Another unspoken contrast between Trump and Obama

Obama’s SOTU: Uniting the Country…through Pronouns?  "Obama’s 2011 State of the Union incorporated the 2nd largest percentage of first-person plural pronouns since FDR – one year after his 2010 Address delivered the 7th largest use of first-person singular pronouns

"It is sometimes said that politicians – particularly those who attain the highest levels of elected office like that of the presidency – have unusually large egos.

"But when the President of the United States holds court before tens of millions of Americans in important speeches such as the State of the Union Address, it is usually in his best interest to check that ego at the podium, and talk about the nation, not himself." . . ,

Americans are turning against Trump-hating celebrities and buying into the President’s American dream - THAT’S a nightmare for Democrats’

"The State of the Union stats don’t lie:"

UK Daily Mail  . . . "Within minutes of President Donald Trump's first State of the Union speech, CBS News revealed their YouGov poll approval ratings on it.

"Unsurprisingly, 97% of Republican speech watchers liked it.

"More surprisingly, 72% of Independents liked it.

"Staggeringly, 43% of Democrats liked it.

"Overall, CBS reported that 75% of Americans approved of the speech.

"For such a seriously divisive and polarising President, who is currently languishing with just 39% personal approval ratings, these were sensationally good results.

"Interestingly, 8/10 Americans in the poll felt the President was trying to unite the country with his speech and two thirds of Americans said it made them feel proud.

"Less than a quarter that watched said it made them feel scared or angry.

"Contrast this reaction with the instant and so tediously predictable blind rage spewed by the world's liberal celebrities on social media before, during and after the address." . . .

The Shabby, Sophomoric Behavior of Democrats at the SOTU

Rich Terrell photosnark

Patricia McCarthy

The fact that the Democrats in Congress loathe Trump more than they love their country or the American people is a tragedy.

"It is difficult to imagine a more galling demonstration of incivility than the Democrats in the room for Trump's SOTU speech. They scowled, frowned, and sat on their hands throughout the speech. They could hardly be bothered to acknowledge the heroes in the audience when they were introduced. While the Dems brought illegal immigrants, Trump invited actual paragons of American character and the families of victims of illegal immigrant crimes, as well as a victim of North Korea. It was embarrassing, like watching the anti-Semites in the UN stomp out of the room when Benjamin Netanyahu speaks. How is it any different? Our Democrats behave exactly like the most racist, intolerant people on the planet, and in their own Capitol." . . .


Luis Gutierrez Stormed Out Of House Chamber During SOTU  . . . "Towards the end of Trump’s speech, Gutierrez (pictured, right) was spotted on camera getting up and exiting the chamber after Trump praised monuments across the country. As members of Congress applauded the president’s comments, the Illinois Democrat rose from his seat and walked out the door." . . .

Yes, I added angry photos of Democrats here and picked  them because that is my image of Democrats these days; joyless and threatening. Nearly every encounter I have with Latinos and African-Americans is pleasant and friendly, unlike the scowling, bitter people, glowering at us from our TV screens, condemning white people and calling for the killing of police. TD

Not from Fox News, but NBC!  Democrats scoff, boo, groan, glower at Trump’s State of the Union
Many Democrats showed how little stock they put in Trump's calls for cooperation by staying seated during rhetoric that would have prompted bipartisan applause if it came from almost any other president.
. . . 
"Inside the House of Representatives' chamber, Republicans were often on their feet and applauding, while Democrats — some of whom boycotted the speech — quietly glowered, except for when they expressed open hostility to Trump."

With Rachael Maddow on MSNBC, smiling with approval: Cory Booker on SOTU: ‘Ugly,’ ‘Fear Mongering’ — Trump Used Religion, Patriotism to ‘Divide’


Sourpuss Democrats Self-Immolate at State of the Union

"Let's give them the award straight up: Worst Performance by a Minority Party at a State of the Union Address.  (Hey, it's awards season, right?)

"They broke the record. They get the prize with no runner-up for years to come.

"Steny Hoyer and Nancy Pelosi watching  Trump's speech looked like a pair of sullen six-year olds on a sugar crash the day after Halloween.  Bernie Sanders looked mummified.  Schumer was slumped so deeply in his chair he was almost falling through the crack.

Other Democrats, even ones who should have known better or secretly felt otherwise, sat on their hands.  You could see them glancing at each other, wondering whether they were allowed to applaud or stand up. What a bunch of cowards.

"It was a disgraceful display of bad manners, but even more it was incredibly stupid because "the whole world was watching."  The camera was getting them all in close-up." . . .

Nancy Pelosi’s Face During Trump’s Speech Is Amazing  . . . "The camera also panned onto Sen. Chuck Schumer’s face, who looked a bit more comfortable than Pelosi, but not too happy either. At one point of applause, Schumer clapped softly, while Pelosi sat still." . . .

Why Didn't Democrats Stand - Or Even Clap - For This SOTU Line?

. . ." Well, the Democrats did stand for some of those things during President Trump's first State of the Union speech, but when it came to the following line, some of these lawmakers, particularly members of the Congressional Black Caucus, remained seated."

Kurdish commenter Sana tweeted:

“African-American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded...” (Camera moves to audience) These faces say everything. #sotu

When lawmakers were seated for the State of the Union, 

Black Caucus members sported kente cloth from Ghana

. . . "Unfortunately, there were a few other more poignant moments in which Democrats remained silent and seated." . . . 

Katie Pavlich tweeted: "Entire row of Democrats refusing to stand for family whose two girls were murdered by MS-13 "

Unlike Obama, Trump nailed it on GDP growth

Monica Showalter  "While most of the mainstream media attention has been focused on turmoil in Washington, or else President Trump's State of the Union address, if not tabloidy speculation on the state of Trump's marriage, out in the real America, what matters is very different: We have an economy again. This stands in stark contrast to the constantly overpromising and underdelivering record of the Obama administration. During the eight years of Obama's administration, Obama constantly promised that prosperity was just around the corner as the mainstream media said nothing.

"But here's the reality, according to John Merline at Investor's Business Daily:

Trump Just Did Something Obama Never Could — Deliver On Promised GDP Growth

"It's a breath of fresh air and real news, even if the swamp things of the Washington Post do their miserable best to pooh-pooh it.

"Let's scroll back to the Obama era for perspective. " . . .

Spot the stupidest MSM SOTU television commentary

Facts First? CNN Speculates Melania Wearing White to Protest Her Husband

"To demonstrate just how far down the drain their standards for news and analysis were, CNN spent a couple minutes before the State of the Union Tuesday wondering if First Lady Melania Trump’s outfit was designed to protest the President, her own husband.

"Just before the 9 p.m. hour, CNN White House Reporter Kate Bennett was trying to read the tea leaves to understand why Melania didn’t ride with Donald to the Capitol:" . . .

Thomas Lifson

. . .  "All that, despite the fact that Bennett did admit that Melania was accompanying her guests to the event.

"And after being teed up by CNN host Jake Tapper, Bennett tried to read into the secret message the First Lady was trying to send, with her dress. “You know, she's wearing a cream-colored suit there, which I find interesting. Remember last year the female Democratic Senators all wore white,” she recalled while claiming it was to protests Trump’s anti-woman policies.

“ 'Listen, it could be a total coincidence, but I just find a lot of the stuff she does these days, to look at it twice,” Bennett continued.

“ 'I think Maureen Dowd called her the “Slovenian Sphinx,” everybody looking at her and trying to decipher the mysteries,” Tapper quipped, apparently buying into the ridiculousness." . . .

. . . Chuck Todd’s entry in the contest for stupidest commentary was strong, inadvertently reminding us of President Obama’s inability to deliver a coherent speech without reading a script off a teleprompter. Todd discounted what President Trump said because:

“… we know it's not him. It's him reading off a teleprompter.”

(Emphases in the original)

More CNN:  Rep Clyburn: Trump’s America Like Hitler’s 1934 Germany

"President Trump’s State of the Union was a “home run” speech in many ways, but contrasted with the expectations of many, especially Democrat Representative John Clyburn of South Carolina who compared Trump’s America to Germany in 1934 under Adolf Hitler, Monday night on CNN. " . . .

"Well, film clips of Hitler speeches at rallies from that era simply do not resemble Trump rallies. The congressman is an especially silly man, for the history teacher he purports to have been. Clyburn notes that all the churches in Germany had swastika banners in 1934, but none have yet appeared in the church I attend in northern Virginia or the Hill country of Texas."

After Obama-Farrakhan Photo Bombshell, New Footage Emerges Of Democrats Hugging Nation Of Islam Leade

Daily Caller 

 "Images of multiple congressional Democrats hugging, embracing and coordinating with Louis Farrakhan have surfaced, just shortly after a never-before-seen, 2005 photo of Barack Obama and Louis Farrakhan was released to the public.

"The Obama picture was kept a secret by the photographer who took it because he believed it would hurt the future president’s “political career.

"The new images and videos show Congressional Democrats, some of whom are still serving, warmly embracing Farrakhan in 2006 at a church in New Orleans. The footage was brought to light by columnist Jeryl Bier. Bier has been tweeting the following images and video of the encounter. 

"Here’s regular critic of President Trump, Maxine Waters, hugging Farrakhan warmly."

Here Are the Members of Congress Skipping Trump’s First State of the Union Address

Western Journalism  "A number of Democrat lawmakers have announced they are boycotting President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night.

"The Democrats’ decision to protest Trump’s first State of the Union address comes after Trump’s alleged “s—hole” comments in early January. The following members of Congress have said they will not show up to the State of the Union address:

Democrats Skipping State of the Union for Separate Women’s Event "At least 11 Democratic lawmakers will skip President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address Tuesday.

"Instead, at least two of those absentees plan to take part in a separate event in Washington, the “State of OUR Union,” put on by leading women activists to “offer an alternative view and vision for the country” from Trump’s.

"Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Barbara Lee are slated to speak at the forum Tuesday.

"Rep. Judy Chu had been on the speakers list but is attending Trump’s State of the Union address, a spokesman confirmed.

"The event planners hope to “address the persistent gender inequality and ‘crisis of leadership’” they believe is harming America, they said in a statement on Monday.

"Jayapal and the 10 other lawmakers who have announced they will boycott Trump’s speech Tuesday night cited the president’s caustic and often controversial rhetoric — especially with regard to race — as the primary reason for their no-show.

3 Things to Watch for at Trump's First State of the Union Address

Five things to watch for in President Trump’s State of the Union Address

6 things to watch at Trump's speech, including the elephant in the room

Total, fourteen if you're keeping track.

Hillary at the Grammys, rhe Star of Hollywood...but not the White House

If Hillary gave a presidential address, could you believe a word she said?

She'd rather be on TV Tuesday night   

. . . "In the end, it probably turned people off. After all, am I the only who finds it disgusting to watch U.S. performers talk about repression? They should read The Gulag Archipelago or talk to people who live under serious repression and get the real story.

"It seems that the ratings were another disaster, with the lowest viewership since the awards first aired. Furthermore, I'm sure that Mrs. Clinton would have rather be delivering the State of the Union on Tuesday night.

"She is silly, this woman named  Hillary Clinton!"

Hillary Embarrasses Herself at the Grammys

It’s merely unbecoming for a winner to taunt his vanquished foe. It’s pathetic for a loser to poke fun at the man who beat her.

. . . "Leave aside the indignity of Hillary Clinton, a former first lady, secretary of state, and presidential candidate, appearing in a cheap throwaway gag at the Grammys during which she reads a bit from the book Fire and Fury about President Trump’s love of junk food. Leave aside the fact that her husband was also once notorious for his love of McDonald’s. Leave aside the fact that she and her husband have, like Trump, been the subject of scurrilous, vicious, largely made-up junk-journalism that doesn’t even pass the laugh test, much less a rigorous fact-checking process. She lost; she has no standing to make fun of the man who beat her.

"I say this with no emotional stake in the matter, because I didn’t vote for either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump: Clinton can’t dunk on Trump after the game is over and he has won. He’s the president; she’s not and she never will be. Losers don’t get to taunt winners. This isn’t a matter of sportsmanship, but a matter of dignity: A loser humiliates herself by poking fun at the guy who beat her. Half a day later, Trump, the most irritable man on earth, hadn’t deigned to respond to Clinton’s taunt. He didn’t have to. It was too pathetic to merit a response." . . .  Full article.

"The woman who would be president embarrassed herself at the Grammys Sunday night."

His son, Donald Trump Jr., gave a powerful response. "Getting to read a #fakenews book excerpt at the Grammys seems like a great consolation prize for losing the presidency," Trump Jr. tweeted.

"The only female advancement/empowerment Mrs. Clinton has ever been interested in is her own."  . . . "While most of her supporters can't think of anyone who's a bigger and better champion for women than Clinton, here comes the bucket of salt to pour in that 2016 wound that never really healed.  According to the New York Times, Clinton  shielded one of her advisers, Burns Strider, from being fired for repeatedly sexually harassing a younger staffer during her 2008 presidential campaign." . . . 

From Legal Insurrection: Hillary Clinton joined in the ‘Fire and Fury’ fun, taking the already bad sketch to a new level of annoying.  . . . "Sunday’s Grammy Awards proved once again that the American entertainment industry is increasingly disconnected from the people they’re meant to entertain.

"As part of the show, artists read excerpts from Michael Wolff’s ‘Fire and Fury’, an anti-Trump book. ‘Fire and Fury’, a problematic work (the veracity of which Wolff himself is unsure) blew up the news cycle prior to its release several weeks ago." . . .

Democrats And Leftists Will Be Giving At Least Six Separate Responses To Trump’s State Of The Union Address

Weasel Zippers

"Gee, they really are desperate, aren’t they?

"Via Daily Caller:

In case you have an insatiable desire for liberal hand wringing, Democrats and leftists have scheduled at least six individual responses to President Donald Trump’s state of the union address Tuesday night.

Democratic Rep. Joe Kennedy (yes, those Kennedys) will be giving the Democratic Party’s official response immediately following the conclusion of the president’s speech, right from the heartland in Kennedy’s home state of Massachusetts.

¿No habla inglés? No problemo. Virginia Del. Elizabeth Guzman will give the Democrats’ official Spanish-language response, although it’s not clear how her message will differ from Kennedy’s.

Keep reading…

The rock star declares:

Millionaires plan People's State of the Union speech  "Fox News reported, "A group of Hollywood elites, progressive groups and social activists are planning a People’s State of the Union as a public alternative on the eve of President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address.' "

"The news channel listed the celebrities as Michael Moore (net worth $50 million), Mark Ruffalo (net worth $20 million), Alyssa Milano (net worth $10 million), Rosie Perez (net worth $8 million), and Whoopi Goldberg (net worth $45 million).

"Now granted, we have a billionaire president, but the people elected him to speak for them.

"No one elected Michael Moore dog catcher." . . .

FAKE NEWS: Reporters, Obama Alumni Spread False Story That Ivanka Trump Kicked Spanish Chef Out of Restaurant

But Cafe Milano later clarified that the story was a "misunderstanding." The restaurant was rented out for a private event, and Ivanka Trump had nothing to do with the guest list.

 Free Beacon  "Several reporters and former Obama White House staffers over the weekend spread a false story claiming Ivanka Trump requested a Spanish-American chef be kicked out of a restaurant because his presence made her "uncomfortable."

"Former Mexican Ambassador to China Jorge Guajardo claimed on Twitter on Sunday that celebrity chef José Andrés was kicked out of Cafe Milano, the tony Washington, D.C. restaurant, at the request of Trump. Andrés soon tweeted the accusation himself."
. . . 
"Guajardo’s claim quickly went viral, racking up more than 16,000 retweets. Former Obama administration officials Jon Favreau, Ronald Klain, and David Axelrord; Washington Post reporter Phillip Rucker; CNN host Chris Cuomo; and chef Anthony Bourdain also racked up thousands of retweets spreading the story and noting Andrés’ charitable work in Puerto Rico." . . .

"But Cafe Milano later clarified that the story was a "misunderstanding." The restaurant was rented out for a private event, and Ivanka Trump had nothing to do with the guest list."

All emphases added by TD

The troubles of Andrew McCabe

Thomas Lifson: McCabe at the precipice: 'Removal' from FBI may be the least of his troubles  "Instead of planning how to spend his federal pension, now-former Deputy Director of the FBI Andrew McCabe must be figuring out how to pay the lawyers he is going to need.  Until his boss Christopher Wray, President Trump’s appointee to head the FBI, read the four-page FISA memo on Sunday (an extraordinary act in itself), he enjoyed protected job status. According to reports, Wray previously had threatened to resign if McCabe was forced out.

"Officially, McCabe “stepped down,” but administration officials informed the media that he was “removed,” which suggests he was forced to resign. Using accumulated vacation time, he will be able to fill out a full twenty years of service and qualify for a federal pension. According to some reports, his accumulated vacation time was sufficient to allow him to have left office late last year, but he preferred to stay on for reasons we can only speculate on, but which might include running interference int he face of criticism." . , ,

Analysis: Why Was Andrew McCabe Abruptly Removed From His Post? [UPDATE: 'Concerning' Revelation from IG's Clinton Probe]  "As you already know, FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe -- against whom President Trump has fulminated in tweets -- no longer occupies his position.  CNN's Jim Acosta initially reported that the departure was 'mutual' and done on McCabe's terms, but multiple other networks confirmed that McCabe had be ousted.  Why did this occur?  We don't know yet, and the White House has referred all questions about the decision to the FBI, averring that the president was not involved in it.  A few possibilities come to mind (see update):" . . .

Looking ahead to the State Of The Union address Tuesday

Politico's SOTU coverage  "Everything you need to know: Trump’s 2018 State of the Union address"

President Donald Trump will deliver his first formal State of the Union address at 9 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, Jan. 30, before a joint session of Congress. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) presides in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol, with Vice President Mike Pence beside him in his constitutional role as president of the Senate. Congress, Supreme Court justices, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and all but one of the president’s Cabinet members — the so-called designated survivor — will attend. . .

White House sets the tone for Trump's 'bipartisan' State of the Union address: Democrats 'have yet to come to the table with anything except wearing black tonight, saying "Me Too" '. . . "More than two dozen Democratic lawmakers will be bringing Dreamers with them to Trump's address to highlight their desire to provide illegal youth with amnesty.

"The White House said Friday during a briefing on Trump's remarks that the president would emphasize 'bipartisanship' in his progress report, delivering remarks that are 'optimistic' and 'unifying' this evening.  

" 'Trump's speech will touch on immigration, infrastructure and national security, the White House says, in addition to traditional topics like jobs and the economy and will center on 'Building a safe, strong and proud America.'

" 'You can expect the President will be speaking from the heart. It will be a speech that resonates with our American values, and unites us with patriotism, and also unites us with the greatly expanded opportunities that is lifting up all Americans,' a senior official said.

" 'It’s a big speech, an important speech, we covered immigration...We’re going to get something done, we hope,' President Trump said Monday.  'It’s got to be bipartisan because the Republicans really don’t have the votes to get it done in any other way.' " . . .

Monica Showalter: Democrats acting as if Maxine Waters will embarass them in SOTU response  . . . "So it's weird stuff to see the noisy, flamboyant Waters being shunted off to the Black Entertainment Television network representing the Democrats in their response to President Trump's State of the Union address, while the bland, pedigreed Kennedy is being given the prime time slot for the wider-audience mainstream media response. It certainly looks like ghettoization. So much for the face of the Democratic Party.

"A case could be made for racism, given that the Democratic Party has a rather notable history of racism from Woodrow Wilson on down to the Podesta emails.

. . .  "But to admit this is to also admit that Maxine Waters has been making a fool of herself with her wild statements and only black voters won't be turned off." . . .

The California Democrat will, well ...speak. Or something.


"Waters makes some of the craziest members of her party look sane, so her response should be very entertaining."  . . . "Yes, I’m sure a Kennedy who went to the Buckingham Browne & Nichols school in Cambridge before attending Stanford and Harvard Law has a deep understanding of hard working men and women in America." . . . Just speak in liberal platitudes; you'll be fine.

State of the Union to emphasize economy, military strength  . . . "It will focus on five broad topics: the economy, a $1-trillion-plus plan to rebuild infrastructure, Mr. Trump’s new immigration proposal that includes a pathway to citizenship 1.8 million young illegal immigrants, trade policy and a plan to rebuild the military.

“ 'To Congress, the tone will be one of bipartisanship and very forward-looking,” a senior administration official said. “The economic upswing is helping everybody — all groups are benefiting.”

"Mr. Trump is facing an increasingly hostile Democratic minority in Congress — several black lawmakers plan to boycott his speech. The White House’s proposal to rebuild crumbling bridges and roads offers perhaps the most realistic opportunity to work with Democrats in this election year." . . .

Frederica Wilson: Trump Doesn’t Deserve To Be Honored With My Presence At SOTU  . . . “ 'I’m not going because to go would be to honor the President and I don’t think he deserves to be honored at this time, after being so hateful towards black people and then black countries, Haiti and the whole continent of Africa. It hurts. And then he’s brought the White House to the lowest. And I don’t think he needs to be honored with my presence,” Wilson said." . . .