STATE OF THE UNION ANOTHER NOTCH CLOSER TO THE END

Ctrl+Alt+Channel

TRUMP HOPEFUL IN RALLYING A NATION

By PETER THOMAS BUSCH

Unites States President Donald Trump did not stray beyond
the formal boundaries of polemics any more so than other Republicans such as Ronald
Reagan or Richard Nixon – perhaps not even so much as Democrats like Barack Obama
and Bill Clinton.

Only former US President Jimmy Carter could understate the
importance of the night to the longevity of the presidency. Afterall, Carter
thinks that the history of the American South begins with Gone with the Wind.

Even for US President Donald Trump, ‘Tomorrow is another
day.’

The clock is running on the Trump presidency despite
tomorrow being an inclusive concept – none too quickly for his most certain of
detractors. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi grimaced and fidgeted on and off
throughout the State of the Union Address as if she could not bare another
second of Trump’s presence.

What seemed most excruciatingly annoying was that Trump was
on occasion quite right my dear.

Theatre is often too true to be believed particularly
political theatre when the statements of truth and reconciliation sound too
good to be true, but often are attacked nonetheless only for political reasons.

Don’t get me wrong – Trump is a blunt instrument – probably
the last of the old guard who made their fortunes before Steve Jobs of Apple
invented Lisa.

The State of the Union Address is more about political
fortunes than about the criticism. Presidents rarely rap about the worst of
their presidency during the free prime time air.

Trump only has about 18 months to go since the elections
take up most of October and November and if the incumbent fails to be
re-elected, he will likely spend the remaining six weeks of his presidency in
the Oval Office commuting and pardoning far away from the camera lights.

SO BAD.

Trump and Melanie will see perhaps two more crops of Irish
potatoes before the shades get pulled on the greatest of spotlights.

People should have a bit of compassion for Trump though. The
four year presidential term is barely long enough to change the sheets and
redecorate the White House after the last presidency.

Trump played cards big time – gambling with his political
life by picking fights with everyone in the hopes that the stragglers amongst his
opponents in the gathering crowd of hecklers would step forward and make the
deal of all deals.

The State of the Union is about those deal makers, right
down to the chosen private citizens given a presidential invitation to attend
in person. The deal maker then uses the early victories as to entice the remaining
stragglers.

Political pundits take easy street by pasting this
presidency with the failings of previous presidencies – and just to bicker back
and forth for political copy nonetheless despite that reluctant knowing.

No doubt the immigration policy in the United States is in
shambles.

One thousand illegal entrants are caught at the Mexico-US border a day. Over 809,000 immigration cases are before the US Courts. Violent Gang members use women and children as shields as they cross the border to infiltrate Inner Cities.

Only German Chancellor Angela Merkel would let more
undocumented immigrants into the country.

The border wall idea is often only a bad idea because the band
aid proposed for the immigration problem is Trump’s idea.

The border is so porous that the flow of illicit drugs, such as the trendy but deadly opioids, goes nearly unchallenged. The tonnes of drugs seized each year are just a dot in the overall flow of contraband into the United States. Calls of futility by border wall opponents are just the end of the beginning of hopelessness in stopping drug trafficking.

Overseas the wars in the Middle East are a nightmare manufactured and left to muster over four previous presidential mandates: remaindered for someone else to liberate like the concentration camps in Nazi Europe.

Syria is an invention of the Obama Administration and Hilary
Clinton as Secretary of State.

China has received a free ride for far too long – so much so
that one of the largest nations in the world stands at the precipice of world
economic domination. Countries other than the United States continue to do
business with China because they do not want to be overly reliant on the United
States, but soon the Allies will realize that folly too.

Trump underscored the importance of the United States in
world geo-political tensions – almost as a doer done-by that Europe and Asia
use as a counterweight to Russia and China and the presence of real power in
the Middle East.

The world cannot blame the president for wanting to put
Americans first.

Chancellor Angela Merkel no doubt puts Germans first especially
after she found out Obama was eavesdropping on her cell phone chats. German
Intel likely forewarned the German leader about Trump before the NATO summit.

GREAT NATIONS DO NOT FIGHT ENDLESS WARS.

Okay, okay, so even if the world shuts both eyes and closes
both ears about anything that occurred prior to the 100 day start of the presidential
mandate, people cannot forget the lies and inaccuracies since then.

The problem of truth has become so convoluted though that voters
might not be certain anymore by the time of the Presidential Primaries just
which political party was telling truths and which political party was telling
lies.

The political pundits are correct in thinking that a third
political party would only further complicate matters.

The problem is not an original problem by any means necessary.

A powerful politician given unfettered access to the prime time audience and the opportunity to speak to the nation uninterrupted for as long as the agreement with the networks was made for – in this case 90 minutes to the dot – allowing the hood winking and nodding for applause to go on for as long as the presidential attention span.

Trump’s presidency is more of a presidency of luxury though
than of reinvigorating America unless when he talks of doing better, he is
referring to the rich aristocrats that founded America 243 years ago.

Jobs are important for sure but employment policy is just a
thin veneer to the tax savings given to Corporate America and the group of
handful of billionaires controlling a majority of the wealth in America.

Special FBI Prosecutor Robert Muller would not have caught President
Jimmy Carter’s peanut farmers in multi-million dollar money laundering schemes.
The investigation and charges and guilty pleas are only ones that the idle rich
can make. Roger Stone appeared in a translucent clown suit almost too happy that
the FBI pre-dawn raid on his house made the early edition of CNN.

Muller is after everyone on Trump’s team.  And Trump is running out of time.

Like most politicians, Trump will likely only get to a
smidgen of his promises. For example, Trump did not receive any applause from
the Black Caucus for miracles performed raising the inner cities in Chicago.

Nor were the hundred thousand odd homeless in Los Angeles
invited to the State of the Union Address.

Trump spoke vitriol to the American luxury class like some
secret business code developed on the Florida golf courses: “I am saying this, and
telling them that, and smiling that I did that for them. Gee I hope you are
enjoying your tax windfall.”

But you know you get a bit tearful when the president brings
up the story of the American hero. Every nation needs heroes to fight terror and
tyranny and there is certainly no lying there. The world needs American heroes
as dearly as the world needs heroes from anywhere else.