The State of the Union (SOTU) address is a communication between the Pres. and Congress in which the chief executive reports on the current conditions of the U.S. and provides policy proposals for the upcoming legislative year. Contents of this report: (1) Overview; (2) Historical Perspective; (3) Tradition and Ceremony; (4) Common Elements: The Sequence of Arguments; Recurring Themes: Past and the Future; Bipartisanship; (5) Policy Impact: Progression of Pres. Term: First Year Addresses; Midterm Addresses; Election Year Addresses; Second Term Addresses; Legislative Success and Policy Proposals; (6) Opposition Response; (7) Concluding Thoughts. Illustrations. This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication.

?A rich, thoughtful, and systematic look at the rhetoric and evolving impact of state of the union addresses.... invaluable." ?Bryan W. Marshall, Miami University ?An excellent, well-researched, persuasive contribution to the growing study of presidential rhetoric and policy agendas.? ?Sean J. Savage, St. Mary's College?Fills a significant void in the study of presidential leadership?. an impressive examination of the history, development, execution, and policy significance of the State of the Union address.? ?Joseph Cammarano, Providence College The State of the Union is no ordinary speech on at least two accounts: it is a fundamental statement of how a president approaches current policy debates, and it is the one presidential address that US citizens are most likely to hear each year. Donna Hoffman and Alison Howard document the political significance and legislative impact?or often, lack of impact?of this most visible of presidential communications.Exploring how and why the State of the Union address came to be a key tool in the exercise of presidential power, the authors outline the ways presidents use it to gain attention, to communicate with target audiences, and to make specific policy proposals. Their richly textured analysis offers a penetrating look at the complex relationship between contemporary presidential leadership and Congressional lawmaking. Donna R. Hoffman is assistant professor of political science at the University of Northern Iowa. Alison D. Howard is adjunct instructor of political science at Dominican University of California.Contents: Donning the Hat of Chief Legislator. The State of the Union Address Through Time. No Ordinary Speech. The President as Chief Legislator. Ask and Ye Shall Receive? Conclusion.

?One of the great unanswered questions of presidency scholars is why presidents try so hard to influence public opinion when the effort seems likely to be futile. Eshbaugh-Soha answers that question by looking at the indirect effects of presidential rhetoric. The result is essential reading.??Andrew Dowdle, University of ArkansasWhy do presidents bother to give speeches when their words rarely move public opinion? Arguing that ?going public? isn?t really about going to the public at all, Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha explores to whom presidential speeches are in fact targeted, and what?if any?influence they have on public policy.Eshbaugh-Soha shows that, when presidents speak, their intent is to provide legislators and bureaucrats with cues pointing to particular policy decisions. Analyzing 50 years of presidential rhetoric, he demonstrates the impact of such ?presidential signaling? vis-a-vis a range of policy areas. He finds that, although citizen support may increase the likelihood that a legislator will respond to presidential signals, it is not essential to a president?s legislative success.Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha is assistant professor of political science at the University of North Texas.Contents: Why Presidents Speak About Policy. Direct Signaling. When Signaling Works. Salience Matters. The Limits of Signals. Presidential Signaling and Public Policy.

The following book collates State of the Union Addresses delivered by the 40th U.S. president, Ronald Reagan, who was the first to begin the tradition. The State of the Union Address is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of each calendar year on the current condition of the nation. It generally includes reports on the nation's budget, economy, news, agenda, achievements and the president's priorities and legislative proposals.