Decorum Disaster

It’s not the substance. We knew that would be horrendous. It wasn’t the inane commentators after the speech. We knew they were high on “hopium”. The main thing that stuck out to me about President Obama’s State of the Union Speech last week was the complete and utter lack of decorum in the House Chamber that night.

From the President to the Speaker to the members, they all forgot where they were and who they are. They’re members of the United States government. They’re sitting in the Capital of this country. Not at a campaign rally. Not at a fundraiser. Not with a special interest shindig.

Let’s start with the President himself. I have the same critique of Obama in this speech than any other high profile speech he’s made as President. You want to yell, “It’s not all about you!!!” In an address about the state of the nation, he used the words “I”, “me”, or “my” over 110 times. He treated the state of the union like the state of Obama. He insulted the Supreme Court for not agreeing with him. The other branch, however, was the most distressing.

The Congressmen and women have a right to applaud a statement one side of the other likes. That’s normal and punctual. But every other sentence the President uttered was not just clapping, but also a cheering. A hooting and hollering reserved for campaign events. Nancy Pelosi alone made me think her legs were on a spring. Maybe she should have plastic surgery on the so they never move (like her face). It’s almost sad to see grown men and women, and members of the government no less, act like children at playtime.

I think we’ve lost decorum in many areas of our politics. It might just be me, but I think when the President is addressing people anywhere in the world, he needs to where a tie. He shouldn’t bow to anyone. Members of Congress should have a sense of the granger and history they are sitting in. Treat it with more respect than I saw last Wednesday.

I thought we’ve come further than the days of duels and fights on the House or Senate floor. Apparently this “progressive” President and Congress has regressed the etiquette for government officials. The way we’re going, next year Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden might actually throw a clump of mud at Joe Wilson.