- I am not calling Trump a fascist. I am not calling him a dictator (yet). I really am not. Not kidding. And I’m certainly not calling him an Italian. But I am saying his pauses, poses and expressions reminded me (a lifelong WWII buff) a bit of newsreels of Benito Mussolini speaking to the masses from a balcony. Especially that thing he kept doing where he’d pause after what he thought was clearly an incredibly clever thing to say then turn to his left (because that’s where the Republicans were), raise his chin and nod his approval of their approval. It was eerie. (Click the image above for an old newsreel to see what I mean.)
- And speaking of the applause, we need a rule that says no applause until the president is done speaking. None. Not a clip. Not a clap. Not a hoorah, nor a boo. Not even the crinkling of a throat lozenge wrapper. This one sentence (applause), another sentence (more applause) thing is really getting old.
- And no standing either. It’s ridiculous.
- So is the constant introduction of heroes and victims. I get that these people deserve the attention. But it also feels in many cases that these people are simply being exploited, so there’s always an ick factor. Just once I’d like to see a president follow Franklin Roosevelt’s words of wisdom on public speaking: “Be sincere; be brief; be seated.” That puppy was an hour and 20 minutes. I wouldn’t want to listen to Lincoln for that long. The Gettysburg address was less than three minutes long. If you added modern day clapping, it still would have clocked in at under 43 minutes.
- “Beautiful, clean coal”? Isn’t that like saying “Beautiful, clean sloppy Joe’s”? We know it’s not true. Even coal was probably offended at being called beautiful and clean. Maybe he was thinking of Stormy.
- Yes, that was a cheap shot.
- Speaking of which, hoo-wee, did you see Melania’s face? Yikes. He is in big, big trouble with her. Wow. Do presidents ever have to sleep on the couch?
- Trump also said the war on American energy was over. Right. Exxon Mobil’s profits in 2016, the last Obama year, were nearly $8 billion. That’s some war.
- He, of course, didn’t mention Russia. But why? He’s the president. This is serious stuff. If he didn’t do it, he ought to be leading the charge against Russian interference. Even if he did secretly collude, tactically, you’d think he’d want to at least act outraged. Ignoring the problem tells me everything I need to know.
- My favorite thing is to watch the facial expressions of the minority party. I wonder if it’s all-natural or if they sneak lemons in.
- The biggest laugh was him – the Don Rickles of presidents – calling for unity and bipartisanship. Good one, Don. That’s like the Grinch pre-heart growth saying, “Can’t we all just get along and have a nice Christmas together?”
- Do we even need State of the Unions anymore? Yeah, I know it’s in the Constitution. But the Constitution doesn’t say the president has to do a long, self-congratulatory speech. It says he has to give Congress information. Which today it doesn’t need. An email would suffice.
- You know the only way I’d say a State of the Union address is warranted? If the president ever once said, “You know, folks, things are just not that great right now, OK?”
- “The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor to the latest generation. … In giving freedom to the slave we assure freedom to the free—honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve. We shall nobly save or meanly lose the last best hope of earth. Other means may succeed; this could not fail. The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just—a way which if followed the world will forever applaud and God must forever bless.” – Abraham Lincoln, State of the Union, 1862.
BrendaB says
I hated the entire event! But especially, him holding his nose up in the air, arrogantly, and pulling on his lapels each time. What an arrogant, mindless bafoon! And he had to READ the entire message! OMG!
Geoff t says
Ditto
Brad says
OMG! He read a prepared speech from a teleprompter, just like obozo before him. To his credit, obozo occasionally dropped the pretense of prepared statements and dazzled us with tales of visiting 57 of 58 states in his quest for election. Yes, from that moment on I knew he belonged on Mt. Rushmore…..
Teddy Luba says
You know what Brad, you just showed your racist card. I’ll save all my white sheets for your next meeting.
Fred says
Isn’t it a shame we don’t show Trump the same respect you show Obama?
Mark says
You don’t demand respect, you command respect. This President deserves Nothing in the way of respect.
Bill says
You’re absolutely right that tRump was apparently trying to get laughs when he called for unity and bipartisanship. After all his name calling and Twitter fights of perceived enemies, along with his finger pointing and failing to take responsibility for ANYTHING, that was deep…
Tommy B says
Cue the trolls like “Working Dad.” “Lying Andy, liberals, blah, blah, blah.”
As for me, I didn’t watch it. I have watched most of these over twenty years and I have found them all a disappointment and I usually fall asleep. Since his voice irritates the hell out of me anyway, I just skipped it entirely. Best decision I’ve mad in quite some time. I did catch Joe Kennedy III’s speech. Nicely done. Short sweet and too the point. He has a future.
jbcsfl says
I thought he did a good job reading from the prompter and sticking to the script.
The constant clapping has to cease, especially clapping right into the microphone.
Let’s hope his call for unity is sincere, somehow I don’t see it happening soon.
Working Dad says
The butthurt is strong with this insignificant, petty, bitter one…..
The Democrats did not brand themselves as “Anti Trump” at the State of the Union address. The branded themselves as Anti American.
Donald Trump is your President Andy. These next 7 years are going to be rough on you.
Jims says
If anybody knows about butthurt I am sure your the one.
Brad says
LIAR Jims, didn’t we already have this lesson about ‘ your’ and ‘you’re’ differentiation? Idiot!
Jims says
You too braddie.
Fred says
I am sure he is more than just a grammar Nazi
Fred says
The only reason you are here is because you are a butthurt snowflake.
Tom says
Silly twit, Dad. How can you allow yourself to be deluded by this awful nasty person? You are a fool to fall under his spell. Wake up.
Suze says
The gestures are eerie, making me wonder about reincarnation.
BookieB says
BrendaB you hit the nail on the head: Arrogant mindless buffoon!
Working Dad says
Release the memo
Working Dad says
Yes! – The memo has been released!
Justasking says
You mean that 4 page memo that Nunes wrote, (but will not answer a direct question about whether or not he had help from the WH), that picks a few talking points out of a multi-year ongoing investigation, that the Intelligence Committee did not want released because it contained classified information, that was read to the entire Congress even though many did not have security clearance for that classified information, that members of the Intelligence Committee say is NOT the original memo that was read to Congress, that Ryan says was NOT altered or changed, that Nunes says WAS altered and changed to clarify some things? The memo that supposedly proves “transparency” even though it is disrupting an ongoing investigation? The memo that everyone is so sure of that they do not allow a response?
Fred says
Yes! And you know what? I couldn’t be happier. Because now Trump and the rest of the idiots he surrounds himself with have yet another mark for obstruction.
Didn’t you hear? The memo was doctored with cherry picked details by Nunes? Do you really think trying to start something with the FBI is going to go in Trump’s favor? Does it even make sense that all the people he is accusing of trying to help Hillary are actually Republicans?
Good grief. The stupidity of the Trump supporter never ceases to amaze me. But as long as Trump keeps digging that hole for himself, I am good.
jbcsfl says
What a HUGE disappointment.
The minions and Fox News got all lathered up and into a fever pitch over the memo before it was released.
The memo has been released and the explosive “damaging”, “disgusting”, content was nothing but a dud,
I fail to see what the DOJ and the FBI found as “grave” in any of the content.
I called for the memo to be released because I thought the public, who I thought was being duped by the hype, needed to see the memo for themselves and make their own determination.
I read the entire memo, bummer, no bombshell.
I see nothing wrong with the FISA operation, it is needed to protect the country.
American citizens caught in a FISA warrant are snagged for good reason, not just on a whim or on a dossier as this Nunes memo seems to claim.
Tommy B says
I think the damaging part is two fold. First, the information contained are cherry picked and incomplete. Second, and more importantly the “grave” part is the unprecedented release of things not intended for public consumption and the undermining of legal norms in a pursuit of partisan politics. Some people will believe the codswallop and this demeans the rule of law.
Tom says
Trump is a peerless presenter, a masterful speaker. He gave a fantastic speech. His rivals need to learn some showbiz. Boring old politicians with their amateurish speaking never will beat him.
He told us we all are in good shape, and he made us believe it. It took us a good 24 hours to parse it out, and understand his baloney.
Trump stinks. Joe Kennedy seems to be a champ.
Jim III says
Watched the speech. Listened to some, but not all comments, from both the right and the left.
I also watched the democrats reactions to some of the things that President Trump made in his speech.
The CONgressional Black Caucus did not show any emotions when President trump spoke about African-American and Hispanic unemployment was the lowest in over 40 years or so. The CBC seemed to get even more displeased than before he mentioned that fact.
He mentioned the 2 teenage girls (under the age of 16 ) that were brutally beaten to death by illegal ms-13 gang members. Democrats did not show any emotion at all. They actually showed disapproval of the fact that President Trump brought it up.
President Trump used the words WE 129 times and the word US 104 times. He used the word I 29 times. obama rarely, if eve, used the the words “us and we”. Instead he on average used the word “I” over 200 time in his speeches.
The person that most looked like mussolini with chin up in the air was obama. President Trump’s looking at the republicans did not even come close to looking like that.
If President Trump was to was to start doing the things that marx, hitler, stalin, mao and other liberal/socialist dictators did, Andrew along with a lot of other liberal hack writers and commentators would be in prison.
The party of obstruction is the democrats.
Jims says
Do you really think he wrote any of that speech?
Fred says
I read that barely coherent excessive rambling is a sign of dementia, and that is not a laughing matter. Please see your doctor.
Mark says
Black unemployment went from 17% to 7 % in President Obamas term, it went down another 1% in IQ45 year one . Facts don’t lie, but Jimlll does
Tom says
Jim 3 – You are a semi-literate dope.
Linda says
I’m not justifying the minority party’s behavior last night, but apparently no Republican remembers how President Obama was treated during ALL of his SOTU. For example, Boehner’s pained frowns and other facial expressions, his sitting when others stood, the shouted “Liar!”, absolutely no applause, and in 2016 Ryan never stood, he twiddled his thumbs, wiggled, adjusted his clothes, and had his staff continually tweeting under his name, promising overrides. Others pretended to sleep, did not stand even during comments about increasing benefits and support for military and veterans, improving conditions for businesses, or cures for cancer, or played on their phones. You cannot lock a party out of meetings, change rules so that you can get bills passed, rush bills through in the middle of the night so that people do’t have time to read them before the vote, publicly announce that there’s no reason to work with them because they won’t agree with you anyway, and then complain about divisiveness and lack of bi-partisanship. There’s a reason we have a system of checks and balances, we just need to get back to using them.
Kathy says
Well written, Linda! See WD and others, it is possible to get your point across without name calling and disrespect.
Robert Simpson says
When he talked about “beautiful coal”, I was reminded of Richard Dreyfuss singing to his deaf son Cole in Mr Holland’s Opus. Wouldn’t that be a hoot showing that scene with the late night gang fixing up DT like Mr Holland…
Teddy Luba says
Right on Linda, what goes around comes around.
Fred says
I wonder if someone should tell Trump that umemployment for African Americans has been dropping steadily since 2010 and was actually at it’s slowest decline in the last 12 months since he took office. Trump taking credit for that is like a roster thinking the sun came up because it crowed. Maybe that is why the Black Caucus wasn’t impressed.
Linda Ann says
It is so sad that we cannot express our concerns about the state of the Union by what the Presidents say, because the speeches have come to be everything but the true state of the Union. It is nothing but a big show now. I think I heard more about the audience and the expressions on their faces, not to mention the fashion statements about Melania wearing a pant -suit and all the speculation of the meaning of the style and the color. How sad is that?
But I didn’t miss a thing because I went to the “Buddy Holly Story” at the Dow Event Center which was fabulous! The great music took every worry off my mind, AND there was a hundred times more moments of honesty, respect, modesty and talent on that stage than at the Capitol in DC.
Oldugly says
Linda Ann, You are so lucky, and I am so jealous. Due to illness we could not make the performance. At least we have a DVR so we could watch something interesting.
Linda says
Just trying to keep up with the news the past few days makes my head spin and my stomach hurt. Have we truly become a nation where our elected officials now pick and choose which laws they follow, or whether or not they uphold the Constitution or follow judges rulings? Not to mention that the Oversight Committee and Intelligence Committee no longer are able to do their jobs. How do we teach our children right from wrong when the people we elect to make our laws no longer follow them? These are very frightening times.
Linda Ann says
You are so right! This is a huge disservice to our children. We teach them respect and honesty; we encourage them and try to be the best examples we can be. Then our very own government and President come along and do the exact opposite, as does the media. We need to stop these shameful actions and save our children, but who will come forward? Write to our Senators and Reps! They work for us.
Jim III says
You think that the liberal/democrats work for you and the rest of the nation? You are so not understanding of today’s politicians of both political parties. They are in it for themselves. They will collect a nice retirement package, if they stay in CONgress long enough. The democrats show up in their respective districts just long enough to act like they car for people and do some sort of version of kissing babies or something of a similar item. About the same thing can be said about republicans.
I would like you to cite one instance where republican leaning voters have rioted and protested a liberal speaker from speaking on a college campus or some other venue.
You will not find one event.
However, you can a lot of instances of liberal democrat students and other liberals having hissy fits over a conservative speaker scheduled to speak at either a college or university. They rioted and protested and threatened violence until they got their way and the planned event was cancelled due to violence.
Fred says
Cite one instance of liberal democrats putting on white sheets and hoods or giving Nazi salutes while parading on college campuses. You will not find a single one. However you can find a lot of instances of Republican leaning voters doing just that.
Jim III doesn’t believe in standing up to hate. He believes in supporting it by giving it a platform with no opposition.
Now watch for his comeback about how Democrats are the racist ones and his history lesson about how long ago Democrats used to be the party of the KKK and how Nazis are Democrat/Socialists and completely ignore the documented facts that Nazis and white supremacists today are supporting HIS president, and they are on HIS team.
I eagerly await your stupid response Jim III.
Jim III says
I see the classified FISA has been released for the public to read themselves. It is too early to really comment on what it says. So far is does not look good for the democrats. The aledged Russian/Trump collusion is starting to look real shaky. The democrats are crying foul by aying that the memo will harm national security. Of course the only harm that might come from releasing the memo is the damage it may cause the democrat party. The democrats would release a document like that and not worry national security would be if it were cast the republicans in a bad light. So far it does not look like it does, however it appears that it supposedly puts hilLIARY and the dnc in a bad situation.
The supposed democratic memo that the democrats have quickly created is being held by the committee that created the first memo, the committee has not voted to release it yet. I hope they vote to release it.
Fred says
Good luck with that one.
Do tell…. WHY is the Russian/Trump collusion starting to look shaky? What in the world are you basing that on? Did you read it?
You really are just pulling nonsense out of your ass aren’t you?
Tom says
I certainly believe the FBI, over the President or the Congress. You Trump supporters seem to revel in being fooled by Republican fantasies and baloney-writ-large. There is actual truth. You should not give in to the conniving liars who try to say, “Well, it could have been…” Think for yourselves! Do not accept the slogans. For cryin’ out loud, at least make up your own slogans!
Fred says
I think they are just happy to sell America to the Russians if it means they can win.
Tom says
We believe the FBI.
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/former-hippies-put-in-horrible-position-of-rooting-for-fbi?mbid=nl_Humor%20020218&CNDID=27158324&spMailingID=12865484&spUserID=MTQxOTMwNTAwMjU4S0&spJobID=1340174828&spReportId=MTM0MDE3NDgyOAS2
Working Dad says
Today Hillary Clinton came out of her burrough and saw her shadow…. 4 more years of not being President.
Fred says
Come on Troll. The memo has been released, and that is all you have? What’s the matter? Not what you hoped for?
Linda says
Seriously, the American people are not naive enough to believe that the nation’s top legal department and top law enforcement agency do not know how to get warrants. I wonder when we hear from the judges?