Did anyone catch the State of the Union speech? I didn't, and didn't really see any need to find out what was said.
However, the video caught my eye. There was the Speaker of the House, on live television, ripping up a speech that had just been given by the President of the United States.
My first thought was that I was appalled. Have we sunk that low? Is this what we've become?
My second thought was, "That was totally awesome!" Trump has gotten away with so much of this kind of junk, including refusing to shake hands with the Speaker of the House at the beginning of the speech, that, unfortunately, the Democrats kind of are forced to get down in the gutter with him. He led us there, and the American people rewarded him. Ok, people. This is what you wanted. Reap what you sowed.
As for the speech itself, I didn't listen to it, and I don't intend to, but by the headlines it sounds like he decided to give a campaign speech. In some sense, all State of the Union speeches are campaign speeches. The President always wants to say either that he has made things so much better, or he will make things so much better, or that he could make things so much better if only the people from the other party who control Congress would pass his agenda. That's normal. However, there's a form to it. There are styles, and conventions about it. Of course you push an agenda, that's what's supposed to happen, but you do it in a dignified way.
Not Trump.
So, good on Nancy for using her position on national TV to make a statement, and a dramatic one. I don't know if it will "work" politically. i.e. will it gain votes for Democrats or lose them, but "When they go low, we go high." didn't work out so well. Take the gloves off, Democrats.
As for the speech itself, the only thing I know about it is that Trump gave Rush Limbaugh the Medal of Freedom, demonstrating once more that he views the customs of the United States as just another tool he can use for self-aggrandizement and politicizing the government for his own purposes. If the truth be told, I actually admire Rush. In the early days of his program, I actually enjoyed it and wished more liberals would listen. There is no doubt that he changed America and is extremely accomplished. However, that isn't really Medal of Freedom kind of stuff. Daily doses of attacking political enemies in vitriolic but frequently inaccurate rants isn't what I think of as the highest values our country upholds. Just inviting him as an honored guest following his cancer diagnosis would have been kind of cool, but of course Trump has to go over the top on everything, and ends up devaluing the award itself.
So, a night of politics. The thin veneer of dignity that accompanies the State of the Union address has been stripped away as Trump continues to run roughshod over American traditions. We certainly live in interesting times.
However, the video caught my eye. There was the Speaker of the House, on live television, ripping up a speech that had just been given by the President of the United States.
My first thought was that I was appalled. Have we sunk that low? Is this what we've become?
My second thought was, "That was totally awesome!" Trump has gotten away with so much of this kind of junk, including refusing to shake hands with the Speaker of the House at the beginning of the speech, that, unfortunately, the Democrats kind of are forced to get down in the gutter with him. He led us there, and the American people rewarded him. Ok, people. This is what you wanted. Reap what you sowed.
As for the speech itself, I didn't listen to it, and I don't intend to, but by the headlines it sounds like he decided to give a campaign speech. In some sense, all State of the Union speeches are campaign speeches. The President always wants to say either that he has made things so much better, or he will make things so much better, or that he could make things so much better if only the people from the other party who control Congress would pass his agenda. That's normal. However, there's a form to it. There are styles, and conventions about it. Of course you push an agenda, that's what's supposed to happen, but you do it in a dignified way.
Not Trump.
So, good on Nancy for using her position on national TV to make a statement, and a dramatic one. I don't know if it will "work" politically. i.e. will it gain votes for Democrats or lose them, but "When they go low, we go high." didn't work out so well. Take the gloves off, Democrats.
As for the speech itself, the only thing I know about it is that Trump gave Rush Limbaugh the Medal of Freedom, demonstrating once more that he views the customs of the United States as just another tool he can use for self-aggrandizement and politicizing the government for his own purposes. If the truth be told, I actually admire Rush. In the early days of his program, I actually enjoyed it and wished more liberals would listen. There is no doubt that he changed America and is extremely accomplished. However, that isn't really Medal of Freedom kind of stuff. Daily doses of attacking political enemies in vitriolic but frequently inaccurate rants isn't what I think of as the highest values our country upholds. Just inviting him as an honored guest following his cancer diagnosis would have been kind of cool, but of course Trump has to go over the top on everything, and ends up devaluing the award itself.
So, a night of politics. The thin veneer of dignity that accompanies the State of the Union address has been stripped away as Trump continues to run roughshod over American traditions. We certainly live in interesting times.
via International Skeptics Forum https://ift.tt/2GUfy47
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