The State Of The Union

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West, dispensed with the usual formalities when introducing President Donald Trump prior to his State of the Union speech. Instead of the traditional Speaker’s introduction noting the “high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the President of the United States,” Pelosi simply said, “Members of Congress, the President of the United States.” But that was just the beginning and paled in comparison to what came after the speech.

Trump touted America’s economy and growing strength, the record low African-American, Hispanic and women’s unemployment rates, his successful trade deals with Mexico, Canada and China, and the booming stock market. He noted that wage growth for those with lower incomes is now outstripping that of the “1%.” He mentioned the need to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure. He talked of strengthening the country’s border, thereby dramatically reducing drug smuggling and human trafficking. He spoke of granting legal recourse to the victims of violent crimes committed by illegal aliens from “Sanctuary Cities.” He promised to protect Americans’ long standing First and Second Amendment rights, affording his countrymen religious liberty and the ability to protect themselves and their loved ones. He urged Americans to remember that, “Freedom unifies the soul,” while “Socialism destroys nations.”

He talked of tackling the opioid crisis and said drug overdose deaths have declined for the first time in almost 30 years. He spoke of prison reform for non-violent inmates and of granting people second chances. He stressed the need to make certain that every child-- from whatever background-- has the opportunity to attend safe and effective schools. He recounted the miraculous survival of a child born at just 21 weeks of gestation, weighing less than one pound at her birth. A now two-year-old child that attended his State of the Union speech. He called on Congress to pass legislation banning late-term abortions.

The president also paid tribute to one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, himself in attendance, a 100-year old African-American who flew well over 100 missions in World War II before going on to serve in the Korean War and Vietnam.

And then he spoke of the Founders, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers, Teddy Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Jr. And of Neil Armstrong. He praised those who came before us, who he said, “braved the unknown; tamed the wilderness; settled the Wild West; lifted millions from poverty, disease, and hunger; vanquished tyranny and fascism; ushered the world to new heights of science and medicine; laid down the railroads, dug out canals, raised up the skyscrapers,” and,  “built the most exceptional Republic ever to exist in all of human history.”

He finished by exclaiming: “We look at tomorrow and see unlimited frontiers just waiting to be explored. Our brightest discoveries are not yet known. Our most thrilling stories are not yet told. Our grandest journeys are not yet made. The American Age, the American Epic, the American Adventure, has only just begun! Our spirit is still young; the sun is still rising; God’s grace is still shining; and my fellow Americans, the best is yet to come! Thank you. God bless you. God bless America.”

The moment the president finished his speech, Speaker Pelosi stood and tore up her copy of it, shredding it while behind Trump—and in front of God and man-- and numerous television cameras. That is so symbolic, such a good metaphor for today’s Democratic Party. They can’t build bridges, or anything else. They can only tear asunder.

Pelosi was later asked why she ripped up the president’s speech. She told reporters she did so “because it was a courteous thing to do considering the alternative. It was such a dirty speech. I was trying to find one page with truth on it. I couldn’t.” Say what, Speaker Pelosi? Ripping up the president’s speech was the “courteous” thing to do? What did you see as the alternative, mooning him? Threatening his family? A “dirty” speech, huh? No, your actions were dirty. You disrespected the president, his speech, and all those he honored with it. And, especially, yourself. There was no “truth” in stating the unemployment numbers or in honoring those who served and died for their country?

By tearing that speech in half, Pelosi metaphorically tore the U.S. in two, and severed us from our past, making it clear to all that the nation cannot long endure as presently constructed. With the conclusion of Trump’s plea for American greatness, Speaker Pelosi coldly, viciously, calculatedly, demonstrated that her nation is once again a House divided.

The state of the union is…well, there is no union anymore-- or perhaps there are two. One red. And one blue.