature of the evening, as members of Congress, cabinet secretaries and Supreme Court justices gather together in a spirit of congeniality to honor one of our republic’s great traditions.
And naturally, no State of the Union address is complete without a little political posturing on both sides: During President Clinton’s speeches, Democrats were always poised to cheer and applaud, while Republicans would sit on their hands; a few years later, during the Bush presidency, those roles were reversed.
Of course, the substance of the speeches is always another story — a president and his staff view the State of the Union address as a laundry list of grand ideas that will serve as the foundation of their historical legacy. Most of the time, those “grand ideas” amount to empty promises that will never be kept.
As President Obama takes to the chamber Tuesday to deliver his 2012 State of the Union address, we’d do well to remember that much of what is promised will never come to pass.
Consider this: In 2002, President Bush promised that winning the war on terror, protecting the homeland and kick-starting the economy would require a “deficit that will be small and short term, so long as Congress restrains spending and acts in a fiscally responsible manner.”
In fact, President Bush called for restraint in spending and fiscal discipline in each of his State of the Union speeches, a fact that was apparently lost on Congress and the rest of his administration. By the end of the Bush presidency, the federal budget deficit and debt burden were the largest in history.
After Bush left office and President Obama took the podium, the new president also spoke of the virtues of fiscal responsibility and more responsible government. “Like any cash-strapped family, we will work within a budget to invest in what we need and sacrifice what we don’t,” President Obama declared in 2010. “We will continue to go through the budget, line by line, page by page, to eliminate programs that we can’t afford and don’t work.”
So far, the Obama administration has identified precious few of these unaffordable and unworkable programs to be eliminated — our ballooning debt ($15 trillion and growing) and massive deficits ($1.3 trillion for the last fiscal year) are a testament to the dangers of runaway government spending.
It would be nice if the president were to break the pattern and use the occasion of the State of the Union to level with the American people and Congress. He could admit that budget reform and lower spending are an absolute necessity — and then meet that challenge with a budget plan for the coming year that brings spending to heel.
He could emphasize that without serious reform to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and defense spending, the nation faces an unsustainable fiscal future — and then follow that point with real action to lead the way on reform. And he could illustrate how getting the debt and deficit under control would help to reduce the government’s hold on the economy, thereby allowing for economic growth and job creation.
Would the American people welcome that kind of straight talk? I believe they would. According to recent polling conducted on behalf of Public Notice, the organization I head, voters would like to hear the president focus more on jobs and the economy, rather than additional spending.
Meanwhile, more than half — 56 percent — believe the federal government does more to hurt than help the economy, and they’d like less intervention when it comes to spending and regulations.
The fact is, meaningful change in the way our nation does business is simply not going to be found in any presidential speech or proclamation. True change will require real courage and vision, with our nation’s leaders working together to get real results.
So when the president speaks on Tuesday, let’s all enjoy the pomp and circumstance, and let’s celebrate the fact that we share a common history and common values as Americans, and let’s appreciate an evening of civil discourse and, yes, even disagreement. But just remember that what he promises in that laundry list of a speech is mostly empty promises.
And the opportunity for real leadership will have to wait for another day.
Gretchen Hamel is executive director of Public Notice, an independent, nonpartisan, non-profit dedicated to providing facts and insight on the economy and how government policy affects Americans’ financial well-being.