Southern Illinois Congressman John Shimkus says it may be time to re-think how the State of the Union is delivered to Congress.A southern Illinois lawmaker thinks it may be time for Congress to re-think its State of the Union traditions. WSIU's Jennifer Fuller reports.
The Collinsville Republican says the address has become a 'made for TV, Prime Time' event, and isn't what the founders had in mind. He points to Tuesday night's speech, which he says included some immature behavior on both sides of the aisle.
"I mean, there are times when I think the President could've been more mature - like not shaking the Speaker's hand. But you have to remember, the House of Representatives and the Democrats just impeached him. And obviously, her ripping up the speech was not that mature, either. So there's immaturity showing on both sides."
Shimkus was a teacher, and hopes to get back to the classroom in retirement. He says originally, the State of the Union was a written report. He thinks the current setup gives the executive branch too much power over the legislative branch.
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