Trump Played the Dems Like a Fiddle at SOU

This article first appeared in New English Review. 

We all knew the State of the Union was going to be great theater last night, and Trump and Democrats did not disappoint. True to their word, 73 Democrats chose not to attend, a childish display in itself. Many of the Democrat women who did attend chose to wear all white as some form of protest. They wore buttons on their shirts, many of them demanding that the Epstein files be released. Even worse, Rashida Tlaib wore a button (along with her Palestinian keffiyeh) that read, "F---ICE". (The F-word was fully spelled out.) One Democrat senator, Mark Warner of Virginia, walked out. 

Al Green followed up on last year's outburst with his second consecutive ejection as he displayed a poster that read, "Black people aren't apes", a reference to an offensive image borrowed from "The Lion King", posted by somebody in the White House, portraying Barack and Michelle Obama's heads superimposed on the bodies of apes. As he was being escorted out, he got in the faces of Republicans on the aisle and shoved the poster at them, as if they were responsible. I seriously doubt anybody in that hall last night believed that black people are apes. Green then compounded his childishness by comparing himself to Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, people who, unlike Green, were arrested and thrown in jail for their bravery. There was nothing brave about what Green did last night. He was not arrested. That is an important distinction. Yes, the image of the Obamas was offensive, and hopefully, whoever was responsible for it was fired, but Green could have chosen a better way to voice his indignation.

Then there was the spectacle of Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, who were seated next to each other (as is fitting), shouting at Trump. Yes, Trump goaded them and all the Democrats who refused to stand and applaud the most sympathetic guests invited to attend and be recognized. A child who was critically injured in an accident involving an illegal alien, and family members of people murdered by illegal aliens. By my count, they only stood in unison and applauded the US Hockey team and two Medal of Honor winners as they were being presented with their medals. 

The glaring exception on the Democrat side of the aisle was Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. Every time I saw him-even if the camera was not trained on him- he applauded when it was appropriate, and stood when appropriate. Yet, he did nothing to try and stand out, even though he uncharacteristically wore a suit-uncharacteristically. He behaved in a low-key, dignified manner as befitting a US senator. He deserves to be recognized, and I respect him. 

As stated, Trump certainly goaded the Democrats, and they took the bait. Perhaps his best rhetorical tactic was to invite all those who agree that "the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens" to stand and show their support. Once again, the Democrats sat on their hands. (I don't recall seeing Fetterman on the screen at that moment.) 

And then there was the Democrat response from Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger. I was taken aback when she announced that she was a former federal agent investigating drugs and money laundering. Was she an ex-DEA or FBI agent? Being retired from DEA, I was hoping it was not the former, especially given the way she trashed ICE agents, accusing them of everything but kidnapping Nancy Guthrie. I did some checking after the speech and learned that she spent 8 years in the CIA. Her federal agent experience was as a US Postal Inspector. They are considered federal agents, and we occasionally worked with them on cases involving drugs sent through the mail. Call it nitpicking, but I thought her description of herself was just a tad misleading and exaggerated. 

Last night demonstrated once again the stark difference between the two parties. The Democrat party has moved so far to the left that its allegiance to this country has to be called into question. People like Al Green, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and so many others are now the face of this party. For all this talk about the likelihood that the Republicans will lose control of Congress come November, last night's spectacle cannot be lost on the public at large. 

Granted, a lot of people don't like Trump, but he will not be on the ballot in November. We need to remember that last night showed us that the Democrat party does not support law enforcement, and they do not support secure borders. I will close with a cautious prediction. I have a feeling that Senator Fetterman will be making a major announcement in the not-too-distant future.