Biden and Boehner Share State of the Union Survival Tips

ByMARY BRUCE ABCNews logo
Monday, January 26, 2015

In a rare instance of bipartisanship, Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker John Boehner both agree that sitting through the State of the Union can be a bit of a bore.

Biden got little sympathy from his wife when he complained about having to sit attentively behind the president at last week's address.

"I sit back there and I listen and I helped write the ideas in the speech and I know it all and I've got to pay attention," Biden griped in an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

His wife, Dr. Jill Biden, didn't want to hear it.

"She said, 'Welcome to the Good Wives Club," Biden explained.

"She said, 'How many time have I sat and listened to you make a speech and pretend to be interested,'" he added. "So I'm a member of the Good Wives Club."

Feigning interest in the speech is a task that Biden shares with Boehner as the two sit on-camera behind the president throughout the entire address.

"I stare at the back of the president's head and my goal is to make no news," Boehner told CBS' "60 Minutes."

"This is the president's night. ... Although inside I've got a lot of things rolling through my mind," he said.

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