Donald Trump delivered his third and potentially last formal State of the Union address from the well of the House chamber where he was impeached on the eve of his likely acquittal by a deeply divided Senate. The 78-minute speech sought to look past impeachment to his re-election in November. He touted his accomplishments , claiming a strong economy , the killing of the Iranian general Qassem Suleimani and the passage of a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill.
But the mood was fraught on the eve of his acquittal , which is expected to take place on Wednesday as Republican loyalists stand by him. Few Democrats stood to clap for the president as Republicans chanted “ four more years”.
Here are five key takeaways :
Economy
Trump dedicated nearly 20 minutes to ticking through his economic accomplishments , delivering a mix of dubious claims and exaggerations.
“ Our economy is the best it has ever been ,” Trump falsely claimed. While the unemployment rate is at a 50-year low and wages have risen , the economy is far from the “ best ever ”.
OK Lauren dear , first of all you look like you’re about 23 – 24 years old and fresh out of college and indoctrinated into the Liberal ‘ woke ‘ mantra all the ‘ progressive ‘ left wingnut professors brainwash you with , rather than teach you skills and facts …
Secondly , how ‘ bout naming the era when the economy WAS the best ever , and whom was in charge of the policies and the government in power when that occurred ? … And keep within the 19th , 20th and 21st century … The 17 and 18 hundreds were a whole different ballgame …
Then she goes on to add this , albeit in a ‘ shrug it off as if it’s a big deal ‘ type of thing ! …
But other boasts were true : average unemployment is lower now than “ any administration in the history of our country ”. He touted the bipartisan renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement , now called the USMCA as well as a deal with China to ease the trade war.
BUT ! She states :
Trump inaccurately claimed USMCA would create “ 100,000 new high-paying American auto jobs ”. A report released by the US International Trade Commission estimated that the deal would add only 28,000 auto industry jobs in the six years following its implementation.
Again , it’s only been a short time that his policy in this regard has been in play … The ‘ US International Trade Commission ‘ is but one ‘ think tank ‘ with its’ own methods of ‘ estimating ‘ projected job creation … Who’s to say how it eventually plays out over six years ? …
Culture wars
Ever eager to fan the flames of America’s culture wars, Trump delivered extended riffs on immigration , abortion , guns and religious liberty – red meat to his conservative base.
The only point I’ll make to this one is this ; Many every day , hard working people are getting fed up of bending over backwards and sacrificing our traditions for ungrateful immigrants … Legal or otherwise … Canada is heading in that direction too … Albeit it’s been going on for longer , to greater lengths and quieter … The Americans are far more ‘ Patriotic ‘ than most Canadians …
Impeachment
In less than 24 hours , Trump will become the third US president to be acquitted by the US Senate after being impeached by the House ( Needless to say … He was ! … Right down party lines of course !!! ). But unlike his Twitter feed , where Trump airs all manner of grievances about the trial and the House leaders who led the effort , he made no mention of it in tonight’s speech.
However , the tension was clear. When Trump approached the rostrum , the House speaker , Nancy Pelosi , appeared to extend her hand but he refused to shake it.
She then omitted the flourish of announcing “ I have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the president of the United States ”, instead simply introducing him directly to the chamber.
So , PolSOUSEy blatantly insults the President of the United States by omitting the traditional ” I have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the president of the United States ”… And immediately stews in a snit for the entire speech because Donald , rightfully ignored her shallow outstretched grubby palm ( I sure as Hell would have too !!! ) … Then carefully puts tiny tears in several swaths of the papers … Just to make sure it all goes smoothly when she gets to do her ‘ dramatic ‘ MSM moment that they’ll all be claiming victory for the next week and a half ! … Like every tantrum she throws … BEHIND the President’s back !!! …
Then , after Trump finished his remarks , Pelosi tore up a copy of the speech. Asked by reporters why she did that , Pelosi replied that it was the “ courteous thing to do.”
Now , of course she was being sarcastic , but really … Do we really need the number three political position in the White House possessing no concept of ‘ courtesy ‘ ? …
Socialism
No matter who the Democratic presidential nominee is in November , Trump and Republicans already plan to define the election as a battle to protect the country against socialism.
In his speech , Trump vowed to “never let socialism destroy American healthcare ! ” while also dishonestly claiming that he would always protect patients with pre-existing conditions. In 2017 , Republicans with Trump’s strong support , attempting to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with a plan that would throw millions of Americans off their healthcare and would not guarantee its protections.
Obamacare was a piss poorly set up piece of flawed legislation with the unlimited potential to tack trillions more ( beyond Obama’s 19.9 TRILLION added in his eight year tenure ) on the National Debt …
And I’ve got Trump Haters up here in Canada that are screamin’ about Trump adding 2.3 trillion !!! … He , however , is trying to build a wall , while refurbishing a strained military … Not wasting it on foreign aid , corrupt Ukranian governments , etc …
no-shows
A handful of Democratic lawmakers chose to skip the affair altogether ( Playing politics in this supposed ‘ sombre moment ‘ ). The New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she did not want to “ legitimize ” the president’s actions.
“ After much deliberation , I have decided that I will not use my presence ( Just as well NutsoTez ! … Your precious presence ain’t worth a shit anyway !!! ) at a state ceremony to normalize Trump’s lawless conduct & subversion of the Constitution ” she wrote on Twitter. “ None of this is normal , and I will not legitimize it.”
The Massachusetts congresswoman Ayanna Pressley said she could not in “good conscience” attend the speech , when he “ incessantly stokes fear in people of color, women, healthcare providers, LGBTQ+ communities, low-income families, and many more ”.
Congressman Tim Ryan , an Ohio Democrat , attended the speech but left halfway through.
“ I just walked out of the #StateOfTheUnion ,” he wrote. “ I’ve had enough. It’s like watching professional wrestling. It’s all fake.”
Who cares ?!!! … I sure as Hell didn’t miss ’em !!! … Did you ? …
Source: The Guardian
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