Whether you voted for Trump or not last November, it was hard on Tuesday night not to see someone seeking to put his agenda into practice
The most stark effect that President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress created was the forcefulness of his vision and the complete lack of any alternative presented by the Democratic Party.
Whether you voted for Trump or not in November, it was difficult on Tuesday evening not to recognize someone trying to implement his agenda. The president made it unmistakable to lawmakers and indeed the world, that his top priority is American renewal and the rejuvenation of the American Dream.
As a patriot American who recalls JFK's 1961 inaugural address, and recalls Ronald Reagan's 1980 inaugural address, it's difficult not to view the president's speech in similar terms.
TRUMP VOWS 'THIS WILL BE OUR GREATEST ERA' IN JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS
To be certain, the president's problems are no smaller. It is uncertain, at least, whether he will manage to reduce inflation, gain control over prices, end the Ukraine war and restore American dominance at home and overseas. There is no cause to think, in the aftermath of his speech before Congress, that he is nearer to achieving his objectives than he was previously.
Nevertheless, it is extremely difficult for anyone who is an impartial observer to do anything but acknowledge the visionary, expansive quality of Trump's vision.
Concurrently, however, it does not seem to me that the political party that I still find myself belonging to, with growing reluctance, has any solutions whatsoever.
The deployment of placards in the House Chamber, e.g., "false," "save Medicaid," "protect veterans," only served to highlight the utter limits of my party's capacity to communicate differences.
It is as if the Democrats have passed Clinton campaign advisor James Carville's suggestion to remain quiet and "play possum." They have trivialized themselves and become nearly irrelevant.
I am writing this sadly. I do not know whether there are answers that we need to the difficulties that we have, even in the face of a clear agenda for America and a clear series of policy remedies that the president presented. As much as I was inspired by his words, by his promise and by use of personal experience, I was saddened that what I witnessed was not the finest of what is best about our nation.
That the Democrats only had to stew and sit in silence, bereft of response, left me unimpressed. And left me to think that our enemies did see, theatrically, how split and polarized we still are.
I completely comprehend that praising President Trump's speech makes me look like I've switched sides as a mainstream Democrat of 50 years standing.
Nothing could be further from the truth. However, any individual who has affection for America must back the president's general aims on the economy, inflation, the border with Mexico, on crime and accepting peace worldwide.
Seeing Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin give the Democratic response to the president's address, I was dismayed that she felt compelled to introduce herself, on the strength of her qualifications, and tell the country who she is. That is in significant part a metaphor for the hardships and conflicts that we endure.
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