A Smart Politics study of the 70 orally delivered State of the Union Addresses since 1934 finds the text of President Obama’s 2012 speech to have tallied the third lowest score on the Flesch-Kincaid readability test, at an 8.4 grade level.


A Smart Politics study of the 70 orally delivered State of the Union Addresses since 1934 finds the text of President Obama’s 2012 speech to have tallied the third lowest score on the Flesch-Kincaid readability test, at an 8.4 grade level.
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Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) provided new information about the background and political leanings of the 22-year-old accused of killing Charlie Kirk, saying that the suspect had a “leftist ideology”…
“New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is soon expected to endorse New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani,” CNN reports. “Hochul’s endorsement would make her the latest high-profile Democrat and…
“For two months, Chinese diplomats have courted the White House, hoping to lock in a visit by President Trump to China that would grant leader Xi Jinping a significant diplomatic…
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) said that amid efforts to foster bipartisan discourse, the internet “is driving extremism in our country,” CBS News reports. Save to Favorites
Pete Buttigieg told Meet the Press that President Biden “should not have run” for reelection in 2024, but conceded that “it was literally his decision” to do so. Said Buttigieg:…
“European Union leaders on Sunday slammed Moscow for the second violation of EU territory in less than a week after a Russian drone breached Romanian airspace during an attack on…
Rolling Stone: “More than seven months into Trump’s second term, Stephen Miller has become America’s — if not the world’s — most powerful unelected bureaucrat. With Trump’s blessing, Miller has…
“If your view of America is not shaken right now, then there’s something wrong with you.” — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R), on CNN. Save to Favorites
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) told NBC News the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s killing “does come from a conservative family.” He added: “But his ideology was very different than his…
Fox News host Brian Kilmeade apologized for his call to murder mentally ill homeless people: “I wrongly said they should get lethal injections. I apologize for that extremely callous remark.”…
Maine Speaker Ryan Fecteau (D) said law enforcement received the threat about an explosive device at his house but determined “there was no danger to my family, my neighbors, and…
“People have got to stop framing simple policy disagreements in terms of existential threats to our democracy. You can’t call the other side fascists and enemies of the state and…
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) told ABC News that he would not seek reelection, the second Lone Star State Republican this week to retire. McCaul said he’s “looking for a new…
President Trump entered the White House in January promising both the “largest deportation program in American history” and a “golden age” for American businesses, the New York Times reports. “But…
“Sen. John Fetterman has a warning for his party: learn from the politically charged whirlwind that put Donald Trump back in the White House and secured Republicans control of both…
Before he was arrested on suspicion of carrying out the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Tyler Robinson sent friends messages showing that he was closely following news about the killing, the…
Six sources familiar with the investigation into the Charlie Kirk assassination told Axios that investigators believe suspect Tyler Robinson had a romantic relationship with his roommate. Investigators initially wanted the…
A memorial service for Charlie Kirk, the right-wing commentator who was assassinated on Wednesday, will be held on September 21 at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals NFL…
Karen Tumulty: “At no time in living memory has this country’s democratic system appeared more fragile. A question now is whether the values upon which that system was built are…
Peter Baker: “Mr. Trump has long made clear that coming together is not the mission of his presidency. In an era of deep polarization in American society, he rarely talks…
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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