3 Thoughts on Trump's SOTU Address

I watched President Trump's SOTU address and would like to share three thoughts with you.

First, Trump made effective use of visual images such as Melania Trump placing the Presidential Medal of Freedom on the terminally ill Rush Limbaugh, the show of support to Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, the 100-year old Tuskegee airman with his 13-year old great grandson who wants to join Trump's Space Force and especially the surprise reunion of Afghanistan veteran Sgt. Townsend Williams with his family. While the reunion is certainly heartwarming it is of cold comfort to the thousands of migrant families who the Trump Administration has seen fit to rip apart because they deny them their basic humanity for the crime of seeking a better life for themselves. The images of kids in cages was nowhere to be found tonight.

Second, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a visual image of her own by tearing up Trump's speech at the conclusion of his address. Obviously this image was angrier than those displayed during his speech. On its own, it might look petty and unbecoming. But Trump looked equally petty and unbecoming when he refused to shake Pelosi's hand prior to the speech. Perhaps two wrongs don't make a right, but I don't blame Pelosi. She's had to endure his bullshit more than most of us and was just fed up. Of course, there is the not so small matter of impeachment. My Dad, on the other hand, had very unkind words for Pelosi. 

Which brings me to my final Thought. At the risk of stating the obvious, if you love Trump then you loved his speech. If you hate Trump then you hated his speech. If you love Trump then you accepted his word at face value. If you hate Trump then every word was a lie including is and it. My Dad falls into the former category. When that happens you accept things that simply aren't true and the facts be damned (i.e. ISIS has been 100% defeated, the wall is being built on the southern border and our economy is the best it's ever been). It is my concern that support for Trump is based on a false premise and false premises keep us from the truth. This tends to make matters worse than they need be.

Now you might ask, "Aaron, don't you fit into the latter category?" I come very close. Indeed, I fundamentally disagree with Trump on most things and think him a foolish man who comports himself with cruelty. Nevertheless, I am realistic enough to know that while the economy is not the best it's ever been it's good enough that people are more likely than not to give him a second term. 

I might not like this outcome but I am aware that there's a good chance it will come to pass. It must also be remembered I spent a decade being skeptical of Barack Obama. Nevertheless, I never lost sight of his appeal even if he never appealed to me. His re-election came as no surprise to me and was well prepared for the result. As one gets older one recognizes that things rarely turn out the way you want. If one can recognize it then one can learn to cope with disappointment and even disaster. 

Overall, it was a good night for President Trump. But a good night for Trump doesn't equal a good morning for America.