01-31-2018, 01:34 PM
(01-31-2018, 01:09 PM)Duchess Wrote:
I could fact check the SOTU speech. Wouldn't that be fun!
Some facts, lots of spin and salesmanship, a few straight-up lies... That's what I'd figure.
I saw a bunch of viewer comments expressing disgust that Black Caucus leaders didn't clap or stand when Trump noted that the black unemployment rate is at an all time low, in the course of touting the economy since he took office. "Hateful!" "ungrateful", "pathetic", they say.
People are easily disgusted and see what they want to see. It's true that the black unemployment rate is at an all-time low, which is a good thing for everyone in the country. It's not true that President Trump's policies created that achievement.
Trump inherited the lowest unemployment rate of any modern incoming President. Under the Obama administration, the black unemployment rate was more than cut in half (down from around 17% to around 7%). It's continued to decline, by about a percentage point or so, since Trump was elected a year ago. So, I give a good deal of credit to the Obama administration and also some credit to the Trump administration for not doing anything to thwart the positive trend thus far.
So, I get why the Republicans would applaud the factual statistic. And, I get why the Black Caucus and other Democrats wouldn't applaud Trump for it, especially given the birther bullshit and other slams by Trump on Obama.
That's just one example of the predictable mix of facts, spin and opposing partisan responses I heard in the State of the Union Address last night (and in previous Presidents' addresses).