No more State of the Union for me

I used to feel guilty if I didn’t listen to the State of the Union address, as if I were failing to be informed about politics and our nation.  No longer do I feel that way.  The annual speech is merely unbearable theatrics – worse than even pure politics, although that’s bad enough.  The applause, the camera shots of approving, disapproving, and famous faces, and the after-show analysis all disgust me.  How many times will TV audiences get to see Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama?  Plenty, I bet.  Worst of all is the actual speech.  I can hardly bear the tone, cadence, and content of most politicians’ speeches, and the State of the Union is no exception.  It will be all positive spin, and new programs and “initiatives” that will rarely be implemented.  I’m fine with Bush as a president, but even so, I don’t enjoy hearing that kind of talk.  Some people must, but why do the speechwriters feel that they have to cater to the lowest common denominator in America?  The day that a president speaks honestly, clearly, in a normal tone of voice, and without pausing for applause, is the day that I will enjoy listening to the address.