Pelosi looked so despondent.
She looked like she was gonna cry as Trump cites all the good economic data, and again at the end.
She was saddened by the good news as it destroys her story of the country is falling apart.
Her myth, busted.
2
What he failed to mention was the $1trillion deficit added to the $25trillion debt and if given a second term the deficit will have to be made up by cuts to social security and medicare/medicaid. And he mentioned provisions for existing medical conditions without stating that his administration is at this very moment suing in the courts to have this deleted. Well many voters believed his lies in the past and they will continue to believe his cons no matter what.
6
This was not a State of the Union speech.
This was a State of the Base speech, riddled with the usual lies.
Trump doesn’t care about the Union.
His success depends on division.
8
America can now move forward past the slanted Mueller investigation that trashed the notion that Trump colluded with the Russians and any factual proof of obstruction, and now the bogus impeachment attempt mounted by bitter Nadler and lying, cheating, and histrionic Adam Schiff who delusionally said Trump would allow Russia to invade USA or sell Alaska to Russia. It would help our country if Pelosi would apologize to America for tearing up Trump's speech manuscript and Schiff for his hyperbolic, dishonest, and histrionic speechifying whole prosecuting the bogus impeachment.
What’s not to like?
2
"fractious, divisive, and chaotic process". Peter Baker found an old Hillary strategist to sing the Republican Senators' Ode to Acquittal.
Besides being ACU Chairman, Matt Schlapp leads the lobbying firm of Cove Strategies and is a Fox News political contributor. Schlapp is the quintessential WIN AT ALL COSTS functionary. To his audience, he publicly shamed Mitt Romney BY DIS-INVITING to CPAC --- for the sin of voting his mind.
"In another uplifting moment.." For the selected Americans upon whom he bestowed his blessings, I'm glad that acknowledgement or something good came their way.
In another NYT article, Celebrity President's whoppers were distinguished from his tall tales. His blarney ushered in The Age of Fact-Checking on Speed Dial. His White House stopped those pesky Daily Press Briefings because his pearls from the Twitter feed were all of the luminosity that mankind could desire.
"To be honest, the briefings had become a lot of theater," (Stephanie) Grisham, who took over in July after Sanders' departure from the Trump administration, told the hosts of Fox & Friends.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newsweek.com/white-house-briefings-theater-reporters-get-famous-trump-press-secretary-1460757%3famp=1
When Speaker Pelosi tore-up last night's script, it felt like a harbinger for this nation's majority traveling the road to reality.
1
I wonder if anyone has done a word count analysis of the speech, which may indicate the conscience behind it.....
A script worthy of Rod Serling.
4
If you want a foretaste of what it's like to live in a place like North Korea, or perhaps a future totalitarian America, this State of The Union was it. Service members and their kids are used as props to aggrandize Glorious Leader. Glorious Leader and The Party give an award intended to honor extraordinary achievement service to the country to a loyal party propagandist. Glorious Leader repeats lies that have been debunked dozens of times to thunderous applause of loyal Party Cadre. Afterwards, loyal Party Members go online to praise Glorious Leader like a messiah and issue insults and threats against various Enemies of The People. It's like a scene from a dystopian novel.
6
I take solace in the fact that karma has caught up to Rush Limbaugh. Trump's time will come too.
Here's hoping it's slow, and painful.
3
Let me get this straight. We have a supposed leader who has been impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, excused only by the least wholesome partisan section of our Senate that any existing generation has ever seen -- and the culprit gets to stand before the enter country and crow?
And worse -- this supposed 'leader' tells you he is responsible for your well-being? What sort of suckers have we become?
Economy? The sad.sack has done nothing but build on the rock solid foundation established by our last real leader -- and adding to it the borrowed 1 trillion dollars from future Americans. If you think he's the real deal, check out our increase in the national debt. Due to this sad.sack.
6
Speaker Pelosi's gesture of tearing up the President's speech was the dumbest political move of the year so far. In one fell swoop, she ripped away many of the swing voters that might be persuaded to vote Democratic, but also believe in an optimistic view of America in which many good things are happening. It that way it is directly comparable to Hillary Clinton's "basket of deplorables" comment which hurt her campaign in 2016. The Republicans can run the video of the Speaker's act over and over again, saying, "this is what the Democrats think of you", "this is what the Democrats think of the bustling economy", "this is what the Democrats think of the President's attempts to defend our country". It's early in the year, and there will be many more stupid mistakes made by politicians, including no doubt by the President himself, but the Speaker of the House is supposed to have the political acumen to avoid making such errors.
Trump's attitude and tone giving his State of the Disunion speech was chilling--angry, spiteful, vindictive, mean-spirited, pure Trump braggadocio, prevarication, and just plain nasty. He clearly represents the dark underbelly of this nation's history.
If I came from another planet and was told to watch President Donald J. Trump of the United States give this "union" speech, I would think I was watching the strong arm hardliner dictator of some have versus have-not banana republic with one-party authoritarian rule.
My husband thinks Trump may have studied Mussolini giving speeches, because much of Trump's body language resembles that of Italy's fascist dictator.
Here is a video clip. Notice the crowd reaction in comparison to the Republican congress last night, and also notice at the end of the short clip how Mussolini and Trump pivot and thrust out their chins in a belligerent pose intended to draw crowd reaction.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfS8AulsYRk
I really feel like the 2020 election is a choice between dictatorship and democracy in America. The wild cheering faces in the Italian crowd in the 1930s is a reminder that some humans really do prefer authoritarianism.
Voter turnout will be the key, especially in the swing states
3
Nancy never should have issued the invitation. He refused to shake her hand, and only spoke to the Republicans in the room. This wasn't a SOTU speech, it was a political campaign speech, full of lies and distortions! He created a spectacle in the chamber like a reality TV show. The low point:. giving Rush Limbaugh the Medal of Freedom. What a cheap shot!
2
No wonder Romney never made it in the Republican Party.
How do you expect to get ahead in the Party if you can’t completely ignore your oath of office to support and protect the constitution, much less your oath of impartiality.
Oath schmoath !!
3
Well, the meds worked pretty well. He managed to keep his eyes glued to the teleprompter the whole time! That progress, I guess.
4
Watching the family members of victims of illegal aliens set free in sanctuary cities was heartbreaking. How can any American support giving sanctuary to criminals?
Don't you want sanctuary for Americans?
The speech was a scary for Trump's lies, his continued use of Mussolini's moves and the chanting by the Republicans in the midst of a SOTU .
The parallels with Europe in the '30s are getting more obvious by the day.
4
If a gues comes to my house and refuses to shake my hands, I will ask the guest to leave and if he refuses, throw him out. Mrs Pelosi should have done the same, as soon as Trump refused to shake Mrs Pelosis hands.
That's why she has the marshalls.
4
Shame on your NYT for continue to present a horse race, that the Republican and Democratic parties are the same. Our nation's future and the Constitution are at stake.
Please start reporting the truth and facts instead of he said-she said.
2
This guy just wrote that Rush Limbaugh's receipt of the Medal of Freedom an "uplifting moment". It was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen at a State of the Union address. Peter should be ashamed of himself for falling for Trump's propaganda.
The little girl who got the scholarship was also a disgusting moment. He says public schools are failing, so he's going to cut their funding and help people abandon them. Then Congress cheered because they like the idea of black kids thanking them, they just don't want them at *their* kid's school.
The soldier's reunion, which Trump sprang on his family so they'd be an effective prop, was a private moment. He took that family's joy and relief, stole it for himself, and made it look like he was doing something noble at the same time. He turned a soldier's reunion with his family into live propaganda, and he should be chastised for that.
How about the way he tokenized black people all night, parading them out as though he doesn't think of them as base animals? You're listening to his words and forgetting everything he's done and said before! He promotes a young black boy who wants to be an astronaut while cutting funding for that kid's education! He praises the Tuskegee Airmen, which he knows nothing about, while cutting aid for veterans and the elderly!
It was a farce. Last night was a 1944 puppet show cast over the dusty ruins of Stalingrad by a meager trashcan fire, and everyone's acting like it was Avatar.
3
We will prevail.
Blue Tsunami.
5
The only placed I watched the State of Union was literary updates in The NY Times!
No way would I turn on my TV and harm my ears with that voice and lies.
Melania placing the Medal of Freedom on Rush Limbaugh? A First Lady stepping to a woman’s Stepford Wife low.
5
Donald Trump & Rush Limbaugh are Heroes of Truth!
The President is doing a great job. Women, Hispanics and African Americans are employed in record numbers and the economy is strong. The Democrats are in deep trouble. Like in 2016 they have no message other than beat Trump. Nancy looked pathetic last night. Like a child
Everything but the dog!
The Democrats aren’t much of a match for a Con Artist with Trump’s level if proficiency.
He has all of the persuasive charm of Jim Jones, David Koresh, and Charles Manson put together, and he his just as dangerous.
Narcissistic personality disorder is the common trait amongst these figures.
Throughout history, these types have done horrific damage when they have ascended to power.
5
I have never been so disgusted as when Pelosi kept reading and marking copy of his speech and especially—first time ever in our history (fact checked)—tore up the speech.
And the female lemmings in white sitting stone cold.
A world-wide embarrassment.
Dear NYT:
Speaker Pelosi demonstrated a silly, petulant, partisan rage that dramatically belied her claims of working for a higher purpose in the impeachment.
She acted like a bratty pre-schooler who did not want to eat her brocoli! Tearing up her copy of the SOTU, personally signed for her by the president?
And doing this after the sad little fiasco in Iowa, in which Ds tripped all over themselves in their presidential debut?
What a contrast! President Trump has seized hold of the American zeitgeist, and remade it into his own orange tabloid image. The media tries to sound high-falutin, but is captive to his impulsiveness. The Trump news cycle is a frenzied Trump brain fart, which the media is forced to report.
While eschewing the pleasantry of shaking Pelosi's hand, it is undeniable that Trump put on a boffo realty tv performance. He stayed "presidential," and demonstrated a tremendous strength of resolve.
I do not like many of his policies, nor do I like his profane and bullying tone. But he did good in the SOTU.
I like a few of his policies -- his "fair trade" agreements and focus on jobs, his corporate tax cuts, his determination to keep us out of foreign wars and police actions, and the quick dispatch of ISIS and Iranian terror to establish deterrence.
Can you imagine the strength of character required to achieve these formidable goals, all while Schiff fulminates, and Nancy fumes?
Godspeed, America!
trmp has surpassed his idol: there was no need for a Reichstag fire and the US is well on its way to tyranny.
There will probably be a bogus election this year, which he will win thanks to the antiquated, racist Electoral College and the highly effective brainwashing conducted by fx news every day. After that, all bets are off. How many years and lives ruined or lost will it take to reach the same end as his idol?
3
DEMOCKERY!
1
The NYT sure has featured this sunny puff piece full of Trump propaganda prominently on today’s site. Pushed way down are such trifles as Senate Republicans’ abject surrender of Congress as a coequal branch of government later today after a nice run for a couple hundred years. Not to mention the Iowa Caucus results. Silly me for thinking those were more important than trumpeting the talking points of a blatantly unfit, corrupt president with no regard for the Constitution.
3
Right. Because you would have LOVED it...try not to be SO dishonest, NYT
Had he mentioned impeachment you would have savaged him for it.
The President OWNS you and the rest of the elite, Trump deranged media.
RUNNING circles around you once again.
He did the absolutely correct, and APPROPRIATE thing by focusing on the nation, and his accomplishments, regardless of your partisan hatred.
Now WHINE away.
Does it make me a bad person to hope that all those fast food burgers catch up with this guy? Preferably by November? Seems like our democrazy's (typo, and it stays) only hope.
2
Great! Looking forward to more lawbreaking by Trump and his gangsta administration. He’ll be impeached again before he leaves office. So happy Pelosi tore up his speech of lies for everyone in the world to see! God Bless Nancy Pelosi!!
4
I find it very difficult to believe that 1) Trump won the election in the first place; 2) that Senators place the bar of acceptable presidential conduct somewhere between the shows “Jackass” and “The Bachelor”, and 3) that many in our country have shown themselves vulnerable to such flimsy propaganda. This includes genuinely good people—my own family and friends. If Trump goes on to a second term based on the choice of the American electorate, I am loathe to confess that I think we deserve him.
2
Time for dems to stop second guessing, stop obsessing and get an agenda that works (it is not the everything is free one)
Impeachment was a moral need and exposed the GOP (sans Mitt R) as stone cold corrupt bought and paid for criminals
Mayor Pete is Harvard grad, Rhodes Scholar, Former Military Officer and they have Bloomberg with a billion or two to spend
The GOP has someone who thought Paris was in Germany and Kansas City was in Missouri and has proven to completely unfit
Did connect him from the economy he has nothing to do with and run like Mike and Pete — u can win
1
Disgusting display of zombie-like behavior from the right. They hitched their wagons to a blustering con-man and God forbid any one of them might stand up and have a mind of their own.
Nancy! Way to go. Tear that thing up and wrap fish with it.
5
These fools project their own infantile personalities onto the vacuum of space.
1
Now the Presidential Medal of Freedom goes to the trash heap. Rush Limbaugh?? A potty mouth misogynist liar honored in our nation's capital. When I think this has hit bottom it keeps on plunging.
4
@CW
With Donald Trump, there is no bottom to that abyss.
3
Once again, an imbecile conflates the State of the Union with the state of himself and his lies and delusions.
2
Donald Trump,Sr. adopted the ' defense' of Mick Mulvaney aka ' I did it once in 2016, I did it again in 2019 and I am going to do it again in 2020 and what are you all going to do about it?
Backed up by Trump's and our smiling and smirking Russian Czar Father Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
Repeatedly shooting at and shredding the Constitution in plain sight from Mar-a-Lago to the White House and getting away with certainly beats shooting somebody on 5th Avenue in Manhattan.
If only we lived in a divided limited different power constitutional republic of uniited states where the people wielded the ultimate sovereign power over their elected and selected hired help ?
3
Giving away prizes.
Bwa hah hah ha hah!
2
Have to ask the NYTimes, please, to report the lies Donald Trump continuously says.
2
Putin wins again.
1
Garbage propaganda from an imposter makes the authoritarian, white nationalist base clap like they’ve been trained to do. What a surprise.
1
A pardon for a convicted war criminal and the Medal of Freedom to an a.m. radio clown and professional liar.
And now, a new day and a return to this rancid presidency.
4
What a motivational speech. All positive and all American. Seeing that little boy look up at his father returning from war was so powerful. Why are the NYT commenters so angry and hateful? Give this President his due, a wonderful list of accomplishments and an economy that is the envy of the world. I have loved the NYT since I was 12. We did not have comments back in the day. The anger and helplessness of the left is screaming from the comments. Toughen up, America is in great shape and things are only going to get better for her, as we move forward into another American century.
12
Glad you enjoyed all the Americans used as political stage props, Chris.
I'm sure that little boy and sister will have fun paying off Trump's $22 Trillion in national debt while the rich practice turns on their new superyachts.
I sure that little boy and girl will also enjoy all the benefits of the 'cheaper and better' snake oil health insurance that Trump mentioned.
Trump's a charlatan of the first order; open your eyes.
8
@Chris Scorn is all that is due to this president. Also, using service members as props in a re-election rally is tasteless and inappropriate.
9
@Chris
Sorry. I don't agree with you.
And there is nothing on Donald Trump's "wonderful list of accomplishments" that can take away from the fact that he is a vindictive and short-sighted man of no moral character, who has capitalized on dividing this country even further while letting hard-working Americans pay for his golfing trips to Mar-a-lago -- even as he promises more jobs (they aren't coming back), and a booming economy (that is starting to slow down).
Take it from someone in his hometown, as far as Trump is concerned all the glitters isn't gold.
And if anything, America had better toughen up for the aftermath of this administration.
We're moving backwards, and not ahead.
9
It is amazing how trump will never fail to take credit for the accomplishments of others. He did so again in last night's SOTUS. Is there anything that Trump claims credit for in that speech that can be directly attributed to the Trump administration as opposed to economic policies in place before Trump took office?
3
I voted for Hillary. But... Trump was elected to be our president. Here's a suggestion for all of the haters out there. Accept that he was elected in 2016. And stop trying to attack him every step of the way. Yes, he is rough around the edges. Yes, he does frequently say things that might be deemed mean to certain individuals or groups. But, he also stands for a lot of good, common-sense, policies. It's time for the left to stop with their temper tantrums and conspiracy theories, reach across the aisle, and focus efforts positively. Time for the left to move on.
3
Time for you to understand we will not let this man destroy our democracy.
3
I have never before in my long life heard so many total lies spewed out in just the first few minutes of his unbelievable speech. He looked and acted just like a carnival barker.
8
In the business and political spheres, they are called Hucksters.
2
These moments aren't some kind of grand spectacle. They have all the substance and showmanship of a late night infomercial. These were tired, hackneyed reality TV gimmicks that we are supposed to think were some kind of genius political theatre? Please.
It is amazing how differently people can view the same event. I'm sure none of this article is factually incorrect, but the context in which it is presented is so skewed to make Trump look good it's absurd.
What is ACTUALLY happening in this country? How many U.S. civilians were killed by ISIS in this country? How many lives destroyed by people living here illegally? Who is really benefiting from Wall Street's numbers?
From where I live, I see environmental standards being lowered. I see money flowing to the richest in our country while most people are forced to jobs with less security and benefits. I see people being treated in increasingly dehumanizing fashion simply because they or their ancestors came here from non European countries. I see hatred and division increasing for no reason other than political power grabs. I see truth and decency being shredded before our eyes by bloated, self congratulatory white men who profit from paranoia and half truths. I see a pathetic showman doing cheap reality TV gags at the state of the union address and not even performing his role well.
And I see people like the author of this article either falling for it, or helping the con.
3
trump has just announced, and awarded himself one, the First Best Nation's Best No-Bell Prize.
1
So the impeached President of the United States refuses to accept the extended hand of the first female Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States at his State of the Union Address. In turn, Republicans criticize her for ripping up his speech. Given he has bragged about sexually assaulting woman, mocked the physical appearance of women in his own party and has otherwise demeaned women throughout his entire career, it seems it was the least Madam Speaker could do.
9
The disaster in Iowa juxtaposed to the triumph in Washington last night and the impeachment debacle ending today at 4PM. The resistance has failed miserably.
4
I'm glad I didn't watch last night.
5
The Trump State of The Union address was reminiscent of a cheap Vegas show. Full of theatrics, gimmicks and never before seen visual effects. It was just another sham.
6
Too bad the Governor or Michigan didn’t mention her poisoning of her constituents in Flint.
2
This is what the road to fascism looks like. It will look even darker if this man is re-elected in November.
Please treat this election as an existential referendum on the soul of the republic. Do all you can and vote Democrat across the ticket. No time for purity tests. No time for laziness. Only time for decisive action and margins of victory that are too big to question.
7
It sounded like a campaign speech, which in reality was an insult to the valued traditions inherent in the United States Constitution, the Halls Of Congress, and the State Of The Union address.
Everything this callow, ignorant man touches is sullied by his proximity to it.
Trump's approval rating has never moved beyond his core herd of sheep. If he's doing so well, according to some of the comments here, where's the benefit of his alleged brilliance?
The Republicans lost 41 seats in the House in 2018. There's a good reason for that. Disgust with Trumpism. 2020 will see even more rejection of his gospel of hate.
Trump's reality show will be cancelled in November. If he refuses to leave the White House, I will be one of millions of American protesters surrounding the building until he slinks away.
6
Liars Club goes to the State of the Union.
Devoid of truth and dignity.
That's entertainment!
5
Melania Trump has appeared at some of Trump’s most appealing moments. She was all smiles while holding an orphaned baby in El Paso who had just lost his parents to gun violence. Melania was disgusting while smiling brightly last night while giving the Medal of a Freedom to hate monger Rush Limbaugh.
Ivanka Trump’s pre State of the Union video is also very troubling. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ivanka-trump-state-of-the-union-video_n_5e3a79cdc5b6d032e76c0baa
1
"He lied and lied and lied and lied." This is an accurate headline
6
What a fiasco! A real shame, such waste of time, effort and money for absolutely nothing, all for the worse. After so many months of dithering all we have now are better chances for trump to win again. Beautiful job!!
1
This is very sad...America is so broken. When people cheer on a vindictive, power hungry racist, misogynist , homophobic reality television star who awards the Presidential medal to a hate-monger we are in serious trouble. I get the willies when I read about World War II and how the people were sucked into tyranny and fascism...beware.
7
Last night's rhetoric hit a home run by many in attendance as well as the GOP base watching on TV.
But should this man get re-elected, he will NOT “shield entitlements from cuts” and WILL begin to look at ways to muck up Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, all under the guise and justification to reduce the federal deficit.
And while it was a noble task for the President to want the US to plant more trees, this notion should be a regular given in the Dept. of Interior budget because of the immense value trees bring - such as providing oxygen, improving air quality, climate amelioration, conserving water, preserving soil, and supporting wildlife.
But the president didn't mention any of those facts nor that he has rollback 95+ EPA policies which will only hurt and damage the environment.
5
Unless swing states, women, minorities and conscientious others vote for whomever is the Democratic party nominee, Trump will be president for 4 more years. So far he has blundered around and hasn't accomplished much. His regulations against the environment, women, immigration, etc. are not going to last. The only issue is the conservative majority Supreme Court. God help us the next five years (if he is still healthy and around).
5
It wasn't a state of the union. it was a combined MAGA rally and episode of Oprah, laced with the usual exaggerations and outright lies.
Only Donald Trump could say he's protecting healthcare along with the all-important preexisting conditions coverage. That takes brass since his DOJ is arguing before SCOTUS that the ACA should be overturned.
I'm amazed he didn't attack Pelosi and Schiff verbally by encouraging boos against them. Some Democrats left, on hearing truly offensive things.
I'm pretty sure we'll see a different Trump as soon as the formality of acquittal is over. That more than his "self restraint" last night should show us how he'll be acting got the next 8 months.
4
And only Trump supporters could possibly believe him.
3
The public SOTU address tradition, as begun by Woodrow Wilson, is woefully, WOEFULLY useless, especially in this highly polarized age in which we find ourselves. It serves no purpose other than that as a political rally. This has been true for many years, well before the current regime came to dominate the tone of our discourse.
Get rid of it. We need less of this drama, not more. Let presidents comply with the constitutional mandate as they had for over a hundred years: submit the SOTU in writing.
2
Trump does not have the cognition to know or understand the State of the Union. It appears that he has been tamed a bit by his impeachment ordeal. Therefore, less bombast may be forthcoming. GOP support for him is hanging by a thread. The greetings from the GOP and the reality of their feelings about him are in different buckets. Time will tell how different. The impeachment exercise created a lot of doubt about the president’s viability in 2020. The Democrats are definitely a threat for the presidency and Senate.
3
If even 40 percent of Americans believe and love this guy with all their hearts and minds, what's the point of holding elections? Every last one of that 40% will vote, but half of the other 60% won't. That half gave up on government and lost hope long ago.They are working just to survive day to day and believe nothing will change for them.
Oxymoron though it is, forget what he actually does, the man knows how to tell the exact lies his worshipful supporters want to hear. “Truth” is of no concern to him or to them.
Ratings = winning.
3
Democrats continue to make tactical mistakes due to a blind hatred of the President. Bipartisan censure would have been the appropriate remedy and probably would have been the politically savvy choice. Instead they sailed off the cliff with impeachment.
Now they seem primed to be led by a socialist when economic times have never been better. This isn’t a wise choice. Everyone knows it. If the economy holds up, come November, vs Sanders, this will be a one sided drubbing we thought could never occur again in our polarized country. And maybe a 45-5 state unanimous verdict is kind of what our country needs.
3
The only acceptable headline is "Trump incites racist hatred against immigrants". The implication that immigrants ("criminal aliens") are murderers is old fashioned blood libel and incitement to hate. He lied about a lot of things--including his record on medical care--but this rhetoric stood out as particularly odious and dangerous. Normalizing this hate speech by omission, as this headline does, is an historic error.
3
I almost have a panic attack not being able to change the channel fast enough in order to avoid even a single word from Trump.
3
Trump was interesting last night. He played the race card and give out free stuff, one of major route for success of the democrats. He retaliated with the democrats own strategy. The democrats of course became very upset, as reflected by facial expressions and other motions by Pelosi and her colleagues. Tearing up Trumps speech was the high point of this. This was one of the most amusing state of the unions given how trump played the democrats
3
The thing that bothers me the most about last night's State of the Union address is all the hyperbole. Things like "I rebuild the military" and "I replaced NAFTA with a good deal", when in reality the US Military is still largely the same force it was four years ago and the new USMCA is just NAFTA with some tweaks.
Trump is such a small, petty person that he has to magnify everything he does as 'the greatest' and everything he disagrees with as 'the worst'. Most can see the exaggerations for what they are but there is sadly a subset of the population that believes it, along with all the lies.
2
Pres. Donald Trump is state of the union message, was clear it was a campaign slogan to the American people with his guests where many of the young black girl and her dreams going to the best schools of her choice but how many more young black kids have the chance to get a better education very few of any. His education secretary the Deboss is one of the worse education secretaries in the last 50 years. Pres. Donald Trump cannot stand on one issue makes it sound great but very many deserving kids need that the scholarship but asked his education secretary the truth path of education for American kids is not a way Pres. Donald Trump wants fewer schools and education for the poorest Americans.
I don't want to be hypocritical but Rush Limbaugh awarded a medal should, is very well anti-American to the conservative party/Republicans.
Pres. Donald Trump touted the economy, yes but no a lot Americans are not doing well the numbers show the image of a goal of the wealthy Americans. Wages have not gone up but stay the same for the last 50 years. But the CEOs rate wages are astronomical cannot hold a match to it. It was Pres. Obama brought back this disparity and saved our nation from the total meltdown on the economy.
Pres. Donald Trump on tariffs was bad for America trillion the more in debt farmers have to ask welfare from our government because with his war on tariffs throughout the world. What can we learn from this just more lies from this president.
Last night was President Trump’s finest moment.
Last night was Ms. Pelosi’s worse moment.
Both in front of millions of voting Americans.
2
Was it a “finer moment” than when Donald Trump defended his neo-Nazi supporters after they rioted and murdered an American in Charlottesville?
1
@Dr. John
hey doc,
I have a theory that you folks who support the republicans have some form of the mental illness that abuse victims suffer from which prevents them from condemning the abuser and from leaving them.
What's you medical take on it?
Not one Trump State of the Union utterance or hint about the most pressing global and national existential threat — the impending and ever burgeoning CLIMATE DISASTER!
But now America has a fifth branch of the military — Space Force.
Travesty.
17
@G. Sears Trump is the world's biggest "climate disaster" because he is in charge of an economy that is contributing to that disaster. Instead of helping to put into place policies that will mitigate greenhouse gas emissions he has actively sought to overturn regulations that do. He is a "climate criminal" who should be hauled before a world tribunal where he can be made to see the error of his ways. (If only trump were capable of learning)
1
I know that it is hard to call it an impeachable offense but for me the main reason for impeaching 45 is his unabashed destruction of political discourse and his sowing division in the US. He certainly didn't start it but decorating Rush Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of Honor "trumps" everything else. I sincerely wish Rush all the best for his battle with cancer but he is the avatar of hate spewing radio programs. To glorify such behavior by bestowing the highest civilian honor on Rush is beyond the pale.
@Vítor Luís Antunes Coutinho not the Medal of Honor (which is generally awarded to military personnel only).
The Medal of Freedom was awarded.
What an amazing speech. Did not see the grim tones that the author was referring to. Complete triumph. Even from Canada I could feel the Democrats squirming in their seats - as Trump outlined the campaign strategy ahead of them. A great economy - record low unemployment across ALL socioeconomic groups - improving education - finally reduction in opiod deaths - some solid trade agreements - and a reduction in the influence of both China and Iran. This story is amazing - how can Trump possibly lose. The only question is can he take back the house. In fact - the Presidential election is a forgone conclusion - and the GOP will focus all of their efforts on reclaiming the house- with a rock solid majority, Well done Mr. President - great speech.
23
Why didn’t Trump mention the violence against minorities by his supporters that is skyrocketing as a direct result of his presidency?
8
@Randy Sadly, there were so many factual holes in this campaign rally, if it were Swiss cheese a truckload would be needed to serve up one pound. TWO EXAMPLES: Trump healthcare claims were shockingly opposite of reality: the Trump administration is in court right now to end coverage for pre-existing conditions, and 'House Resolution 3, named the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act in the late congressman's honor, is a bill that would allow the government to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for those covered under Medicare. Affected drugs would include insulin products and 25 of the most expensive brand-name drugs that don't have generic equivalents.'
https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/democrat-protest-chant-hr3-video-sotu-trump-15030773.php
6
Totally agree! It was a great speech
11
I thought President Trump’s state of the union address last night was superb. It was exciting and yet solemn. He was as presidential as any president I can remember. He touched upon all the right spots and acted like a true statesman. He had varied guests and he was proud to have them in his presence. He made each one feel special and said genuinely kind and sincere words directed at them.
I did not find this speech dull or long like so many in the past. His presentation was one of the best and he is a first rate speaker. This is one of his many high points. He gets the message across in a concise and precise manner. I look forward to having President Trump winning again in 2020. He should after this excellent address. He wants to continue making America great and I do believe he will.
7
I've seen 4th graders who can read out loud better than our current President.
Not only is he terrible at governance, but he is terrible as a performer. He looks like he is delivering a last-minute book report, and not trying particularly hard.
4
Exactly! He has my vote!
5
Those were actually the articles of impeachment Nancy ripped up last night. Trump has managed to beat everything the Dem’s have thrown at him, everything, including the media. At some point realize 2016 is over folks. You just handed Trump 2020. The Democrat Party is a divided mess with no viable candidates, and they can’t even hold a caucus correctly.
19
@JOSEPH
You keep promoting the propaganda.
Trump is guilty of what he was charged with. His first move was a confession. That confession caused the impeachment.
The republicans foreign masters are making them do this to further drag us down in the world.
3
I wonder how many church, mosque, synagogue and Walmart massacres there will be during Trump’s second term, if he gets one. That’s how his supporters react to his “leadership,” so it’s only a matter of time.
3
@JOSEPH beat? he didn't even show up to the fight.Just like in Vietnam.He didn't show up there either.All you republicans are just pussy cats
1
It was both a masterful and (for Trump) rather restrained speech that offered something for everyone who loves America and Americans. Reagan-esque in its optimism, and irrefutably impressive as he ticked off his numerous economic and security accomplishments, and downright inspiring as he honored the many guests in the gallery.
The President had his statesman's hat on as he politely avoided mentioning the unhinged partisanship of last week's Democrat impeachment hyperbole. In view of that, it was understandable that he did not shake the viperous hand of Speaker Pelosi, but what did she think she would accomplish by ripping up his speech behind his back like a tantruming child?
For this Independent, it revealed the Democratic Leadership as the bitter obstructionists they are, and motivates me to vote for his re-election this fall, even as I plan to cast a Super Tuesday primary vote for the least odious of the Democratic candidates. You reap what you sow.
5
Part of the moral and intellectual illness of being part of Trump’s base is no doubt the delusion that one is still an “independent.” He’s a two-bit con artist, but his base sure makes it easy for him.
1
@BearBoy You bought the bounty of lies from this inappropriate rally (not a SOTU). Sad. Because he didn't engage in his usual turret's style screaming & belittling, you find him presidential & "restrained". Baffled by the cognitive dissidence of Dear Leader's fanboys.
1
Trump has never been in a better position.
Im not sure when exactly the winds changed, but I think it was when Pelosi held onto the articles. You could sense momentum shift.
Democrats need another whistleblower stat!
2
I couldn't bear to watch the SOTU, so I missed my second opportunity this week (the first being at the start of the Super Bowl) to see my cousin Charles E. McGee and his grandson Ian being honored by Trump - who is the antithesis of everything our current President represents. Charles is brave, intelligent, honorable, and extremely humble. I'm almost glad that I didn't have to see him being "honored" alongside the likes of Rush Limbaugh.
2
President Trump will win a second term because he is the best person running and we want him to continue his good work for all Americans
his continued leadership will unite this country, despite the negative MSM, as long as people realize he's here to stay for the next five years
if you care about our country and your well being, please allow yourself to be happy
8
Do you think the people whom Trump supporters murdered because of their religion or skin color and because of Trump’s rhetoric cared about their country?
1
What we witnessed was the Last Hurrah of a racist, wannabe dictator who has no respect for morality or ethics.
He came across like a braggart child who wants everything to go his way, so he will tell any lie to get a pat on the head. In the case of Trump, it was raucous applause from his sycophants and enablers that was sought and given.
The Republican Party is utterly complicit in the true decline of the United States of America. Trump has made our nation a laughing-stock around the world. He plays games with people's lives (because of his tariff actions, farmers and meat ranchers in Iowa are suffering greatly, for example), is ignorant of the basic Constitutional laws that govern our country, and hasn't a modicum of decency, class, or style.
He lies about automobile jobs, dangles promises he never keeps, and doesn't do a full day's work. He glorifies himself, and the complicit kneel before him. He gloats on social media, but he doesn't seem to understand that most of his Twitter followers are there to mock him.
Theoretically, Trump starts with a 3.2-million vote deficit, and this time-around, the Democrat's candidate will be going to Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan.
Turning the State Of The Union address into a game show was just one of many indignities through which we've had to sit.
In less than a year, we true patriotic Americans will stand tall and proud again after Trump is ridden out of Washington on a rail. Mitch McConnell, too.
12
It was a State of the GOP Base speech, not a State of the Union speech.
Instead of acknowledging that he inherited an economic recovery that started way back in 2009, selfish Donald acted as if he invented the economic recovery on Jan 20 2017, a childish act of petty self-congratulation and self-glorification befitting such a small man.
As Trump ticked off all of his 'record' economic statistics, he failed to mention the record annual trillion dollar deficits added to America's national debt now at $22 trillion...unprecedented deficits during an economic expansion charged to the nation's credit card from a bankruptcy and debt 'expert'.
Trump lied about trying to preserve protections for pre-existing conditions, and he said he created 'cheaper and better' health insurance, although a fact check reveals that he created 'cheaper and faker' insurance that doesn't cover much. This is a man who keeps on trying to rip healthcare away from millions and replace it with hot air, but pretends that Down Is Up with a straight face.
And awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rush Limbaugh - one of the most destructive people in American history with 40 years of Hate Radio to his discredit - is one of the most despicable things I've ever witnessed.
Trump might as well have awarded the the medal to Alex Jones for his destructive conspiracy-mongering Infowars 'contributions' to American culture.
As author J.K. Rowling once tweeted to Trump:
"You tiny, tiny, tiny little man."
224
@Socrates
"Instead of acknowledging that he inherited an economic recovery that started way back in 2009" -
If I may, here is what people like yourself don't understand - During the recession, most middle and upper-middle class Americans struggled. They were the worst years of my adult life and many of those around me. If the Obama years were that of a "recovering economy," we didn't feel it. We saw lots of low wage jobs in the service industry and that's just about it.
Today, we feel good. Our families aren't struggling, we are saving! We are sending kids to college without angst and we are able to make repairs on our homes that are long overdue. We're even taking vacations again.
Four.More.Years.
12
@Socrates
You are correct in that last night WAS the "State of the GOP Base" speech.
The president just saved millions in campaign costs.
20
@sandy
I struggled too. But I find it interesting that you blame O, not W.
Do you even know that when O left office, unemployment was about 4.5%, and that right now, 3 years into Trump, its at about 3.5%?
You think of this as an economic miracle?
15
The jury of Trump’s peers pronounced sentence upon him yesterday, “four more years!”, confirming that they were bought and paid for with the riches of power. It is not fear that binds the herd to their bull; they are in thrall of his ruthless, unending quest for power. They are all in with his tactics, including the lies, bigotry and demonization of the “others”, meaning anyone not on his side.
Brutal divisiveness in our Electoral College/Gerrymandered country has replaced lofty ideals, hope, and vision as the tenor of the SOTU. Pelosi’s shredding of his speech foretells the coming months will not be a Presidential campaign, but a civil war. Trump started his quest for power with a racist lie, campaigned as a xenophobic bigot and has governed as an extreme partisan driven to fulfill his “promises” (with exaggerated or fabricated results). With the inevitable impeachment he reaped what he had sowed. His “maximum pressure” tactics force those who oppose him to respond in kind or surrender their principles.
Last night’s show was not a speech about the state of the union. It is the state of the union.
27
Teleprompter Trump was full of Boastful Lies.
Are you ready for Acquitted Trump?
Vote Blue.
No Matter Who.
(State Elections, too.)
62
Loved every second of the speech last night and with today's job numbers being released I am ecstatic for our country. My biggest peeve is the petty and snide moves by the Speaker of The House. She is vile person who needs to step aside.
30
@Nature Jobs report is the first Friday of the month. Any numbers released today are an estimate by someone other than the BLS and should be treated appropriately, meaning the numbers today are not the real numbers.
9
@Nature why didn't he shake her offered hand?
3
@Nature Those of us who love America were thrilled to see Nancy Pelosi show what Donald Trump's speech was really worth!
12
The Republican senators clapped, stood and sat on cue, reminiscent of the rockettes as the Christmas Spectacular, in perfect unison, trained and ready to follow the leader. A spectacular performance by the man whose talent is best suited to showmanship and has found his proper place in that field. As for the Presidency,
only history will be the judge.
21
@jdoe212
As opposed to every State of Union given by Democrats?
2
@jdoe212
El Trumpo is their new Golden Calf.
@jdoe212
More like the June Taylor dancers, but
Jackie Gleason had class.
Well, since according to Bernie's babies and bullies there was no difference between trump and Clinton, I think you can add giving Rush Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the State of the Union to the list of how incredibly wrong there were and still are.
3
@Brad
So you haven't heard what she has been up to the last few weeks? Or that her campaign employees were the creators of that infamous app that went untested in Iowa?
BTW she invented the Bernie Bro hoping to get some of his female supporters but then pulled a 'deplorable' on herself again, by claiming they were all just horny.
After more lies last night, I retired my independent vote, along with my husband, and officially became a Democrat, Any remote chance of voting for a republican, went out the window with their failure to hold DT accountable.
7
What I don't understand is why ANYONE with a clear mind watch this guy keep lying. Although I have not watch any news since 2016 election, I can not get away from hearing about this guy on funny shows either. I guess I have to stop watching them too.
1
You can wear your earbuds, do your dance and whistle past the grave yard but if you have cancer it is still there and growing and one day, sooner rather than later, the cancer will get you. Don't be fooled by the music and dancing.
3
“…Republicans embraced the president many of them once scorned. They welcomed him with hearty applause and even chanted, “Four more years! Four more years!” as if it were a campaign rally rather than an affair of state.”
Scorned when? Certainly not since his election three plus years ago. Their role has been all sycophantic and servile.
Virtually the entire speechTrump campaign rally, showmanship, vainglorious overstatement and outright fabrications.
3
The "economy" he refers to is not the economy we the people rely on that actually hires us to make things.
He is talking about Wall Street the place where only the wealthy make money and in doing that they never once build a single thing in the US or create a single US job if you don't count staff at their homes most of whom are probably immigrants, legal or not.
Rush Limbaugh is a person responsible for far more of the nastiness in our political discourse than Trump and McConnell combined. Remind me to say no if I am ever offered that award.
In the end in essence what he said to the chanting of his cult of worshippers; More of the same, more of the same, more of the same....ad infinitum. He has no other gear. Whatever happened to "thou shalt have no god before me"?
I have never seen so many American cowards congregated in one spot in my life.
5
@magicisnotreal
...but....but...he reduced unemployment by 1% since O left office!
1
I have always tried to watch each and every state of the union as a commitment to being a good citizen. I did not watch last night.
I am tired of all the lies, and sick at heart watching the Republicans allow this man to trample all over the Constitution and then brag about it to the nation.
History will not look kindly on any of this. Sadly, history takes time to pass its judgment, and in the meantime those who could expose this man for who he really is have decided to look the other way. Sad day for America.
8
@avrds
Agreed. I've sat through Reagan, and Bush I and W in addition to Carter, Clinton and O.
But I will not watch this Mussolini wannabe.
1
Rush Limbaugh is a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient. Let that sink in. Might as well put these medals in a gumball machine now.
7
@RP Smith
If Trump is reelected, expect Hannity to get it next.
More people should have joined Fred Guttenberg's in his protest against the current insanity of gun violence financed by the NRA.
3
Medal of Freedom to Rush at the state of the union address is by far the most ridiculous and insulting thing this president has done to the office.
7
An evening of fraud and lies from the Oval Office - or as it’s more commonly known: Tuesday.
5
Did I miss something? Is there going to be any fact checking by the 'Paper of Record' or just triumphal acceptance?
I heard at least a dozen humdingers in the first 30 minutes before I turned it off.
The scariest thing about the speech is the way all the media coverage seems to be enthusiastically falling in line.
Please. For the good of all of us...consider doing your job on this one.
2
For all those biting their nails and wringing their hands about the possibility of this goof being reelected, here are a few simple things to consider that might ease the angst.
- His failure to deliver what he promised to his base was on full display when he had BOTH chambers of congress at his disposal.
- Given this country's standing on the world stage after one term of this bozo and his clown college administration, how many news outlets and other sources of influence will endorse another term?
- Trump has alienated many of the women that voted for him last time.
- He has also alienated many of the rural voters that supported him earlier with his inept tariff policies.
- Tens of millions more people will probably be voting this year, many of them young first-time voters. Young people in general will not vote for this guy.
- There is also the possibility that once the Democratic primary process thins out the field, someone points out that the economy is headed for a cliff. And a primary driver will be the irresponsible tax cut that Paul Ryan and the other Trump enablers put over on everyone. Democrats will have to clean up the mess just like they have the last few times the GOP performed tax cut 'Magic'
This guy barely got elected last time. He's gonna have to try MUCH harder this time to ensure another term. He's not that smart.
1
@Dan
All great points. But here's the sad part:
His supporters do not believe any of them. They are completely in thrall to his cult of personality. They no longer believe anything, even their own personal circumstances. They only believe what he tells them.
And if he changes his mind? They change their minds too.
Orwell got it right.
1
There can be no greater demonstration of the state of our country than to watch a man who has made a career out of lies, hatred, fear and division bestow the Presidential Medal of Honor on another man who does the same.
Our children are watching, and we are all responsible for this.
197
@Jim Apologies... Medal of Freedom, not Honor.
2
@Jim
Stellar summary and so spot on!
4
@Jim
True, but never has Trump been more popular. To just over half of America that matters in presidential elections, what he did, and what he is doing is heroic and patriotic; amalgamating and unifying, laudable and worthy of emulation. We cannot under-estimate the connection between Trump and our collective psyche; he is a man that speaks loudly for what we are as Americans. You (and I) may not like it at all, but Rush would win the presidency tomorrow, and Ivanka the day after. I think even Mitch would trounce virtually any democrat today in a national election, even if he admitted to being a warlock. Not because the democrats running are unworthy (each one of them is a fine American), but because the center left voter is unreliable and ultimately unworthy of representation; because we will not stand up and be counted, nor get our fingers dirty to do what is right.
Martin Luther King
John Glenn
Lt. General Jimmy Doolittle
Brigadier General Chuck Yeager
Edward R. Murrow
David McCullough
These individuals are just a very few of the distinguished recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom award.
And then there's Rush Limbaugh.
My heart dropped when I read of his recent lung cancer diagnosis because my mother was diagnosed with the same illness and passed away only a few months after.
But to honor Mr. Limbaugh with THIS award?
With all due respect, while I wish Mr. Limbaugh the best of luck in fighting this illness, I also think it is disgraceful and an insult to all others who were bestowed with this great honor.
25
@Marge Keller, sitting in judgement was never done so obviously. Thanks for making it look so easy, unfortunately.
@Marge Keller . Why not mention Robert denero, MAryl Streep, Oprah as well.
Or is it that those who exaggerate democrat's positions are wortthy of it.
3
@Marge Keller
You are expressing your human decency with your good wishes to Mr. Limbaugh and I echo them. Ditto your thoughts about the cheapening of the award. The honoree has been for nothing resembling Freedom for as long as I’ve known about him.
I am grateful to be aligned with people who fight fairly and are not afraid to stand up to those who think they are the only ones who get to decide what the country stands for. We are in for much suffering with what this president and his backers are promoting.
1
Let's face it, President Trump is the most divisive U.S. President (if not figure) in living memory. State of the Union or Pep Rally ?
The voters shall decide if his is the true vision of our Country's immediate future and continued divisiveness or a shake up of our broken Congress that will enable us to get back to the serious business of preserving our Country and Planet for future generations.
27
Trump really did a great job of displaying the state of the nation. Divided like we have not seen since the middle of the 1800’s. The Democrats sitting sullen. The Republicans cheering like fans at a high school Friday night game. The President twisting his representations of spun facts and made up facts into puffery and outright fantasies. Trump confuses what he has accomplished with how the nation is doing. The state of the union is he campaigning for re-election.
Coolidge once said that the business of our nation was business. For Trump, the business of the nation is Trump. The Republicans do very enthusiastically agree with that. The Democrats could not pretend to be listening to the President but to a man who holds the office but disrespect it like some dictator who presumes that he is the country, just like Putin.
He saves the nation from it’s enemies and makes America greater than ever, and he fights the many foes of the folk, protecting them. Demagoguery.
6
Talk about "surreal." The only way the 2020 election will be held is if Democrats mess things up so spectacularly that Trump can be confident of a landslide victory. Democrats have yet to grasp the horrific implication of this simple, brutal reality: if Trump loses the election, he goes to jail.
So ask yourself this: "If I were Trump, would I do everything in my power to scuttle the 2020 election if I knew I was going to lose?"
Once you've seen Rush Limbaugh lionized during the SOTU and Mitch McConnell in effect tell the 75% of Americans who wanted impeachment trial witnesses to "go pound sand," you should expect Trump to stop at nothing to protect himself.
In other words, we've entered a strange new world where the very attempt to exercise democracy may ultimately destroy it for good.
4
Reminder: No matter what Democrats do or do not do, Republicans will blame them for every single problem facing the country.
If Democrats has proceeded with censure instead of impeachment, they would have accused the Democrats of partisan politics trying to destroy Trump. If they would have done nothing, Republicans would blame them for undermining the investigation into Bidens and interfering in executive foreign policy.
Republicans have one rule, and one rule only: never go against Trump. They are, at this point, equivalent to an organized crime syndicate. And that is a fair and equal comparison. Donald Trump literally committed crimes. Instead of holding Trump accountable for those criminal acts, they are seeking to launch state sanctioned punishment against Trump’s political rivals.
That’s the same conduct that the United States USED to rebuke the Soviet Union for engaging in. One thing that really disappoints me is how the press has failed to adapt. Journalists and editors have refused to adjust their coverage of this administration according to reality. They still want to cover the Trump administration as of it was normal, like they’ve covered every other administration.
But such a decision runs completely against every fact and piece of evidence publicly available. None of this is normal. Journalists need to start covering this administration the same way they have covered other authoritarians, because that is what Trump is.
6
Trump clearly does not believe in the idea of "America". That is very clear now.
He is a partisan along the lines of Jefferson Davis of the Confederacy and uses the power of the office of the presidency for a personal and often petty advantage. His tarnished character and lack of personal integrity is not worthy of the highest office in the land, but there we are.
The eye-opener is seeing how the GOP Senate could be so easily herded against the very oath they mouthed when they took office. The oath appears to be to Trump.
8
"Our country is highly respected again". Er..where exactly? I won't challenge the "again" part, it would take too long but I am a European living in the Middle East and that appraisal is just laughable.
13
@Dogma
About 40% of Americans now only believe what Trump tells them. Sadly, his international actions seem to reinforce their 8 year old selves. Thinking that empty bluster and threats of force are "strength" and that such
engender others to "respect" them.
The other, long term problem is that most Americans know little about the rest of the world, and many of those simply do not care what other nations think.
The whole speech was simply an additional thousand lIes to the fifteen thousand certified lIes he has told already.
Will the American electorate buy it again is the only question, and perhaps the second one is will the Americans that have been punished (losing jobs and livelihoods) by crushing republican tariffs/taxes, put up with the pain and vote for this President again?
I seriously doubt it = Democratic landslide.
4
And in a different world, Trump's approval rating keeps on inching up.
1
Pricelless reaction from Rush. Considering I knew about him getting the medal midafternoon, it was remarkable watching his performance. Is it too late to get his name on the ballot for Best Supporting Actor in this year's Oscars?
3
Winners, spoils, and all that. Yesterday was portentous. First off, Trump has fractured the democratic party. Had the republicans made a mess, as have the dems in Iowa, they would call it patriotic and intentional (democrats will eat their young while whining, and knot themselves into an apologizing mess). See Trump tweet of cofveve. From democrats? Crickets.
Yesterday was the end of 'rule of law,' it ushers in 'republicans win, democrats lose.' We are a couple of steps away from 'thinking and voting democrat' as act of high treason.
Yesterday is the final chapter in the book about the unworthiness of center left in America. We deserve no one with merit, we have no moral fiber nor interest in democracy; we certainly are unwilling to fight for it, or sully our hands in its pursuit. Why would anyone fight for us? We have yet marched against the acquittal, or made any demonstration of any sort that would have anyone pay attention. Whining is not protest, neither is eye rolling, nor is shouting louder that everything should be free. We are no more effective than graffiti artists. We - particularly on the center left - deserve every bit of this Tribal Trumpista State, and the coming Trump dynasty.
1
@Kalidan -
Defeatism will not defeat Trump. Navel gazing will not defeat Trump.
If you're worried, and can take some time, go to a swing state and help get people registered (or in the mass voter roll purge states, re-register).
Or, do so here. Help get people to the polls in November. Turnout will be key in this election.
But "oh woe is me" will get us exactly what you fear.
I didn’t tune in last night, to spare myself from having to watch what I knew would violate any shred of decorum and decency left among Republicans. So, opting instead to read accounts today, I know my decision was a good one.
It’s frightening to hear and watch them celebrate their doomsday plans for anyone not part of their cult. In my lifetime, I’ve seen periods of turmoil and dissent in the nation, but never such division and hatred as now. I imagine it compares rather closely to the atmosphere during the Civil War.
The blame for it lies on the shoulders of the Republican party whose intolerance for others reached a fever pitch when the majority of Americans put their faith in Barack Obama, twice. Trump is the reactionary result.
6
Trump’s speech was not a report on the State of the Nation-it was an exposition of Trump’s delusions.He declared that he would protect “ pre-existing” conditions while his administration is in court trying to kill the provision in the ACA which protects pre-existing conditions.This was just one of many lies.The rest of the evening was theatrics trying to appeal to groups he needs for his re-election.It was a political rally which Trump does well-that is because it is all,about him and what will benefit him.He brought in people to honor which actually deserved credit but last night was not the time or place for these theatrics-these genuine heroes were being used for Trump’s purposes-they were being used to make him look,good.Trump will do anything, repeat ANYTHING , to get attention and feed his fragile ego!
4
Nancy Pelosi's temper tantrum and ripping up the speech was akin to censorship and book burning. It was disgraceful.
The scary thing is she is number 3 in the presidential succession line and would have access to nuclear codes.
What if she had another temper tantrum?
Pelosi is a danger to world peace and must be removed.
6
@George Orwell
Yes. Your postings do illustrate the regimes that Orwell warned us of. Frankly, what she did, in the face of Trump's lies and half truths, his boasts and besmirching of the Medal of Freedom, was a tasteful and silent way of
saying just how she felt.
You love Trump, and decry temper tantrums? Really?
2
Pelosi tearing some paper. How horrible.
Trump publicly defending neo-Nazis after they murder an American: that’s presidential, though, right?
1
I didn't watch the wrestling match/Trump rally/game show giveaway State of the Union address because I already know the state of our union after witnessing lies, illegal activities and Fascism rising with no rebuke from Republicans. Like my heart, the state of our union, is broken irrevocably.
3
I didn’t listen to the State of the Union yesterday. I watched Once Upon a Time in Hollywood instead where real actors knew how to act. But in all frankness, it was more than artful entertainment that I chose a movie over Trump. I simply can not even look at him, listen to him, endure him. My imperfect character can no longer hand me the internal strength needed to tolerate utter amorality. Yet, beyond Trump there was also his audience made up of his abetters in the destruction of decency and honesty and truth. You know...every last Senate Republican including Mr. Portman who dared to write an opinion piece just today. We are not fools, sir. As far as I am concerned, the only occurrence worth noting was symbolic. It was Ms Pelosi tearing up Mr. Trump’s lying script at the conclusion of this apparent farce.
4
A media event full of half truths and untruths and shameful stunts meant as photo ops. This no more characterized the State of our Union than one of Trump's campaign rallies. I'm surprised Pelosi stopped at ripping up the text; she and the Democrats should have arisen from their seats and left in protest.
4
I felt as if I was being forced to watch a Trump rally... as always he hijacked the event and used it for self promotion! Medal of Honor for Limbaugh? Insulting public education? Tearing at the fabric of our hard won gains.... During this pandemic he is dismantling the protections of the CDC and the important inroads created by Obama to manage outbreaks of disease. The list of his assaults on our democracy grows every hour of every day. It’s as if we are slipping back in time we have a republic only if we can hold on to it!
Putin must be very satisfied with his investment.
5
Seriously, speechwriter Stephen Miller, a “blue-collar Revolution”? You may want to lay off foamy lattes when you’re working on a Big Speech.
As a Democrat, I’m really encouraged: In the upbeat parts of his speech, the President read and the GOP stomped and hollered and cheered talking points *straight from the Democrats.* This is great! Let’s all of us campaign on these talking points.
Unions: I’m talking to you here! You had a good night. The path is wide open now.
3
I'm sad to see the nation sink this low. If Trump is the future of the U.S. then there is no more United States. This "man" is toxic and a clear and present danger to us.
1
As someone from the outside looking in with no skin in the game the atrocities of Donald Trump's misleading characterization of the State of the Union is an affront to the American people, how can someone so corrupt display such blatant behavior and be rewarded by a Republican Party who was elected to Preserve your Civil and Human Rights, this is the Foundation of the Constitution! the one comment brought by this President which was incredible, making you wonder exactly where does this Corrupt Reigning Government get their statistics and information, throughout the country and the world the disdain showed this Leader and his Administration fall far beyond his delusion that the United States is more respected than ever before, that is his fallacy and unfortunately for the good people of the United States, even his rock-solid base who still have not realized that this man's interest has nothing to do with them, have to come to the premise that this is not a Reality TV show where you can do whatever to fudge ratings, the United States on a daily basis loses the Power, Respect, Dignity that was once bestowed upon this fine country, listening to people like Lamar Alexander, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski deliver their reasoning for acquitting such an irresponsible President by not attesting to his previous illegalities only this one phone-call shows the world that they are the Gatekeepers to the Swamp. this man, his cabinet is poisoning the world with the help of the electoral body
The Kingmen are on the verge of temporary victory.
I did not know the name was changed and now is called the Medal of Hate and Divisiveness.
3
Make America Great Again. Vote Trump and all the other Republicans out of office in 2020.
1
This was the first SOTU speech I watched since Bush I. Meh...
Can’t stand the theatrics, the human props, and the cheerleading. Never could.
Democrats and ‘progressives’ in attendance shamed themselves — no surprise — with their smug pettiness.
Maybe we can return to normal in January 2025. You know, right about the time Monday’s final Iowa caucus results come in.
2
For all those biting their nails and wringing their hands about the possibility of this goof being reelected, here are a few simple things to consider that might ease the angst.
- His failure to deliver what he promised to his base was on full display when he had BOTH chambers of congress at his disposal.
- Given this country's standing on the world stage after one term of this bozo and his clown college administration, how many news outlets and other sources of influence will endorse another term?
- Trump has alienated many of the women that voted for him last time.
- He has also alienated many of the rural voters that supported him earlier with his inept tariff policies.
- Tens of millions more people will probably be voting this year, many of them young first-time voters. Young people in general will not vote for this guy.
- There is also the possibility that once the Democratic primary process thins out the field, someone points out that the economy is headed for a cliff. And a primary driver will be the irresponsible tax cut that Paul Ryan and the other Trump enablers put over on everyone. Democrats will have to clean up the mess just like they have the last few times the GOP performed tax cut 'Magic'
This guy barely got elected last time. He's gonna have to try MUCH harder this time to ensure another term. He's not that smart.
2
The President told a large number of obvious lies in speech last night. The Washington Post catalogues at least 31. For example, Trump claimed that 401k accounts have increased in value by 60-90%, a claim that bears no visible relation to reality.
Any experienced and attentive observer of Trump of course expects a cavalcade of lies in such a speech. But it's depressing, and at the same time enlightening, to find basically no reporting on it in this article, or, as far as I can tell, anywhere in the Times.
4
Nothing says "vote blue" like throwing a temper tantrum on national television... Huge gaff by Pelosi. The last thing democrats need right now is her driving moderates farther right. If she wanted to call Trump out on his hypocrisy, she should have done so like an adult.
8
It was an ugly and dark speech, given by and ugly and dark man. The most unpresidential State of the Union I’ve seen. The fact that he would use this speech to otherize and separate this country even more, gives you a clear picture that the GOP has lost its way, and soul.
We are adrift my friends.
6
It was a queen-for-a-day, publisher's-clearing-house, what's-behind-door-number-three, made-for-reality-TV show, riddles with lies about his "accomplishments." He boasted about taking people off the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP--food stamps) and welfare while lying about paying for illegal immigrants with "Medicare" (while meaning Medicaid). He made an "ironclad" promise that he would not eliminate pre-existing conditions from healthcare (a "stronger, better healthcare plan"--where IS it?), while behind the scenes advocating for eliminating coverage for pre-existing conditions. He claims sole responsibility for today's economic conditions, while knowing full well that he built upon Barack Obama's success. My own son, who has a =n advanced degree, is having problems making ends meet for his family, and doesn't live extravagantly. He touted his "big, beautiful wall," some of which blew down in a strong wind last week. Then, the piece de resistance to me was when he said that veterans were being taken care of, that their unemployment rate was down, under his administration. Twenty-two veterans commit suicide DAILY. Last week he said traumatic brain injury among veterans is "just a little headache" that they should deal with. His pie-in-the-sky price-is-right reality show last night, filled with his usual lies, did nothing for me.
4
Trump gives a scholarship to an African-American girl, like that’s going to undo all the hate he has encouraged in the past? And his solution for climate change is planting trees, while at the same time pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement and pushing vigorously against any and all regulation of carbon emissions? I guess Trump believes those suburban voters like myself won’t see through his cynicism. What a joke.
3
Watch the absolutely clueless US Senate endorse the Dershowitz Principle that legalizes terrorism when it is treated as equally-protective law, which defense lawyers will surely do.
Aside from this manifesto of blatant lies, Trump has shamelessly used the misfortunes and human feelings of others as a "prop" for his political "reality show" to advance and aggrandize his self-centered agenda. Good for Nancy for showing her displeasure on behalf of all decent Americans who despise the divisions that Trump fosters. Hopefully, all will show their displeasure in a much more meaningful way in the next election to expel Trump and all his sycophantic "valets" from office. Good riddance. They do not represent what this country stands for.
P.S. All those torn pages might be ideal for lining the bottom of a bird cage......
2
If he wins in 2020, those of us who believe in the Constitution; New England, the West Coast, New York, Colorado, Virginia, and our allies must be ready to recall our National Guards and start raising troops. The South and their allies on the plains must not be allowed to keep this man in power.
We have the people, we must mobilize against the police state and the white supremacists.
2
There was a State of the Union address plus a comic side show; two for the price of one. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi chose the moment to cement her legacy. Despite surgical enhancement and near clown makeup, the effect was not pretty. A pretend snub, as no handshakes were given, as provocation for a truncated introduction began a carnivalesque side show snit behind the main event. It began with jaw gyrations in their own orbit and was followed by strange head and hand movements with Pelosi gesturing and speaking words heard by no one. Perhaps she was experiencing a personal epiphany or perhaps not.
Speaker Pelosi followed this freakish behavior with her final gesture of disrespect, ripping up the President’s speech on cue on camera, thus severing forever her connection with the American people. Clad in white and gesturing to her petulant presidium puppets similarly clad with similar boorish behavior, Nancy Pelosi, as elitist figurehead of the Democrat Party, has forever demonstrated her contempt for the people she pretends to represent.
Perhaps Speaker Pelosi’s imagined epiphany was the Democrat rebuttal featuring Governor and Michigan mom laying out her new infrastructure plan of having children fill potholes with dirt. Now that’s a campaign to grab on to.
8
And no mention from Michigan Governor on the people she poisoned in Flint
Democrats failed us yet again and helped make Trump look strong at his State of the Union. No one cares that many of the Democratic women in Congress wore white. Tearing up the speech only made Pelosi look like a petulant child. Really, the Democrats should not have attended the SOTU... but that would have been too bold a move for them. Democrats could have used the extensive media coverage by not attending to bring attention to Trump's many abuses to this country. At the very least, Democrats should have held up signs stating LIAR during the speech. Democrats just can't seem to get their acts together. It's like they bring knitting needles to a knife fight. Their weakness and complacency scares the heck out of me. If last night is any indication of the power Trump is allowed to convey, I fear he will be re-elected.
17
@Tom - It's pretty much a done deal - he WILL be re-elected. Democrats are doing everything in their power to make sure of that. The irony of their irrationality is delightful.
2
@Tom
The Democrats aren’t much of a match for a Con Artist with Trump’s level if proficiency.
He has all of the persuasive charm of Jim Jones, David Koresh, and Charles Manson put together, and he his just as dangerous.
Narcissistic personality disorder is the common trait amongst these figures.
Throughout history, these types have done horrific damage when they have ascended to power.
The Dems are not nearly as vulnerable as the base.
2
@Tom . . . Oh, I see: Tearing up a speech is "childish," but holding up signs reading "LIAR" is not.
Democrats must fight fire with fire. Let's go after Trump, his family, Mitch McConnell and his family, Lindsey Graham, etc, with every legal means we can. Hammer, over and over, on their various crimes, financial shenanigans, and shameful, embarrassing personal details. To be clear, I am not talking about FBI investigations or the Southern District of New York. That's all fine and well, but no one apparently listens to that kind of evidence. I'm talking dirt. I'm talking playing hardball. I'm talking earning some respect here. Trump is running over the top of the country to a dangerous and deeply destructive degree. We need to stop him.
3
78 minutes of lies, half-lies, and statistics (i.e. utter bull...t)
Where were the bold GOP legislators who shouted "you lie" at the last president? fawning and clapping like trained seals to this would-be dictator.
20
If this country is going to have a promising future rather than one of gradual decline, we need to make political choices based on facts, not propaganda. And as far as the economy is concerned, the fact is that there has been no material change in the economy's performance since Trump took office. Yes, stock values are higher, primarily due to lower corporate taxes and a correspondingly larger federal deficit. But the rate of economic growth is about the same as during the Obama years, and the perplexing problems of growing income inequality and languishing small towns and cities remain. If you like Trump's style and approve of his dismantling of environmental protections, go ahead and vote for him. If you feel the opposite, as I do, vote against. But let's not base our choices on imaginary economic accomplishments.
22
The saddest thing is that the whole spectacle really did reflect the state of the Union. The question now is whether we can rise above this sorry state.
7
Trump knows that he can win in 2020 by hanging on to the states that he won in 2016. And he knows that way to do that is to beat the Democrats in voter turnout.
That’s why he has been conducting endless campaign rallies.
The GOP also knows this and this is why they have been practicing voter suppression for at least a decade.
The Democrats have been somewhere between sluggish and completely inactive on the voter suppression issue. They oppose it, but they aren’t funding the not for profit groups that are fighting it in the courts.
They also aren’t funding the grass roots groups doing voter registration. And some Democrats, like Bret Stephens, who writes for the NYTimes has made it clear that he’d rather have four more years of Trump than allow Bernie to represent the Democratic Party.
There’s a saying going around. The Democrats never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Sadly it seems to be true.
7
Let’s see if the Democrats will rally for or against the coming Trump proposal to cut taxes for middle class working Americans.
5
@Dr. John you mean the ones he's been promising since before he got elected? Are those coming along with the reformed healthcare system he also promised? I won't be holding my breath.
1
@Ala
Seems you are against tax cuts for middle class.
1
@Dr. John
"Trump proposal for cutting middle class taxes"???
You're buying that lie?
The State of the Union address, rarely if ever moves the needle during an election. We usually talk about it incessantly for a day or so, and then it is immediately forgotten. You can throw in as much theatricality as you like, but it will always be a pro forma event.
4
100 year old Brigadier General fighter pilot Charles McGee and great grandson Iain Lanphear aspiring to follow in his footsteps was amazing. One of the most inspirational stories ever. Shed a tear watching..
27
@Lane
Yes. But it had absolutely nothing to do with Trump or his policies.
2
@Lane , Charles McGee is my mother's first cousin; my husband and I went to Maryland to celebrate his 100th birthday in December! He is an example of a man who is the antithesis of Donald Trump: brave, intelligent, humble, and proud to serve his Country.
4
@Leslie That is true. The Tuskegee men not only braved the hostile skies of Europe alone in dangerous flying machines but the disgusting treatment received from some fellow Americans on the ground too that would break most men. Trump and most other men alive today aren't fit to stand in such a man's shadow. Lesser men can only watch in awe and respect.
1
Great SOTU speech. This +the chaos in Iowa +t the top contenders guarantees Trump 2020.
25
@lieberma
Big money guarantees Trump 2020, he delivered and big corporations expect more of the same.
@lieberma
yeah cant wait for complete annihilation of all of nature.
@lieberma altenative facts and lies go trump yeah
I'll give the devil his due, he's the best gloater, the best. The awarding of the Presidential Medal for Freedom to Rush Limbaugh was an appropriate move. Rush Limbaugh singlehandedly paved the way for this presidency through his medicious manipulation of reality and the truth. America is so different now from the one I remember.
72
I never thought we could fall so far.
5
@Richard Merchant
Individuals like Rush Limbaugh who spew hatred, lies, and bombastic opinions are part of what is wrong with this country. Like Limbaugh, Trump is full of all these traits.
I don't know where truth and honesty went, I do wish it were here now.
2
@Richard Merchant At least Limbaugh will soon be off the airwaves for a while, hopefully for good.
2
Trump is talking about more tax cuts.....
I figured out the Tax cuts strategy over decades;
For decades, when Republicans are in power, they cut taxes harming the budget. When the Democrats win, they have to raise taxes to repair the harm from Republican tax cuts. Then the next cycle, Republicans scorn the increase of taxes by Democrats to win an election and power after which time, they cut taxes again. The cycle has repeated for decades.
It's a reputation thing. The Democrats get a bad rap for raising taxes then the Republicans win again shaming the increase of taxes that they were the original cause of. It happens over years and that's why no one figured it out.
First Reagan cut taxes, then Clinton raised taxes, then Bush cut taxes, then Obama raised taxes, then Trump cut taxes as he and all the Congressional Republicans are preening themselves again.
We are all Trump Chumps. That my fellow victims is what's up with Republican strategy. Republicans are robbing the nation.
84
@PATRICK
And Democrats support Republican cuts in benefits to help finance the tax cuts.
1
@PATRICK The Democratic was on point with your comment. When you need things fixed call a Democrat. Republicans blow up the deficit and economy, Democrats fix it. Republicans carp about deficits when Democrats have control but then don't care when they are in power. The Republicans are lying about health care, about caring at all for people. They use wedge issues like abortion, gay rights, immigration to divide people and spread fear of them. The point about sanctuary cities was a LIE white males are far more likely to commit violent crimes than immigrants. Crime rates in Sanctuary cities are lower than non-sanctuary cities. LIES, LIES, LIES is all the Republicans have except maybe for hate thy neighbor.
3
And the Republicans have been stashing the loot in other countries for decades calling it Globalization. Now I would say, there is sufficient evidence in the public domain to initiate a Racketeering and Influence Corrupt Organization investigation of the Republican leadership and their wealthy benefactors.
2
Looked like an episode of a game show. One contestant wins a medal, another a scholarship, another a surprise visit.
81
@Peeking Through The Fence
yeah too bad that scholarship that fourth grader won is for a two hundred dollar voucher system.
2
@Peeking Through The Fence
And Rush Limbaugh, Presidential Medal of Freedom???
Makes me gag.
I’m so glad I didn’t watch the speech live. The sight of DJT lying his head off and the craven Republicans shouting, “Four more years” is utterly disheartening enough to read about after the fact. Senator Collins, I don’t know what fantasy land you’re living in but to imagine this man has “learned his lesson” is sadly comical and wrenchingly nauseating. Bit then you were probably standing with the rest of them shouting, “Four more years.”
109
@MDR
What Don has learned is that he can't be touched.
Four years may well bring us the coronation of Don Jr.
The public execution of those deemed traitors by his majesty and co emperor of the combined United States and Russia..
@MDR
I forced myself to watch through streaming tears. My therapist asks why I do it to myself.
Because it seems like nobody else is.
And it's almost like when an arachnophobe spots a spider on the wall. It's terrifying, but you have to keep an eye on it so it doesn't catch you off guard.
1
The convolution of a con continues.
41
What, no red MAGA caps? The State of the Union morphed into the Trump reality show...yet another disgraceful display of ego for the history books.
65
@MGK
Trump did his best Mussolini yet.
Yesterday may have been worst day for the "good guys" of the entire hideous Trump era. Iowa debacle, Nancy looking small and, let's be fair, best speech of his tenure (low bar and all). If we're being honest, four more years has never looked more possible
19
@joey8 lolol
the thinner the gruel the longer the line
2
History will record that today, February 5, 2020, was the day America dug its own grave by acquitting Donald Trump of high crimes and misdemeanors and obstructing justice. He’s proud; America is disgusted.
59
What about the rising national debt to pay for that endless military spending? Can we please talk about that?
37
@E
Maybe after the election, more likely not, benefits must be cut first.
2
@E
No! We can't! We couldn't talk about it during both Reagan administrations or the Bush I and II administrations, so what makes you think we can talk about it now? We can never talk about it! If you even mention it, you're aiding and abetting "the enemy" (whoever that might be this week . . . )! You're either with us or against us! Why do you hate America?!?
@E
The Republicans will, as soon as these crooks are in the opposition again.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rush Limbaugh? Well, it actually makes sense that Trump would venerate such a man. Now, the Nobel Prize to Alfred E. Neuman.
49
@RB
OMG, The Medal of Freedom to one of the most wretched creatures on the planet, Rush Limbaugh?
Who will Trump honor next, Vladimir Putin?
@RB could be worse, the Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama....oh wait that happened
The devil works hard but Trump's speechwriters work harder. Watching what was essentially a Trump rally last night was grotesque, surpassed only by the sight of the Republicans chanting, "Four more years." Then the shameless pandering and distribution of prizes to people who were used as political pawns. And having Melania give Limbaugh the Medal of Freedom? Like everything Trump touches, our government is now crass, ignorant, and debased.
97
@Lynn
This includes Melania herself.
Why do Senators applaud when a has been model without any redeeming qualities and a past as an illegal alien walks into Congress?
2
Where were the synchronized chants of, “you lie”?
18
@AL I'm sure it was thought about, but considering the "loyal opposition" to the Republicans are the grown-ups in the room, I think they do not want to sink to the level of juvenility and depravity that the Republicans have sunk.
Wait for it . . . "BUT NANCY PELOSI . . . !!!" three, two, one . . .
Quietly tearing up a copy of a speech after the speech is over is not the same as interrupting the President of the United States during the SOTU address. Not even close.
1
A sycophant awards Rush Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom, continuing to fan the flames of bigotry and hatred. State of the Union indeed...
54
I am deeply shocked and disappointed that today's NYT makes no mention of the vile outright lies Trump included in his campaign speech last night. Is the NYT going to cover Trump from here out the way it disappointed us in the coverage it gave leading up to the lie-induced march to the war in Iraq under Bush? If so, let us know now so we can cancel our subscriptions--again!
51
@ck The NY Times bends over backwards to write pieces, usually written by three authors , reporting on Trump's vile boasting and deeds as if there is some normalcy to it all , even if that normalcy is destroying the constitution day by day, bit by bit. I have also toyed with canceling my subscription, but the fact of the matter is that for so long now, "No news is good news" , and either reading the latest , disturbing reports every day or watching on TV, the monstrous takeover by Trump's Republican party is the giant Donkey in the Room that can't be ignored , and putting one's head in the sand is only a momentary panacea from witnessing what amounts to an illegal takeover of our government. Voting in November by the hopefully sane majority of citizens seems the only way out of this quagmire , but I don't hold out much hope. Republicans are a fearsome lot, and their cutthroat ways don't bid well for this nation's well-being.
@ck It takes a while to accurately debunk false generalizations,, misinformation etc.
The claim that this administration will fully cover people with pre-existing conditions when they are in court, suing to terminate coverage for those with pre-existing conditions was very obvious. Less obvious is the Senate failure to address bipartisan House Resolution 3, named the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act... that would allow the government to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for those covered under Medicare-- including insulin products and 25 of the most expensive brand-name drugs that don't have generic equivalents.
https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/democrat-protest-chant-hr3-video-sotu-trump-15030773.php
@ck
Maybe they didn't report any lies because there weren't any lies.
There was certainly more than the usual amount of pandering here...like every word of it.. and giving RuBaugh, best known as a lying bigoted racist the medal of freedom? GAG. What a travesty. It was a gift from one lying bigoted racist to another.
36
Pelosi is such an embarrassment. You can resist Trump without being so disgraceful.
24
@Scotty
Pelosi's response was simply perfect.
1
@Scotty
she did resist him. best way possible. tear up the speech of lies.
1
@Scott
ha - no you can't. Did you see his refusing the handshake.
But any Trump apologist will not remember that.
2
Surreal? Only in the view of the NYT. Reality? You didn’t listen.
11
Where is the coverage or analysis of the Democratic response?
Hidden somewhere inside . . .
Shame on you.
11
@Martha
You mean Joe Kennedy drooling while he delivered it - oh that was last year never mind...
who was it this time - an illegal immigrant?
@Martha it was so ordinary - and so uninspiring - not worth commenting on. Plain and simple. I suspect that you would agree with that - there was simply nothing to it.
I am sorry to report that one has to read newspapers from the foreign press to get a real understanding of the fabric of lies that clothed the president's speech. The New York Times failed miserably in the same task. For shame.
32
@James Klosty
The Guardian or Granma?
So president P.T. Barnum puts on quite a show and who is dumb enough to eat this garbage up? Much of the American electorate that's who.
36
@Paul It was delicious!
1
When Speaker Pelosi tore his trump’s speech it reminded me of a high school teacher giving a cheating, bratty, grade grubbing student an F. And that’s final.
37
@Lamb
It reminded me of a politician that has been taking taxpayer money for far too long. Time for her to get off the dole and go home.
2
@John She might as well have been heel Vince McMahon throwing a tantrum at his stooges before eating a Stone Cold Stunner
The self-important boss having their best laid plans torn to shreds by the maverick hero is an old tv trope.
It made for some fine virtue signaling but I fear it will not be as well-received in the dozen odd states whose votes actually count.
Trump is a serial failure. He can't help but screw up.
18
@jkenb
How’s that caucus in Iowa working out for you?
At least Democrats were finally smart enough to keep the media from only focusing on the good jobs report, the state of the union message and the impeachment vote in the Senate. Democrats grabbed a lot of news by keeping citizens in suspense about the vote for who will be the person they chose to succeed Trump as President.
6
So while Trump single-handedly turned around the ailing nation and restored the economy, health care and immigration, Democrats can't even tally votes properly.
A simple message, very powerful, and believed by millions.
There went the last vestige of American democracy....shredded by a simplistic Hollywood-like narrative.
29
Trump has made the case that he is helping Americans at nearly all levels.
The Dems respond with the news:
The good news: we promise to raise taxes only on the wealthy.
The bad news: you are wealthy.
15
@RP When you say 'nearly,' who is not helping? This seems pertinent to whether the dem's message has traction or not.
@RP
1% are wealthy.
And contrary to popular belief vast numbers of the remaining measly 99% do vote.
@RP Not wealthy.
Unfortunately, Congress is now a bloodsport. It may will decades to undo the damage unfolding before our eyes.
21
78-minutes? That seems a bit excessive, given that the state of our union can be summed up in seven words: We have a malignant narcissist as President.
There is no scenario under which this ends well.
151
Everyone knew that the State of the Union address was going to be a shameless plug for re-election----no surprise there. But, Rush Limbaugh being awarded the Medal of Freedom? It was outright surreal. This whole presidency is surreal, but reality will strike with this unleashed sociopath in the White House. The GOP will regret acquittal in a few months down the road when the next crisis of Trump's own making happens. It's only a matter of time.
90
I had to turn off the TV yesterday. There is no news - just vapid punditry. It’s an echo chamber of sensationalism, and we should remember who benefits from this. Not just Trump but also the media conglomerates.
Journalism is supposed to separate truth from fiction. Instead of meta-reporting and credulous stenography/marketing, journalists should be hammering us with the True Facts about the economy, pre-existing conditions, etc. Not idle speculation about how this or that will play with suburban women - as if anyone knows.
If Trump lies and gets away with it, that’s a failure of journalism more than anything else.
43
@AR
Are you the alternate reality version of me what moved to Chicago when he wanted to in 2009?
The world bears witness to an unforgivable miscarriage of justice on the part of the Trump GOP. And, contrary to Trump's premise, our nation has been degraded and weakened by his presidency. Conscionable Americans know what this man is .. and what he has done. We can only hope that their collective will prevails.
32
I do not want to seem disrespectful of someone who has learned recently that he has advanced lung cancer, but awarding the Medal of Freedom to Rush Limbaugh is very partisan. Trump was awarding the medal to someone who for three hours a day on radio plugs Trump, supports Trump. Is that for what the Medal of Freedom was designed?
161
@Roy Quick
I agree.
Giving this award to a man like Rush Limbaugh only cheapened and belittled the award to other past recipients who earned and were most deserving of this award for what they accomplished for the entire COUNTRY rather than for the Republican Party.
21
@Roy Quick
Partisan? Its more like a travesty. Limbaugh makes money by spreading lies, fear and hate. He has done nothing significant other than that.
His getting this medal is just another Trump way of saying: "I can do whatever I want, and you can't touch me".
Imagine him in a second term.
8
@Roy Quick No, it wasn't designed for this... in a democratic republic. However within an autocracy, the design has been repurposed by Trump, and is therefore fitting for use by the dictator that he is.
5
I couldn't bring myself to watch Trump's State of the Union address last night because I didn't have to.
I already knew what he's be saying and that it would have NOTHING to do with the real state of the union, which is in a shambles -- because as always, it would be all about him and his so-called "victory" over the impeachment trial.
And the fact that the Republican Senate refuses to be more than a mere appendage to his ego instead of being the impartial and objective organ it is supposed to be is the real crime and "hoax" here.
So let's not overlook the fact that despite what Trump says,
the economy is not doing that well -- except for those who have benefitted from the tax breaks for the wealthy. Otherwise the jobs aren't coming back to America, people are losing their Food Stamps, their health benefits and their homes, and the U.S. Constitution is no longer worth the piece of paper it is written on.
White supremacists are taking over, borders have been shut and Rush Limbaugh received the distinguished Medal of Freedom.
This is only the beginning and a harbinger of things to come.
It is not a joyful occasion
67
Trump certainly has made American ‘great again’. A few of his ‘accomplishments’- He pushed through a major tax cut at the end of 2017, primarily benefiting the wealthiest Americans, while raising military spending, costing taxpayers over $100 billion. He has continued astronomically expensive wars in Afghanistan (longest war in US history), Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen. He exited the JCPOA (aka Iran ‘nuclear deal’) and has taken a very bellicose position towards Iran, as shown by the targeted assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi General Abu Madhi al-Muhandis in Iraq, putting the US on a collision course with Iran. We are now one mistake away from a new ME war, this time with Iran. He had two Conservative/Catholic appointments to the Supreme Court- Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. As a result, the influence of the Catholic Church on the courts decisions has been substantially increased. None of the structural economic problems which created the 2008 financial collapse have been resolved. The FED continues supplying Wall St. and Repo markets with plenty of ultra-cheap money for share buybacks, fueling appreciation in equity markets and sustaining [still] insolvent banks. The result of all of this- Federal Deficit: $ 23 trillion, growing $1 trillion/yr; corporate debt > $10 trillion. Meanwhile the standard of living of the average US family continues declining. Bottom line, the average American working person is facing a very bleak economic future.
32
@Paul
tax cuts are costing up over 2 trillion dollars. don't know where you get the 100 billion.
3
@jennifer t. schultz Thx. u r indeed correct. I meant increase in military spending since 2016.
After the acquittal today it will be time to take this matter back to where it rightly belongs. The politicians will hit the campaign trail and the matter will be decided by voters. That is democracy in action.
10
Yeah, maybe Trump will “win” again with 3 million fewer votes.
2
Nancy Pelosi’s hatred for Donald Trump has become a impediment to her ability to act as a neutral arbiter of sound policy, and caused a dangerous rift in the government given her responsibilities as Speaker of the House. One of her most important responsibilities is to support the President. She has demonstrated that she cannot. She should step down.
Pelosi knew from the beginning that impeaching Trump would fail given the Republican majority in the Senate and yet she agreed to it. Ever since she stormed out of Trump’s office she has not spoken with him. Last night she failed to introduce the President despite protocol and just basic courtesy. She wore white again in a weirdly separatist action against men in the Congress, men whose support she will need in the vote today.
Pelosi is behaving like a child. She has lost her compass and her judgement. Time to go.
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No. Pelosi’s most important responsibility is representing her constituents and leading her caucus. And why does the color of her clothing matter when the country is goose-stepping towards a Trump dictatorship? More misdirection, deflection, and pearl-clutching. People wonder how dictators come to power and we’re seeing it now: the willingness of power-hungry sycophants to give Trump a free pass will haunt us for generations.
3
@DB , Nancy Pelosi is NOT supposed to support the President - her job is to support this COUNTRY and its CONSTITUTION! This is the problem with the Republicans; they no longer understand the concept of separation of powers and that Congress is a co-equal branch of government. And if you think a woman wearing white is "against men," that is just another example of a confused mind.
7
And how does one properly respond to the strong man in chief, who is as of today, officially above the law? Who will not even participate in due process? Who is supported by corrupt senators? She expressed the anger and frustration many citizens feel and I am grateful for it. We were force fed a Campaign rally last night when we had the right to expect a mature and honest report. State of the Union, our union, not an exaggerated campaign speech.
Finally, Pelosi wore white in support of the Equal Rights Amendment women’s rights, not against men, unless you think women having equal rights diminishes men’s rights.
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Ask Donald Trump how many hours it took him to put together the most magnificent speech he has ever presented and I'm sure he'll stress the many golf trips he had to forgo to accomplish this feat.
Like all of his books, no credit to the real authors.
Meanwhile, Howard Stern missed out on the Medal of Freedom for voting for Clinton. And not having cancer. Maybe he can drop all of his Trump tapes and hope for one from the next president.
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Pelosi’s performance at the State of the Union simply reminds us that it’s all partisan. Hatred for Trump is so deep and disturbing, it actually transforms the Democrats into a hit squad. Those sure that it’s only the Republicans that hold the party lines, think again. And that they can “shame” GOPs into impeaching the president based on this imperfect case is delusional. And it won’t fool the American people.
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If you don’t hate what trump is doing to our country you are not paying attention.
Nancy Pelosi perfectly summed up Trump's speech by ripping it to shreds. The audacity of this clown to say that he is working hard to protect pre-existing conditions while having his Lawyers fighting to kill this same protection in court perfectly sums up this liar in Chief. The lies about this economy are also getting old. Wages are still stagnant, job growth is slowing and a recession is coming. If you are in the 1% you probably do love this economy. If you aren't there is nothing to like. Americans better wake up and vote blue in November. This country will not be a Democracy if they re-elect Trump & the GOP led Senate keeps their majority. Senate Republicans are about to make Trump above the law today. 2020 might be the last time Americans will have their chance to reject this would be king. We better take it.
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@Outraged American I loved my tax "cut" this year from 2018 to 2019 my taxes paid increased by >1500$ I am not rich. I have above average income but not by much. The problem was how dependents and child tax credits are used under the Tax Cuts for the Rich law. While I don't begrudge paying taxes (assuming I get something for it) having the rich get huge breaks they don't need ticks me off.
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A long and wonderful SOTU speech. It had to be long in order to list all the successes. Today, Trump's acquittal in the Senate. The Democrats marinate in their own hate while America continues to win under Trump. A great week for America.
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A great week for America’s monarchy.
@Hank Thomas and yet wages are still stagnant, health care is at risk, last week this same stable genius mentioned cutting social security benefits and Medicare benefits, more links between the White House team and Russian thugs became known, and thousands of children have yet to be reunited with their parents after being separated at the boarder. Add to that the international disdain for the lack of policy from him and you have a hot mess. Coal isn’t coming back nor are low skill manufacturing jobs. What planet do you live on?
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Democrats are so polite! There were so many opportunities last night to justifiably yell “you lie” during Trump’s farrago of falsehoods (e.g. a promise to protect the health insurance of people with preexisting conditions while he is before the Supreme Court attempting to do the opposite, for one). Wearing white is a good visual (especially to contrast with the dark-suited thugs on the other side braying applause for their criminal leader), but more vocal opposition in the GOP’s face is necessary too.
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This president is corrupt and, to use a word I don't use lightly, evil. But it is worse than that: he wants to be evil. If he were giving the chance to take a pill that would turn him into a kind, considerate, principled, empathetic person he would gleefully decline.
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Giving Rush Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom was an uplifting moment?
A disgraceful and crass reality television inspired address to America.
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@HK
If Rush Limbaugh represents America -- we're doomed!
Who decided not to cover the State of Union last night, but instead gave us a rerun of Oprah?
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@RNS
That's RIGHT! Trump and Oprah are really good friends.
In fact Trump is great friends with tons of these celebrities and politicians when they're not pretending to trash him.
The Republicans have given him license to do whatever he wants, no matter how illegal or damaging to the country. They have unshackled a monster in order to avoid the wrath of his most rabid base. I hope it backfires in November, but I fear that it won’t.
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I watched the NYT video highlights, I couldn't stomach the speech, the video was perfect as far as boiling it all down to the facts. The state of the union address is really a game show, top prize Melania posing as Vanna awards dying radio host Medal of Freedom, bring out the military family for a reunion and give a scholarship to a low-income family. It was a you-tube moment bundled with Ellen DeGeneres giveaways, except they aren't kind to one another.
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What a government we have! Trump would not shake hands with the speaker and the speaker tore up his speech. They might as well have challenged each other to a duel.
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@Confused
Even though Ronald Reagan was a destructive president was for the country in many ways, there was still a likable quality about him that drew millions to him.
I LOVED him but disagreed completely with most of his domestic policies.
Tip O'Neill was a grand Speaker of the House. Even being on opposite side of the aisle, both he and Reagan got along and were able to run the country without the deep rancor and open hostility that presently exists.
One of my favorite lines from O'Neil was "When it comes to giving tax breaks to the wealthy of this country, the President has a heart of gold."
Unfortunately, when mutual respect, professional and common decency is not felt much less expressed, then the gap continues to only get wider.
Based on what has occurred in the past three years, I was relieved that last night did not conclude with the president and the speaker coming to blows or having an all out shouting match.
2
I’m probably dreaming but I hope future generations will look at this clip on video and say “boy, I can’t believe how bad things were for our country in the early 20s. Thank goodness we’re not so disunited anymore!” But I dream....
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@Confused. Trump did not shake hands with Pence either and it’s not clear he snubbed her. But her bitter, over emotional and childish actions at his state of the union addresses—not introducing him properly, tearing up the speech and that mean-girl handshake last year, shows what an angry, empty vessel Pelosi is.
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Last night's speech wasn't really a State of the Union Address but a State of Trump's Campaign Address.
He was telling the world of all the great things he has done sine being elected president.
But what he also failed to mention was climate change, the ongoing increase of the national debt, nor mention the Speaker's contribution in helping him achieve the trade deal with Canada and Mexico, or the family leave for federal workers.
Once again, the President only shows the glitter but not gloom and disarray. This country continues to have bigger problems which the President failed to hint at, much less look in that direction.
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@Marge Keller That’s what Presidents do. They focus on their policy objectives and then the opposition has an opportunity to present a rebuttal. Both sides have plenty of opportunities to take their cases to the American people ahead of the coming elections.
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@John
I understand John, but the President came across more as a braggart, "Look at me! Look at me. I'm GREAT" than focusing on policy objectives.
In 2016, candidate Trump promised to “shield entitlements from cuts” and to “Save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without cuts" kind of what he was saying last night. However, only a few weeks ago he DID mention considering cuts to programs like Medicare to reduce the federal deficit if he wins a second term.
There is never any balance in the president's words. It's either blame the Democrats or look at what I did, as if he and he alone runs the country.
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And some politicians high jack institutions for their own selfish purposes... not policy, just personal greed and power. We were force fed a Trump campaign rally last night. Force being the key word here... and I fear in the future.
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I think the largest issue is that private communication of any kind anywhere and anytime between any one person and another is forever compromised.
As for the trial and conviction, I remain neutral simply because I don't know what to think anymore and I'm someone who has over time voted for both sides.
America remains the greatest country because choice and opportunity still exists and we usually get it right.
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@JBT I recommend the holocaust historian's recent book The Road to Unfreedom. It lays out how Putin's rise to authoritarian leadership in Russia is a template for Trump. A key goal of the authoritarian: confusing people about key truths, so they don't know what to think any more. One solution: find reliable sources that you've learned to trust. Unfortunately the Times isn't doing a great job in this regard. I would suggest Talking Points Memo. The New Yorker is doing good work. And Snyder's book is powerful and clear.
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