THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY

[BigMark]

I don't believe he used the term "national", is just a plain hero okay to clap for?

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, he talked a lot about the unemployment rates which are favorable numbers. The stock market, which is also favorable. The immigration reform he suggested will go over like a lead balloon which is what I was most interested in hearing about. And I agree that a "12 year path to citizenship" is WAY too long. It should be two at the most IMO. So his proposal is dead in the water, and thus nothing will be done to reform immigration... AGAIN. Awesome. SMFH.

Yeah, I thought he started off well and seemed to be addressing the entire nation and focusing on facts.

But, then he went off on the MS-13 issue, which is only a national crisis (rather than a segment of the criminal gang problem) to FOX, Breitbart and Trump's white nationalist base.

I think you're right that if Trump doesn't compromise on the hardline immigration stance he articulated last night that we won't see true immigration reform anytime soon.

Anyway, there are a number of Republican congresspersons who have conservative but reasonable immigration stances. They've worked among themselves and with rational Democratic politicians for years on immigration reform proposals which could offer better immigration control without painting immigrants -- who are part of the fabric of our country -- as a scary, criminal, job-stealing population.

Trump is holding back those reasonable Republicans from helping to drive a bi-partisan plan to fruition. I wish they'd have the balls to go ahead and finalize a proposal, regain the Republican congressional support they had before Trump was elected, slap a bill on the President's desk, and put Trump in the hot seat to finally take a step forward on the issue. Congress is the legislative branch of our government, after all.

[HairOfTheDog]

I don't believe he used the term "national", is just a plain hero okay to clap for?

Yeah. Same question. What heroes/guests of honor were shunned by Democratic politicians at the televised national State of the Union Address?

[BigMark]

I'm just curious why you added that word in the first place.

[HairOfTheDog]

I'm just curious why you added that word in the first place.

Have some coffee Bigs; it's pretty self-explanatory.

Maggot expressed his feelings about the alleged pitiful disrespect shown to "hero's of this country".

"National heroes", "heroes of this country" -- clear enough?

[Maggot]

I watched the speech probably half way through and the cameras showed the entire room. The Dems were on the right side of the President and I saw maybe 2-3 actually stand and clap the rest just sat there. Did you watch?

[HairOfTheDog]

I watched the speech probably half way through and the cameras showed the entire room. The Dems were on the right side of the President and I saw maybe 2-3 actually stand and clap the rest just sat there. Did you watch?

Yes, I saw it.

It was very much like every other State of the Union Address. The opposing party not clapping for the President or his policies, and the President's party clapping or standing for almost every statement.

I did not see what you saw and haven't seen any coverage or video reflecting it.

[Maggot]

The speech is on youtube if you want to fast forward any part of it.

[HairOfTheDog]

I already watched and heard it real time Mags. But, if you want to post up a video of the coverage showing the pitiful and hateful spectacle you witnessed and I missed, I'll check it out.

[Duchess]

I could fact check the SOTU speech. Wouldn't that be fun!

[HairOfTheDog]

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).

[Maggot]

Some heads are exploding over this speech that they said they "would not watch" it's almost as fun watching as election night.

[Duchess]

I don't watch Fox so I haven't seen any exploding heads.

[Maggot]

[Love Child]

Is Politico unbiased?

https://www.politico.com/interactives/20...-analysis/


It seems to not be loading for me......

[HairOfTheDog]

The Politico Fact Check link didn't load for me either Love Child.

Here's one from FactCheck.org:

President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address was filled with several repeat claims about the economy, tax cuts and immigration that we’ve fact-checked before, as well as new false and misleading statements on auto plants, judicial appointments and development aid.

--Trump claimed credit for 2.4 million new jobs “since the election,” when more than a half a million of those jobs were created under then-President Obama.

--He claimed that wages are “finally” going up, when they’ve been on a generally upward trend since the 1990s.

--Trump boasted that the African American unemployment rate was the “lowest rate ever recorded” and that Hispanic unemployment was at the “lowest levels in history.” True, but both rates have been in steady decline for about seven years. And the recent Hispanic rate matches the record low in October 2006.

--Trump falsely said car companies have not built or expanded plants in the U.S. “for decades.” Two new assembly plants were announced and others expanded in the last nine years.

--The president said he had appointed “more circuit court judges than any new administration” in history. True, but appointments by Presidents Nixon and Kennedy had a greater impact since there were far fewer appellate court seats back then.

--Trump said the U.S. does “more than any other country … to help the needy, the struggling, and the underprivileged all over the world.” In raw dollars of development aid, it’s true. But as a proportion of gross national income, the U.S. ranked 22^nd in 2016.

(continued)

[HairOfTheDog]

--The president wrongly said that the U.S. is “an exporter of energy to the world.” The Energy Information Administration estimates the U.S. won’t be a net exporter of energy until 2026.

--Trump again wrongly said that “we enacted the biggest tax cuts and reforms in American history.” There have been larger cuts as a percentage of gross domestic product and in inflation-adjusted dollars.

--The president said the new tax law gives “tremendous relief for the middle class.” The middle quintile in terms of income gets an average tax cut of $930 in 2018, but the top quintile gets a little more than 65 percent of the tax cut benefits.

--Trump said cutting the corporate tax rate will “increase average family income by more than $4,000.” This is a rosy, long-term estimate from White House economic advisers based on questionable assumptions.

--Trump wrongly said the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program “hands out green cards without any regard for skill … or the safety of the American people.” There are both education or work experience requirements, and a background check for all who are selected.

--Trump said that “America has also finally turned the page on decades of unfair trade deals.” But the trade deficit that he promised to reduce has grown larger during his presidency.

--Trump said the U.S. is “restoring our … standing abroad.” But a recent Gallup Poll found “approval of U.S. leadership across 134 countries and areas stands at a new low.”

More: https://www.factcheck.org/2018/01/factch...ate-union/

[pyropappy]

No one liked the speech, except for 75% of the American people. 80% of Republicans and 45% of Democrats approved. The Democrats have lost touch with even more of their base. Their reactions during the speech just showed how radical they have become. My God, the Cheeto in Chief offered them amnesty and they sat on their hands. They better get with the program or they will get clobbered in the mid terms. The middle class is sick of their bull shit.

[Blindgreed1]

No one liked the speech, except for 75% of the American people. 80% of Republicans and 45% of Democrats approved. The Democrats have lost touch with even more of their base. Their reactions during the speech just showed how radical they have become. My God, the Cheeto in Chief offered them amnesty and they sat on their hands. They better get with the program or they will get clobbered in the mid terms. The middle class is sick of their bull shit.

I saw these #'s yesterday and automatically assumed it was a typo because the media invested so much time in flaming Trump's speech. Someone commented that he just read a speech that someone else wrote for him, so I looked it up. The last president to write his own speech?... Woodrow Wilson.

[pyropappy]

I saw these #'s yesterday and automatically assumed it was a typo because the media invested so much time in flaming Trump's speech. Someone commented that he just read a speech that someone else wrote for him, so I looked it up. The last president to write his own speech?... Woodrow Wilson.

Are you cereal? Progressives better get a reality check. I mean for a party that claims to be for the "little" man, having Joe Kennedy deliver the rebuttal only shows how out of touch the dems are. I mean the Kennedy's are the antithesis of middle class.