ICYMI: Marco Rubio takes a water break mid-State of the Union response.
(P.S. Need a recap of the State of the Union? Here you go.)
As President Obama prepares to deliver his State of the Union address, 13 million people still want to find work but can’t. An additional 10 million aren’t working as many hours as they’d like to or have given up even looking for a job. Corporate profits have soared to nearly $2 trillion a year, a record high. This is the true state of the union, economically.
— State of Hope—Or an Illusion? by Jim Tankersley.
“Start with the setting: the ornate chamber of the House of Representatives, where so much history has been made. Add in the cheering members who reach out to touch the president as he strides down the aisle and the speaker of the House forced to sit attentively behind him during the speech, showing respect for the leader of the other party. Then factor in the audience arrayed before the president—diplomats, Supreme Court justices, and uniformed leaders of the armed forces. And don’t forget the audience outside the chamber: For his first two State of the Union speeches, Obama was watched by 48 million Americans in 2010 and 43 million in 2011.”
— George Condon on how President Obama can use Tuesday’s State of the Union address to his campaign’s benefit. The president won’t have another prime-time opportunity until September.
