OPINION — During his State of the Union address, Donald Trump called congressional Democrats corrupt, liars, cheaters, crazy, pro-crime and sick. After that, he got downright rude.
In the modern era, the State of the Union had assumed the attributes of a democratic ritual, an occasion in which, in part, the country commemorated our shared commitment to self-governance. That’s the rationale for the attendance of Supreme Court justices and the military brass. Their presence would be inappropriate for a purely political speech and occasion.
This is a modern invention. The Constitution only provides that the president “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”
