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It’s the morning after. Last night, after a 120-minute assignation, Democrats rolled over and began snoring. They awoke to find Donald Trump showered, dressed and gone, and the whining, recriminations, and spin have begun. Unfortunately for Democrats, the American public, and not just the hated normals, loved Mr. Trump’s State Of The Union Speech. Let us, gentle readers, sample some of the commentary, first from Michael Goodwin at The New York Post:

It’s an observation so strikingly true that you wonder why you didn’t think of it earlier. ‘Donald Trump,’ a friend said the other day, ‘is teaching the Republican Party how to fight and how to win.

It’s true, but can the Stupid Party be taught anything lasting? John Hinderaker at Powerline:

Tonight’s State of the Union speech was a triumph for President Trump. The speech was excellent, and Trump knew it cold and delivered it effectively.

The president began with a recitation of his administration’s achievements that was truly impressive. Trump emphasized, appropriately, the remarkable gains our economy has made in just one year.

The president’s reception by most in the House chamber was rapturous, which must have been an eye-opener for some who watched. For the Democrats, the optics were very bad. They ostentatiously refused to stand or even applaud, even in response to the least controversial passages in Trump’s speech. One of the most striking visuals was of the Democrats’ Black Caucus refusing to stand for, or even applaud, the lowest African-American unemployment rate in history.

If I were an African-American viewing the proceedings, I would wonder: whose side are they on?

Whose side indeed. I’ve seen reports that Nancy Pelosi—Nancy Pelosi—at least once, was gesturing to her fellow anti-American Democrats to behave less crudely. This would seem to suggest that at least some of them understand how self-destructive their behavior is. Of course, one of the hallmarks of mental illness is the inability to recognize one is mentally ill…

Equally dismal was when almost all the Democrats refused to stand in response to Trump’s statement that we should all rise for the National Anthem. Here, and repeatedly through the evening, the Democrats were playing to a very small audience. Their audience probably got even smaller when they were seen fiddling with their cell phones.

Immigration was naturally a significant topic. Trump began, shrewdly, by emphasizing security and the vicious MS-13 gang, which largely hushed the illegal immigrants who had been invited into the chamber by Democrats. Perhaps the speech’s most controversial moment was when Trump said that his compromise immigration proposal includes eventual citizenship–not just legalization–for nearly two million illegal immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as minors.

Cory Booker (center)
credit: politicususa

Troubling as that may be for many conservatives, the sight of Cory Booker and other Democrats sitting stone-faced when the president said we need a merit-based immigration system was a forceful reminder of how bad the alternative to the Trump administration is.

President Trump was indeed shrewd in his manner of approaching these topics, but that shrewdness was not deception, but clarification. Regulating immigration is not only a matter of sovereignty, but foremost a matter of national security and safety. Even if most Americans don’t reflexively see it that way, when it’s said, they immediately recognize the truth of it.

Booker, who appears to be a perpetually angry man, was not merely “stone-faced.” The hatred and rage burst out of him and appeared to oppress everyone near him. If Republicans don’t use video of his visage in the 2020 campaign to illustrate the alternative to Mr. Trump and rational governance, they richly deserve to be called the Stupid Party.

“President Trump then brought it all back home with a tribute to American freedom. He didn’t say it, but I will. It is in better condition at the end of Trump year one than at the end of Obama year eight.”

The comparisons between Obama and Trump could not be more obvious. Mr. Trump did not pepper the speech with “I.” He did, however, often say “we,” and more importantly, “American.” According to Fox News, Mr. Obama referred to himself nearly 100 times in his first SOTU speech, while Mr. Trump only made about 25 such references. It’s amazing how quickly Americans respond to policies designed to benefit them and the nation. Could there be a clearer repudiation of Barack Obama and everything for which Democrats stand?

The ACLU was upset—this is my shocked face—by Mr. Trump’s speech. Apparently, he said “American” too often. CNS News reports:

The American Civil Liberties Union — note the word ‘American’ in its
In a written response to Trump’s speech, Faiz Shakir, the ACLU’s national political director, said:

‘Tonight, President Trump said the word ‘America’ more than 80 times in his speech. Yet, after a divisive first year, we hear and feel how exclusionary that ‘America’ is, with policies that have harmed so many vulnerable American communities. The ACLU stands ready to protect these communities, both in the courts and at the polls.

In particular, the immigration plan put forth by Trump would hold Dreamers hostage to his demands for a harmful border wall and an even larger mass deportation force. We are at this crossroads because of the President’s deeply destructive ideas fomented by his nativist allies and divisive rhetoric. We will continue to stand up for these young immigrants and ensure they continue to contribute to our country. We cannot let America’s Dreamers be deported.

Just one of many tweets by college professors

Uh, isn’t Mr. Trump not only offering not to deport far more ”dreamers” than Democrats have ever imagined, but to give them a pathway to full citizenship? Does the ACLU really want to litigate against that? And what’s with all this “Americans” stuff in a State of the Union address by an American President about America in America? This Trump is a madman! Unless of course, one considers the Democrats, as Roger Simon at PJ Media does:

(Hey, it’s awards season, right?)

They broke the record. They get the prize with no runner-up for years to come.

Steny Hoyer and Nancy Pelosi watching Trump’s speech looked like a pair of sullen six-year olds on a sugar crash the day after Halloween.  Bernie Sanders looked mummified.  Schumer was slumped so deeply in his chair he was almost falling through the crack.

Other Democrats, even ones who should have known better or secretly felt otherwise, sat on their hands.  You could see them glancing at each other, wondering whether they were allowed to applaud or stand up. What a bunch of cowards.

It was a disgraceful display of bad manners, but even more it was incredibly stupid because “the whole world was watching.”  The camera was getting them all in close-up.

Who are these ungrateful corpses, middle America must have been asking.  Good question.  (Can you imagine how much money Pelosi has made in the stock market since Trump was elected? What does she have to be so upset about?)

“Ungrateful corpses.” I’m just upset I didn’t think of that. Bernie Sanders certainly looked like a poorly made up zombie. The poor fellow looked every one of his advanced years.

“Oh, yes, Trump gave a terrific speech, especially in the dramatic utilization of the stories of extremely well-chosen audience members.  That technique has been done a lot, but never better.  Donald is our Entertainer-in-Chief.  Sometimes he’s funny.  This time he tugged at the heart strings.  The guy with the crutch was a veritable Korean Tiny Tim — one of the most amazing figures I have ever seen, a living symbol of the fight again totalitarianism.”

“The fight against totalitarianism.” Democrats really hate that. They’re the people rooting for Scrooge and the death of Tiny Tim. Bah, humbug, impeach him! Don Surber expanded on the point:

That was no State of the Union address tonight. That was the death of Democratic Party.

They’ve certainly injured themselves, and they’re bayonetting their wounded on the battlefield, but “death” seems a bit premature.

Trump’s summation of the incredible year of 2017 answered the question. Republicans have delivered on their promise to bring peace and prosperity.

Democrats have nothing. They stand for equal pay (the law since 1963). Civil rights (1964). Gun control (1968). Abortion on demand (1973).

Why not call for the end to Prohibition (1933)?

Democrats have no new ideas. The party exists only to serve as a vehicle for collecting bribes and handing out favors.

Precisely. This is why they opposed Mr. Trump’s infrastructure proposal before they heard it: insufficient opportunities for graft and handing out taxpayer cash that will be kicked back to them for their future campaigns.

Democrats lack compassion for anything other than political power.

‘Entire row of Democrats refusing to stand for family whose two girls were murdered by MS-13,’ Katie Pavlich tweeted.

Democrats care only about people in the abstract, and only in politically useful victim groups. Such groups are always changing. Some fall out of favor; others are momentarily useful. Individuals? Sorry. Join a registered victim group.

One who need not apply is the former North Korean Tiny Tim, as Fox News reports:

Growing up under North Korea’s grueling famine in the ’90s, Ji and his siblings were in constant pain from hunger.

‘One day, he tried to steal coal from a railroad car to barter for a few scraps of food,’ Trump explained during the State of the Union. ‘In the process, he passed out on the train tracks, exhausted from hunger. He woke up as a train ran over his limbs.’

He survived, but lost his leg in the process.

‘Later, he was tortured by North Korean authorities after returning from a brief visit to China,’ Trump continued. ‘His tormentors wanted to know if he had met any Christians. He had — and he resolved to be free.

Oh, how the Dems must have loathed the mention of Christians and freedom.

Ji trekked thousands of miles on crutches across China and Southeast Asia to escape his homeland.

Ji now lives in Seoul, South Korea, where he helps other defectors like himself. He studies law at Dongguk University and serves as the president of Now Action and Unity for Human Rights, a position that allows him to broadcast into North Korea ‘what the regime fears the most — the truth,’ Trump said.

I can think of another group that hates the truth, and last night, Joseph Kennedy III spoke for them, as Fox News reports:

Rep. Joe Kennedy III slammed ‘bullies’ in his response to President Trump’s first State of the Union address Tuesday night, and offered a Democratic ‘answer’ to the ‘chaos’ of the past year.

Those “bullies” would be Mr. Trump and you and me, gentle readers, all normal Americans that love liberty and the rule of law.

Joe Kennedy began his rebuttal by characterizing the country as ‘fractured,’ offering an ‘answer’ from Democrats, noting that they choose ‘a better deal for all who call this country home.’

‘Because the strongest, richest, greatest nation in the world shouldn’t leave anyone behind,’ Kennedy said, criticizing the Trump administration’s plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare, its infrastructure plans and plan for paid leave and affordable childcare. His speech did not offer a clear ‘answer’ from Democrats, but instead listed affordable education and health care as important policies.

And greatly increasing wealth, jobs and economic opportunity for all Americans leaves people behind how, exactly?  Oh, and using a non-functional car as a backdrop for a Kennedy isn’t such a good idea.

A government that struggles to keep itself open. Russia knee-deep in our democracy. An all-out war on environmental protection. A Justice Department rolling back civil rights by the day. Hatred and supremacy proudly marching in our streets. Bullets tearing through our classrooms, concerts, and congregations. Targeting our safest, sacred places. And that nagging, sinking feeling, no matter your political beliefs: This is not right. This is not who we are.

And who is responsible for shutting down the government, hmm? Where’s the evidence of collusion? Where is the quantifiable evidence of environmental destruction? Who, exactly, is being denied civil rights now that the IRS isn’t in that business—well, not so much—anymore? Who is producing marching hatred (It isn’t Republicans)? Where’s the evidence of white supremacy? Isn’t it almost exclusively Democrats that are committing mass shootings (Kennedy is obviously blaming the NRA and any American that supports the Second Amendment)? Rep. Steve Scalise might have something to say about that. But Kennedy is right: Democrats are not America.

It was to America that Mr. Trump spoke, as Fox News Reports:

Tonight, I am extending an open hand to work with members of both parties — Democrats and Republicans — to protect our citizens of every background, color, religion and creed,’ he said. [skip]

Tonight, I call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground, and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people we were elected to serve.

Kennedy provided the Democrat’s answer. They do not, for a moment, intend to serve the people. They wish to rule the people.

The Media was equally upbeat. CNN actually tried to suggest Mrs. Trump’s clothing choice was in some way a protest of Mr. Trump. They also found significance in the fact she didn’t ride to the speech with Mr. Trump. They neglected to mention she accompanied her guests instead. But hey, CNN is absolutely not fake news.

ABC was predictably hysterical: 

Chief anchor and former Clinton administration official George Stephanopoulos started by telling chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl that Trump ‘did not unify that chamber’ while Karl swooned that he’s ‘never seen anything like it’ with ‘Democrats…basically run[ning] for the exits.

And:

Congressional correspondent Mary Bruce sided with the DREAMers in the audience, fretting about ‘what they were thinking, as they hear the President talk about this, as they see the divisions there on the floor, concerned that they could face deportation come the beginning of March.

Of course, Congress could actually do its job before then and accept Mr. Trump’s offer…

Yet another wise comment from the academy…

Senior White House correspondent Cecilia Vega was livid at Trump simply mentioning the murderous, illegal immigrant gang MS-13:

One of the things that he said, though, George is that he wants to — have the country set aside the differences and went on to talk about undocumented immigrants as MS-13 gang members, demonizing them. I think he’s going to have a tough sell when he’s trying to sell unity and bringing up this issue of undocumented immigrants as criminals[.]

What’s wrong with that…that Trump, calling illegal immigrant criminal gang members illegal immigrant criminal gang members? Doesn’t he know their rights trump everyone’s rights? And imagine the horror of this:

Vega also declared that the President was ‘stoking…racial tensions by bringing up this issue out of kneeling during the National Anthem. 

Because everyone knows that anyone that expects people to stand for the national anthem is, prima facie, a racist. And speaking of racism:

More academic brilliance

Longtime liberal commentator Cokie Roberts snuck in before a commercial break, noting how Democrats didn’t even clap for the President when he entered the House chamber, but they had good reasons to not clap:

‘[B]ut he did do a variety of things that clearly did make them angry, and, you know, talking about the national — standing for the national anthem, there were many African-Americans members of Congress there wearing kente cloth — African cloth. The President never mentioned Africa, never said anything like that, so, there was not anything there for them to — to relate to.

Well of course. The lowest black unemployment rate in decades, unprecedented economic opportunity for blacks, enforcing immigration laws so blacks have even greater economic opportunity, tax cuts, higher wages, no wonder the CBC didn’t stand: nothing to relate to.

The lessons of the STOU speech are relatively simple. Mr. Trump intends to be a truly transformational president, but his transformation consists of restoring the rule of law, American constitutionalism, and forcing politicians and bureaucrats to behave as though they were public servants rather than unelected princes and princesses. He wants what is manifestly, undeniably good for America and Americans. He wants to put America first, and he has, in a single year, made a surprisingly good beginning.

Democrats, on the other hand, oppose all of that. They oppose Americans, America, and of course, Mr. Trump. They do not believe in America; they believe only in themselves. That, and the blatant hate they demonstrate for most Americans and everything America stands for, is really all one need know.

This is what passes for knowledge at universities these days…

A complete transcript of President Trump’s speech is here. 

A complete transcript of Rep. Kennedy’s speech is here. By all means read it. It a compendium of clichés, misstatements of fact, lies and high-sounding rhetoric full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. It’s the alternative to American constitutionalism, strength and prosperity.