Biden’s administration should modernize the State of the Union to better reach both older and younger voters.
The State of the Union address is set for March 7, the latest it has been since 1934 (and, intriguingly, just days after Super Tuesday). The White House has been working around the clock to craft a speech that crystallizes the president’s accomplishments over the past year and clearly sets forth his vision for the future, in hopes of building support for his re-election. If the past is prologue, it is likely President Joe Biden will speak for roughly one hour and follow a traditional list-driven format.
But it doesn’t have to be like that.
With the future of democracy hinging on the outcome of this year’s election, Biden’s administration should modernize the State of the Union to better reach all generations. Two of the most important audiences for this reinvention are also key to his re-election prospects: young people, who are 2024’s largest voting bloc, and those over 65, who traditionally are the most likely to vote.
The authors of this piece represent those demographic groups. As both of us work to mobilize our generational peers to vote, we have found that despite persistent messaging, many still remain unaware of what Biden has accomplished as president and what he could accomplish with four more years. Worse, some have accepted lies about what Donald Trump did in his first term or haven’t heard the truth about how he would destroy democracy if he gets another.
On nearly every issue both our generations care about — from climate change to the burden of student loans to reducing gun violence, improving our stature in the world order, and securing voting rights at home — Biden and his administration have delivered. Their agenda for a second term matches the values of these groups.
But that doesn’t matter unless the message gets through, and more messaging to television viewers and newspaper readers about the facts is not the answer for either group. Instead, the message must be delivered in a way that voters from both our generations will hear, believe, and feel matters to their lives.
For young voters, that effectively eliminates the hope of using traditional media — newspapers, television, radio and cable — to deliver the message. Data shows that young people simply do not get their information there. Instead, the majority of young people get their “news” from social media.
And although the older generations do consume traditional media, they need a message crafted to show how Biden’s achievements have affected their lives.
