State of the Union Seating: Democrats and Republicans

Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya

No Labels crowd's singing, Lord, kumbaya
No Labels crowd's singing, Lord, kumbaya
No Labels crowd's singing, Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya

Someone's sitting across the aisle, Lord, kumbaya
Someone's sitting across the aisle, Lord, kumbaya
Someone's sitting across the aisle, Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbayah

Dems and Republicans together, Lord, kumbaya
Dems and Republicans together, Lord, kumbaya
Dems and Republicans together, Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya

No Labels may get its wish for a "State of the Unity."

From the Washington Post:

A plan that would have Republicans and Democrats sit side-by-side during this month's State of the Union address has picked up support from nearly one-fifth of the Senate as well as a handful of House members, including a top House Republican.

Seventeen senators have co-signed a letter drafted by Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) to congressional leaders urging them to back the idea of members of both parties sitting next to each other rather than at opposite ends of the House chamber during President Obama's Jan. 25 address.

Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced Friday that she is a "co-leader" of the letter. In addition to the 17 senators co-signing Udall's letter to leadership, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), the third-ranking Senate Democrat, has also come out in favor of the plan.

Among the 17 senators co-signing Udall's letter are five Republicans -- Murkowski and Sens. John McCain (Ariz.), Olympia Snowe (Maine), Susan Collins (Maine) and Kelly Ayotte (N.H.) -- and 11 Democrats -- Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), Ron Wyden (Ore.), Mark Begich (Alaska), Barbara Boxer (Calif.), Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Ben Nelson (Neb.), Mary Landrieu (La.), Jack Reed (R.I.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.). Connecticut Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman has also signed on.

The proposal has also picked up the support of eight House members, including House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). McCarthy, the third-ranking House Republican, told reporters at a media briefing Friday morning at the House GOP's annual retreat in Baltimore that he planned to sit next to Hoyer during the president's address. Hoyer, the number-two House Democrat, came out in favor of the bipartisan seating plan Thursday.

I think this is silly. It's theater. Lame theater. Meaningless.

Will the members of the House and Senate wear caps to show their party affiliation so the television audience can see the mixing? That would be necessary for it to work visually.

Of course, the applause and ovations, the cheering and sneering, will display the party lines. But that sort of defeats the purpose.

We do have a two-party system in this country. That's a good thing. Why pretend those divisions aren't there? Mixed seating doesn't blur the lines.

Does anyone really think that Jared Loughner wouldn't have gone on his murderous shooting rampage if he happened to hear of the mixed seating plan for Obama's State of the Union speech?

It's ridiculous.

There is no way that Dems and Republicans sitting together during the speech will bring Americans together.

You can be sure that party operatives will be tweeting and blogging throughout the speech, spinning and fact-checking what Obama has to say. The Dems and Republicans will be holding viewing parties and fundraising. The slurs and insults and accusations will be flying. That's politics.

Obama is sure to use rhetoric that is deceptive and divisive. I don't expect him to change his stripes. Last year, he had no qualms about insulting the Supreme Court Justices sitting before him. It was so slimy. Will a different Obama deliver the State of the Union this year?

I sincerely doubt it.

But look! The Democrats and Republicans are sitting together!

So what?

It's meaningless.

Remember on 9/11 when the Democrats and Republicans joined together on the steps of the Capitol and sang "God Bless America"?

That symbolic display of unity was extremely and shamefully short-lived.

Within months of the al Qaeda attacks, the Democrats were screaming that President Bush could have prevented the bloodshed, that he knew in advance planes were going to be hijacked and flown into targets chosen for maximum symbolic and human loss.

If an event like 9/11 doesn't unify the country and cause the ugly rhetoric and political posturing to ebb, nothing will.

So, elected officials can sit wherever they want when Obama delivers his State of the Union address. I don't think it matters at all. It's meaningless.

Rather than mixed seating, I'd prefer Obama apologize for his personal history of irresponsible, violent political rhetoric.