We here at AAUW know that you’re all looking for fun and exciting (and delicious!) ways to make the president’s State of the Union address tomorrow more interactive. Well, our wonderful Public Policy fellows and I have brainstormed a few great ways to enjoy the annual speech as well as the Republican rebuttal, which will be delivered after the president’s remarks by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), the new chair of the House Budget Committee.
- Invite some friends over for a viewing party.
- Make some delicious, themed treats.
- Bipartisan cookies — think classic black-and-white cookies but frosted red and blue (or if you like Sen. Mark Udall’s (D-CO) suggestion that the parties mingle during the address, maybe frost them red or blue with sprinkles).
- Root beer policy floats — to be enjoyed while the president “floats” some new policy idea.
- Obama’s favorite chili — the president loves his chili. This is his (not at all secret) family recipe.
- Deficit-reduction punch — ginger ale and raspberry soda with a little scoop of sherbet to enjoy whenever the president or Ryan mentions the deficit.
- Use social media to share your thoughts about the speeches.
- Tweet your thoughts with the hashtag #AAUWSOTU to join our conversation.
- Post comments to the president’s Facebook page and tweet at him (@Barackobama).
- Do the same for Ryan (@reppaulryan).
- Make a word cloud of the transcript of the speeches, which can be posted online at major news websites almost immediately. Word clouds are weighted lists of words that are arranged in a randomized but visually appealing way, with the words used most frequently larger than others. I like to use Wordle; just cut and paste the text into the box!
AAUW Dialog 
Leave a Reply