<P> The response to the State of the Union address is a rebuttal speech, often brief, delivered by a representative (or representatives) of the opposition party following a presidential State of the Union address . When the president is a Democrat, the rebuttal is given by a Republican, and vice versa . </P> <P> The practice began in 1966 when Republican U.S. Senator Everett Dirksen (Illinois) and U.S. Representative Gerald Ford (Michigan) appeared on TV to offer a response to the address by Democratic President Lyndon Johnson . The opposition party's response has varied in format, ranging from a prerecorded 45 - minute TV program in 1970 to a call - in show in 1972 where a panel of congressmen answered unrehearsed questions from callers . Since the late 1980s, it usually has been a televised speech given soon after the State of the Union address . </P> <P> Three people have given both a response and a State of the Union address: Democrat Bill Clinton and Republicans Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush . </P>

When did the state of the union response start