State of the Union address is like a "coolaid" ad

The President's State of the Union address is like an ad put out by a food company on its coolaid drink. The whole address is fraught with soothing soundbites, devoid of any substantial public policy discourse. Maybe it is intended this way. The State of the Union address may have never been a platform intended to explain, but rather to sell, to the people, the Whitehouse's policies. That is really sad. In these days, serious politics is so boring to people. Politics needs to be packaged, watered-down, and then carefully marketed. For ordinary citizen, it is impossible to tell what is the fact, and what is only marketing.

On the other hand, the Democrats rebuttal is kind of like a negative ad run by a competiting food company. That never works well.

Thinking back, Bush was elected (really?) in 2000 on the platform of compassionate conservatism. But all these years, I have seen plenty of conservatism in action, but compassion only in talks. Where is the compassion in Bush's radical unilateralistic foreign policy? Where is the compassion in cutting Medicaid, and student loan program? Where is the compassion in cutting small social programs in favor of spendings that benefit military contractors, energy companies, and pharmaceutic and insurance companies? Where is the compassion in Hurricane Katrina? Where is the compassion in locking up people without trials? Where is the compassion in Abu Graib? Where is the compassion in extraordinary renditions? Where is the compassion in secret prisons? Where is the compassion?