As far back as I can remember, the privilege to give a counter point to the sitting president on the night of the State of the Union often belonged to a rising star of the political opposition. But in lately, it has become a curse. It is true that tonight’s speaker, the Indian Governor Mitch Daniels, is a top tier name of the Republican party, but on a night like this, no amount of wattage can outshine the president.
And I am not talking just about the GOP, but also the Democratic opposition during the Bush years too. When the center of attention is on the stage craft of the Congressional joint session, the rebuttal looks terrible by comparison. Tonight is no different. Daniels’ backdrop is nice, regal even. But it feels less stately than the giant flag behind Obama and the many hundreds of attendants. It made listening to his speech so much harder. When there was no applause, there was no way to see the emphasis of the rhetoric. One might as well read it on a paper with a highlighter instead.
So why does this stale event keep happening?