Chambers for Improvement

Today's prompt for the #YourTurnChallenge is "Tell us about something that you think should be improved."

That's an easy one to answer after last night's State of the Union Address. The usual phrase is "room for improvement." But after hearing the constant stream of disrespect in the House Chamber as the president spoke last night, I have to say we have "Chambers for improvement" (no, I'm not exempting the Senators).

Whether or not one agrees with President Obama, he is the elected leader of our country. Twice elected, as he reminded those who applauded his comment that he has no more campaigns to run. And while the president's zinger may have been more appropriate to a campaign rally than a State occasion, the derisive applause that prompted it was boorish and completely unbecoming.

How can we expect Congress to engage in the productive debate required to solve the challenges facing this country when they can't even give Mr. Obama forty-five minutes of polite attention?

Lack of audience civility aside, for me it was the best-written State of the Union Address that President Obama has delivered. Less a laundry list of programs and more a narrative about the values we share (or, depending on your politics, the values he wishes we would share). Congratulations to the White House speechwriting team.