Takeaways From Trump's Longest-Ever SOTU

I made it through President Donald Trump's SOTU last night. I need more time to consider what he had to say, but I'll share my takeaways and welcome yours. 

First, it was too long. Trump shattered the record for longest SOTU, a record that he himself set last year. As a result, it was boring at times.

Second, Democrats who opted to boycott the speech are childish and guilty of the very partisan behavior that Trump himself exhibited during his address. Like it or not, he is the President. I do not respect the person but do respect the office. 

Third, most of Trump's partisan rants at Democrats are just as childish. At a time when we need to be talking to each other, we tend to talk at each other. 

Fourth, his call to end insider trading was one of the few instances that resulted in bipartisan applause, but it's unclear to me whether Congress will act.

Fifth, the Trump accounts for kids (he claims he did not come up with the name), which will be seeded with $1,000 from the federal government, is an excellent idea and a way to help our children build a nest egg they can collect when they turn 18. He also deserves credit for eliminating taxes on tips (up to a point) and on overtime. 

Sixth, his claim that tariffs could result in the elimination of income tax is sheer nonsense and would be regressive, hurting the poor. 

Seventh, his claim to have stopped illegal immigration appears to be accurate.

Eighth, his claim that the economy is doing well is one with which most Americans disagree. 

Ninth, his foreign policy is simply chaotic, but he avoided addressing many of the problems he himself has created, like alienating most of our allies. 

Trump's SOTU: The Moment Congressional Democrats Disgraced Themselves

One of the nicest gestures during President Trump's SOTU on Tuesday night was when he honored a 13-year-old boy who survived a battle with brain cancer. He always wanted to be in law enforcement and got his wish when he was made an honorary Secret Service agent, complete with credentials. Even I smiled when I watched this, and I also liked when Trump announced that another young man, a high school athlete who lost his deputy sheriff father when he was just a boy, had been accepted at West Point. 

Yesterday, I received a large number of comments from readers who were angry that Democrats sat on their hands when the 13-year-old was appointed to the Secret Service as an honorary agent. I did not notice this at the time and went back to check the video. 

Unfortunately, the accusation is true, at least of a large number of Democrats. One Congressman refused to stand because "Trump [is] ripping cancer research to shreds in order to give billionaire tax cuts, firing doctors and nurses who are caring for kids with cancer right now in order for them to take their salaries and put them in their own pockets.”

Let's assume this is true. The young man is in no way responsible for any of these mistakes. 

What happened actually makes Trump look good. 

And that's pretty hard to do. 

Biden Delivers Stirring SOTU

It couldn't have come at a better time. I thought President Joe Biden's last SOTU was excellent, particularly the way he played rope-a-dope with Republicans about cuts to social security. His speech last night, delivered in the midst of two regional conflicts that could easily spiral out of control and a time when his poll numbers have sometimes been behind those of a wannabe dictator currently facing both state and federal prosecutions, was the best I've ever heard him make. He made me proud that I am still a Democrat. He was feisty. A man whose every verbal literal slip is the subject of Fox News headlines demonstrated that he was completely willing to go off script and spar with jeering Republicans over reasonable proposals like increasing taxes on the rich to cut our deficit. "I know you know how to read," he mocked them at one point. At another, he chastised them for tying everything to a border crisis. "We can fight about fixing the border or we can fix it," he declared. Is one strong speech that reminding me that Biden is an old school Democrat, and that there really are serious policy differences between the parties, enough to make me want to vote for him? It might.

For at least the past year, I've sworn up and down that I am unwilling to vote for either Biden or Trump this year. I am appalled that these two are the best alternatives a country of 334 million can produce. In fact, they aren't. There are clearly better Democrats than Biden and better Republicans than Trump. Our failure to produce such a candidate tells me our democratic form of government is in trouble, and we need to take a close look at how we select future leaders. But that's likely going to take a few years and younger voters. 

What has bothered me the most about Biden is his age. He moves about one inch an hour, unless he's falling off his bike. I have serious doubts whether he will survive a second term. He addressed age last night, and I thought I'd include what he said. 

I know I may not look like it, but I’ve been around a while.
And when you get to my age certain things become clearer than ever before.
I know the American story.
Again and again I’ve seen the contest between competing forces in the battle for the soul of our nation.
Between those who want to pull America back to the past and those who want to move America into the future.
My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy.
A future based on the core values that have defined America.
Honesty. Decency. Dignity. Equality.
To respect everyone. To give everyone a fair shot. To give hate no safe harbor.
Now some other people my age see a different story.
An American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution.
That’s not me.
I was born amid World War II when America stood for freedom in the world.
I grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania and Claymont, Delaware among working people who built this country.
I watched in horror as two of my heroes, Dr. King and Bobby Kennedy, were assassinated and their legacies inspired me to pursue a career in service.
A public defender, county councilman, elected United States Senator at 29, then Vice President, to our first Black President, now President, with our first woman Vice President.
In my career I’ve been told I’m too young and I’m too old.
Whether young or old, I’ve always known what endures.
Our North Star.
The very idea of America, that we are all created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives.
We’ve never fully lived up to that idea, but we’ve never walked away from it either.
And I won’t walk away from it now.
My fellow Americans the issue facing our nation isn’t how old we are it’s how old our ideas are?
Hate, anger, revenge, retribution are among the oldest of ideas.
But you can’t lead America with ancient ideas that only take us back.
To lead America, the land of possibilities, you need a vision for the future of what America can and should be.
Tonight you’ve heard mine.
I see a future where we defend democracy not diminish it.
I see a future where we restore the right to choose and protect other freedoms not take them away.
I see a future where the middle class finally has a fair shot and the wealthy finally have to pay their fair share in taxes.
I see a future where we save the planet from the climate crisis and our country from gun violence.
Above all, I see a future for all Americans!
I see a country for all Americans!
And I will always be a president for all Americans!
Because I believe in America!
I believe in you the American people.
You’re the reason I’ve never been more optimistic about our future!
So let’s build that future together!
Let’s remember who we are!
We are the United States of America.
There is nothing beyond our capacity when we act together!