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| Observing a Remarkable Tradition |
January 21, 2004 |
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Dear Friends,
State of the Union is one of the rituals that reinforce the remarkable endurance of our republican form of government. In the afternoon the House sends a message to the Senate that we have completed our regular business and we are ready to receive them.
After the hall is prepared, members of the House begin gathering at 7:30 or 8:00 pm having escorted their guests to the gallery. (By very longstanding tradition, each spouse of a member of the House has a seat in the gallery. That’s a tradition that won’t change anytime soon; even the most combative members of Congress know better than to mess with the Wives’ Club!)
The Speaker welcomes members of the Senate to the People’s House and they enter in a long line having crossed the rotunda from the other side of the Capitol. The aisle they walk down in the center of the House is the one that, generally, divides the two parties and gives rise to the phrase “the other side of the aisle.”
The Speaker welcomes the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court who attend in their robes, the members of the President’s Cabinet, and the dean of the diplomatic corps. The Vice President, who is also, under the Constitution, the President of the Senate sits, side-by-side, with the Speaker on the rostrum.
Interestingly, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Chiefs of Staff of each of the services do not enter the chamber with the Cabinet or as a separate branch of government. The military is raised and supported by the Congress, are sworn to protect and defend the Constitution, and take orders from the President as the Commander-in-Chief. They enter unannounced from a door near the Speakers rostrum and sit in the front. The symbolism of that act is important, I think.
Finally, a delegation of House and Senate members are sent out of the chamber to escort the President to the House.
The rituals of the State of the Union mirror the rituals of the Inauguration. The structures of our government that share power under our constitution gather together for an hour to hear a message from the President. We do not always agree. There are some points made that get hearty applause from all – like support for our men and women in uniform. There are others where only a few respond.
For me, last night’s highlights were the initiatives on education and healthcare – ideas to get professionals in math and science into our high school classrooms and more Advanced Placement classes in schools in low-income neighborhoods, and help for small businesses to be able to afford insurance for their employees.
Within an hour or a little more, the bright lights dim and the crowd disperses to their homes, to return phone calls from local reporters asking what we thought, or to receptions around Washington. We go back to our roles in this arrangement crafted by James Madison that balances power and protects citizens from tyranny.
Wish you were here,
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