Tom Vilsack Skipping State Of The Union 2012

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will not be in attendance at President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday night, according to the Washington Post.

Vilsack is fulfilling the role of "designated survivor" for the Cabinet at tonight's event.

The AP explains:

The administration typically picks one Cabinet member to stay away from the Capitol so the government can continue to function in case a catastrophe were to strike the building.

HuffPost's Jen Bendery reports on what Obama is expected to say in his remarks on Tuesday night.

President Barack Obama will deliver a State of the Union address on Tuesday night built on the message that everyone deserves a fair shot at economic success and everyone must be held accountable for what they do. The next day, he'll begin using that same message as the thrust for his re-election campaign for the next 10 months.

Obama's third State of the Union address, which airs on all major networks at 9 p.m. EST, will map out a vision for boosting the economy and strengthening the middle class, based on four pillars, White House press secretary Jay Carney said in a Monday briefing. Those pillars are American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and American values. The president also will adopt a tone that ran all through a speech he gave in Kansas last month -- one that many are equating with a historic speech that Teddy Roosevelt gave in 1910 -- that carries a strong message about social and economic equality.

Click here for HuffPost's live blog coverage of the event.

Earlier on HuffPost:

Comments

[ProgressivesWin]

03:54 PM on 01/25/2012

If you're gonna pick a designated survivor, at least pick someone like Elizabeth Warren.

[rsargerod]

11:52 AM on 01/25/2012

Who the heck is this new imbedded person? What importance does he have in the State of the Union? Why does the Media entertains this type of information which is not really News worthy!

[b328]

08:11 AM on 01/25/2012

TOM IS ONE LUCKY MAN..... NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO SIT THROUGH THAT BS

[baldguy]

08:51 AM on 01/25/2012

Go back to your teapot.

[blueplano]

09:27 AM on 01/25/2012

Go back to your crackpipe.

[-swift]

07:43 AM on 01/25/2012

Vilsack Attack!!!

[politicorn]

03:47 AM on 01/25/2012

I'm an Iowan and Tom Vilsack was a very popular, successful two-term governor who governed during what is a considered a time of high prosperity for the state. I always saw him as a someone with a future on the national stage and was glad to see him join Obama's cabinet.

[Rich Cash]

03:30 AM on 01/25/2012

Tom Vilsack? Who the heck is Tom Vilsack and what qualifies him to be President in case of a disaster during the SOTU Address? I'd be a lot more comfortable if the Secretary of State or Defense were chosen as "designated survivor". (But, oh God, not Biden...lol)

[politicorn]

03:42 AM on 01/25/2012

Tom Vilsack was an extremely popular governor of Iowa who led Iowa during a time of prosperity. As an Iowan, I felt at the time he had a future on the national stage and was glad to see him join Obama's cabinet.

[Rich Cash]

04:09 AM on 01/25/2012

I hear ya. No disrespect to Secretary Vilsack, but surely either the SecDef, or SecState would have more experience to assume the Presidency.

[blackraisin]

11:41 AM on 01/25/2012

It's a formality. Something like that could only happen in a Tom Clancy novel.

[Rich Cash]

10:39 PM on 01/28/2012

Yeah, and people used to say we were invulnerable to foreign attack prior to 9/11...

[REMEMBER2050]

02:28 AM on 01/25/2012

Wow, this is scary. Can you imagine if something had happened under Bush and we got stuck with the dentist? Obama's cabinet is no picnic either. I can think of two off the top of my head who are completely incompetent, and I'm half asleep. I am a Democrat, by the way.

OK, zzzzzz snore--I've got a solution! Let's all vote Romney. It's not like I would ever assume that he would have competent Cabinet members, of course--what the hell would Wall Streeters know about implementing disaster plans? It's Romney's illegal alien self-deportation program that I'm eyeballing. Once he gets that in place we can all butt straight to the head of the line because we're American citizens, and excommunicate ourselves post haste to Mexico. I hope the deportation buses have air-conditioning.

[Rich Cash]

03:34 AM on 01/25/2012

ROFLMAO! 2886 fans and you haven't been designated an HP commentator? Your sarcasm must not be appreciated. Fanned and Faved!

[Talossa]

01:50 AM on 01/25/2012

I figured the GOP members of the SCOTUS stayed away so they could pick the next president.

[Shrank]

02:43 AM on 01/25/2012

They boycotted the SOTU because they have no more respect for the President of the United States than they do for the American people.

[wstan101]

08:54 AM on 01/25/2012

No, they just don't want support a socialist in a democtatic republic.

[baldguy]

08:53 AM on 01/25/2012

Those useless sacks of skin need to go. Seeing Robert's fake smiling face made me cringe.

[Wallysmom]

01:32 AM on 01/25/2012

Thank you HP for that interesting little factoid. Never knew about the "designated survivor".....cool.

[Sirlarek]

02:03 AM on 01/25/2012

Once upon a time....strategic air command kept a cabinet member in the air at all times.

[GloriaY]

12:26 AM on 01/25/2012

This practice is the norm, so Tom Vilsack did not really skip the speech, he was selected to be the cabinet member to stay away. President Obama did a superb job and hit the ball out of the park. Obama 2012.

[REMEMBER2050]

02:34 AM on 01/25/2012

Man, did he ever. That line about the flag stiching is going to one that will be quoted 30 years from now. The other parts weren't exactly shabby either!

Don't you wish that you could have been in Mitch McConnell's brain during the speech? Welllll, probably not I guess, but it sure would have been amusing to know how close he was to apoplexy for any number of Obama's comments.

[Imzadi]

05:35 AM on 01/25/2012

I also loved Boehner's face during the speach - most of the time it looked like he was suckingon a lemon...

[baldguy]

08:54 AM on 01/25/2012

I was thinking the same thing. I'm sure it's a very small, dark, cramped little space.

[wstan101]

08:55 AM on 01/25/2012

Sure he did only the park was only 10 feet across.

[considerthis]

01:02 PM on 01/25/2012

hee hee, such a small mind.................yours that is

[julieJgoldengay]

12:09 AM on 01/25/2012

He didn't miss It...
On Purpose.
Supreme Court Judges.
Missed it, on Purpose.

[novictim]

01:15 AM on 01/25/2012

yes...that Alito...what a coward...what a disgrace.

Now that the realities of Citizens United have been manifested over the months leading up to the Republican primary...Sam the Ham Alito fails to present his sorry carcas to the nation...in front of the man who pegged him squarely for his bad judicial judgement.

[wstan101]

08:57 AM on 01/25/2012

Only deemed bad judicial judgement by a leftist, socialist hack.

[Wallysmom]

01:32 AM on 01/25/2012

A few less sour pusses to shift the camera to.

[mlaiuppa]

12:01 AM on 01/25/2012

Vilsack? Even more reason to pray that nothing happens to Obama.

[-swift]

07:46 AM on 01/25/2012

Stephen Colbert had him on his show a few times when Vilsack was running for President. He seemed like an intelligent and capable person, and a good dude too.

[Newsmonger]

11:52 PM on 01/24/2012

This is a nice forethought, but I do not think it was thorough....They should have had designators for all three branches of government...

[jamuelle]

12:44 AM on 01/25/2012

Well, Scalia, Alito and Thomas designated themselves.

And since we can live with out congress, I think they can all attend and either clap incessantly or sit and look like they would rather have root canals on 3 teeth at the same time.

[obamathegreat235]

11:51 PM on 01/24/2012

Tom Vilsack Skipping State Of The Union 2012"----and who cares. President Obama gave a superb speech that I am sure the nation and entire world appreciated and are inspired by.

TEAM OBAMA 2012!

[rkzrb]

12:06 AM on 01/25/2012

PLEASE read the article before commenting.

[REMEMBER2050]

02:35 AM on 01/25/2012

I'm with you. but DO read the article. Vilsack was supposed to skip it as part of his job.

[sunbeltvoter]

10:59 PM on 01/24/2012

"Hey Tom, your turn to go hide in the Camp David basement and get drunk by yourself."

[Stressedtothebone]

11:14 PM on 01/24/2012

LMAO!!!

[MountainPenelope]

12:34 AM on 01/25/2012

Yeah. Boehner had to show up for SOTU.