It’s that time again!
Tonight at 9pm EST, U.S. President Barack Obama is going to deliver the “State of the Union” (SOTU) address. This speech, made annually by the sitting U.S. president, covers a broad range of domestic and international policy issues, and represents both a review of the past year and a foreshadowing of the year to come.
This year, Access is going to be watching closely for what President Obama has to say about the NSA and mass surveillance. Although we expect it won’t be much — Obama gave a whole speech dedicated to the subject earlier this month — there will definitely be at least a mention.
State of the Union speeches happen every year, and they’ve developed a bit of a formula over time. The President usually starts by declaring the State of the Union is strong, and then dives into presenting his pet project for the coming year. After that, it’s onto offering a defense against the critiques, a splash of foreign policy, and ending on a hopeful note, often with references to the unique stories of various ordinary U.S. citizens brought in for the occasion.
Because of this, it’s a bit of a tradition in the United States to predict the way the speech will go. This year, Access is bringing you SOTU 2014 Mass Surveillance Bingo. We have 6 different bingo cards, so you can play with a group (links below). Break out the drinks, the snacks, and tune in: Your favorite presidential catchphrases are only hours away.