President Trump spoke and the quick polls liked it. My guess is that the positive reaction is about the presentation or the contrast with a predecessor who had some cognitive challenges (to be kind). So, good for the President.

The speech benefitted from the opposition's hysterical response. It leads me to a couple of conclusions:

First, did you get the feeling that the Democrat women got the wrong invitation? I mean, did they think that this was a Halloween party with an emphasis on witchy women? Don't be surprised if a lot of men, now voting for Trump, conclude that their exes are now Democrat congresswomen? All my exes live in the Democrat Caucus, and that’s why I vote for the other side.

Second, and on a more serious note, the Democrats have apparently lost Doug Schoen. This is what he wrote:

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 president made clear to lawmakers and indeed the world, that his overarching goal is American renewal and the reinvigoration of the American Dream.

As an American patriot who remembers JFK’s inaugural address in 1961, and remembers Ronald Reagan’s inaugural address in 1980, it’s hard not to see the president’s speech in the same terms. 

To be sure, the challenges the president faces are no less great. It remains unclear, at the very least, whether he will succeed in bringing down inflation, getting prices under control, ending the war in Ukraine and reasserting American strength both at home and abroad. There is no reason to believe, after his speech to Congress, that he is any closer to accomplishing his goals than he was before. 

Still, it is very hard for anyone who is a neutral observer to do anything other than recognize the forward-looking, expansive nature of Trump's vision. 

At the same time, it does not appear to me that the political party that I continue to belong to, with increasing difficulty, has any answers at all. 

I guess it's not Doug Schoen's party anymore, and that should scare the heck out of any Democrat running for President in 2028. It's hard to win when voters, to paraphrase James Carville, think that the face of the party is a preachy female with no answers at all. Not a good place to be.

And last, but not least, there is our Texan Mr. Green who put on quite a show. His district is what happens when constituents are governed by one party. It's our little piece of California hidden in Houston.

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Image: White House