The State of the Union response is a thankless job. It’s hard to do well, and frankly, seems like small ball in caparison to the grandeur of a Capitol setting. Add to that a 10-minute slot well past prime time, and it’s no wonder why it’s hard to captivate the American audience. The deck is clearly stacked in the president’s favor.
Even still, there have been memorable SOTU responses. But far too often they’ve been for the wrong reasons. Whether because of awkward body language or a less-than-authentic vocal delivery, these “What just happened?” moments have often become Saturday Night Live fodder or, worse, career altering.
The good news? Though it’s a tough sell, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, can take back the response. Here’s the good, the bad, the ugly of past responses, and the lessons Ernst can take from them:
Master the teleprompter
Giving a speech you didn’t write is hard. Giving a speech you didn’t write to a camera instead of an audience is harder. Adding a teleprompter to the mix can make the delivery down right difficult and even more painful to watch.
Some have mastered it, like President Obama and some haven’t, like Vice President Joe Biden. Last March, Biden admitted his inadequacy after having some issues. He said to the crowd, “Barack always kids and he says, ‘I’m learning to speak without a teleprompter, Joe is learning to speak with one.’”
While we don’t think of Biden as being a polished speaker with or without the help of words on a screen, teleprompter reads have often turned effective communicators into caricatures.
That brings us to 2009 when Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal delivered the response. At the time, his star was rising and there were talks about him running for the presidency. That all subsided after his few minutes in front of America.
Jindal went from an engaging, authentic-sounding American to something that resembled Mr. Rogers talking to kids about how crayons are made. The cheery staccato delivery was paired with a plastic smile that stayed throughout and often didn’t match his words. To top it off, his walk from the back room to center camera was anything but smooth — it truly was a walk of shame.
No doubt his delivery wasn’t authentic. The American people didn’t like what he became and his political trajectory changed.
Be human
Speaking of teleprompter reads, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is really good at it … really good, which is why it’s such a shame he made the list. But, who could forget his “water-gate” moment?
First things first, dry mouth happens. It happens to a lot of people. His big mistake wasn’t that he needed a drink of water. His big mistake was his attempt to sneak a quick drink in hopes that the audience wouldn’t notice. No dice. Drinking without anyone noticing is not his superhero gift.
To make matters worse, there was sweating, lip smacking and wiping of the mouth before he dove in. It was anything but comfortable to watch.
Besides hydrating in advance, Rubio could’ve taken a drink when needed, but taken his time. And while pausing for a sip of water in the middle of the response would’ve still been newsworthy, Rubio would’ve seemed in control and, well, like everyone one else, he would’ve seemed human.
Try something new
In efforts to combat the stale nature of the response, it is good to try something that breaks away from the typical deer-in-headlights setup.
In 2010, newly elected Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell did just that. He gave his response in front of an audience at the Virginia state house and the result was a natural delivery that more closely resembled the mood of the official State of the Union.
The kicker? He also had an authentic moment by pointing out his sons in the audience (the camera cutting to them). He said, “My 18-year-old twin boys have added pressure to me tonight by giving me exactly 10 minutes to finish before they leave to go watch Sports Center.” Well, who doesn’t agree with that?
But trying something new only works if it’s done well. That brings us to the following year when then Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., delivered the Tea Party response. To put it simply, every thing about it was strange.
She stood in front of a TV monitor displaying poorly designed graphs that looked more fitting for a middle school assignment than a State of the Union response. The classroom feel was complete with a lecture-like vocal delivery. Personally, I had flashbacks to detention.
But, the worst part? She looked off camera the entire time. It was so bad that Saturday Night Live’s Kristen Wiig had a field day and it became the opening skit the following week.
While adding high-quality animation and other out-of-the-box visuals may work if done well, they must be done well.
I for one am glad that Ernst will deliver the State of the Union Republican response. She is an engaging and effective communicator. But as we’ve learned, even the best of them can bite the dust. I hope history doesn’t repeat and that this time the response is memorable for all the right reasons.
Beverly Hallberg is president of District Media Group. Thinking of submitting an op-ed to the Washington Examiner? Be sure to read our guidelines on submissions for editorials, available at this link. Thinking of submitting an op-ed to the Washington Examiner? Be sure to read our guidelines on submissions for editorials, available at this link.
