UPDATE BELOW
I agree with Dana Milbank:
On Tuesday night, the president will read a speech somebody else wrote for him. The pundits will say he sounds presidential. And on Wednesday Donald Trump will go back to being Donald Trump.
White House officials prepped reporters for Tuesday’s performance by saying that President Trump will be “optimistic” as well as “very unifying” and that “the tone will be one of bipartisanship and it will be very forward looking.” And Trump will speak “from the heart.”
No. Trump will speak “from a teleprompter.” That’s why we’ll hear “unifying” and “bipartisan” notes. If you want “from the heart,” check his Twitter account.
UPDATE:
Treating the Constitutionally mandated STOU address like a teevee money-a-thon, Trump's son, Eric, solicited money from Trumpistas by promising to have their names scrolled across the teevee screen during the SOTU.
From USAToday:
"Even if you choose to only give $1, the proof of your support will send shockwaves around the world as they see every American who proudly stands behind our President," said the pitch signed by the president's son, Eric Trump.
The fundraising technique is raising eyebrows from ethics watchdogs, who say the unprecedented attempt to raise money off an official White House event crosses a line.
Fred Wertheimer, president of the organization Democracy 21. 'It is a no class, money-grubbing misuse of the State of the Union address that is way beneath the dignity of the presidency and the occasion.'
In a solicitation, the Trump campaign asks supporters to 'make a special State of the Union contribution to have your name broadcast on the Official Donald J. Trump for President livestream.' Suggested contributions range from $35 to $2,700."
"...no class, money-grubbing...way beneath the dignity of the presidency and the occasion."
That's a perfect description of the Trump Presidency, with one addition: the current presidency is also headed by a vile bedswerver.
28 comments:
Trump is the master manipulator, or, put another way, The Manipulator in Cheif.
He is masterfully manipulating a nation to achieve his own ends. Prepare for more, lots more.
I will be very, very surprised if Trump can stay on script for the entire speech. He can’t help himself. He will ad lib...and that is when we get the “good stuff”.
Tonight Trump will sound like any other GOP president would, calling for more tax cuts, taking credit for the work Obama did in rescuing the US economy, lying about job creation and disparaging immigrants. And of course, calling for more "Pro Life" judges and laws.
And in all of it, because someone else wrote the words he will be reading from, dare I say it, the teleprompter, he will sound "presidential" and probably somewhat sane.
And then, as you pointed out, tomorrow he will be on FOX with more lies, bluster and name calling.
What president did not have a speech writer and in recent years did not use a tel-prompter. You seem to imply that DJT is the first president to use the SOTU as a sounding block to tell people what they want to hear and pound their chest.
As personally disgusting as DJT is he has accomplished a number of positive things for the majority of citizens. Tax cut, repatriation of corporate funds, working on a permanent fix to DACA, ending obamacare and replacing it with a workable system that helps people, having the lowest unemployment rate in decades.
His biggest folly is expecting bi-partisan support for anything. He can't get his own party's support because he is so toxic and they feel threatened of losing their very profitable job.
If you want “from the heart,” check his Twitter account.
We will, and that's what will make the State of the Unio[m] speech irrelevant. The media can toady over it all they want, but within a couple of days Trump will tweet or extemporize some idiotic and disgusting remark -- the next "shithole", the next "many fine people", whatever -- and unmask himself again. It's what he does.
skud: "What president did not have a speech writer and in recent years did not use a tel-prompter."
SK: Mr. Obama wrote many of his own speeches, he is a literate, educated man. Imagine Trump doing the same? He's barely literate and is ignorant on just about every subject concerning our country. Also you conveniently forget how maliciously the right attacked President Obama for using a teleprompter. Trump made fun of him using one, and now everytime trump sounds sane, it's because he uses a teleprompter and someone else's speech.Covfefe anyone?
skud: "You seem to imply that DJT is the first president to use the SOTU as a sounding block to tell people what they want to hear and pound their chest."
SK: No. I don't "seem" to at all. I'm pointing out the vicious hypocrisy of the right on the teleprompter issue.
skud: "As personally disgusting as DJT is he has accomplished a number of positive things for the majority of citizens. Tax cut, repatriation of corporate funds, working on a permanent fix to DACA, ending obamacare and replacing it with a workable system that helps people, having the lowest unemployment rate in decades."
Trump's employment success is a continuation of what President Obama started when he rescued the country from the Republican president who was in office at the time of the disaster. Smart people understand that. We still don't know if trump's tax cuts for the rich have helped the middle class and the poor. Their tax cuts will end. Those for the upper 1% will not. trump doesn' "work" on anything. He's the laziest president in modern history. He's ceded his roll as chief executive to the scoundrels in the GOP Congress. He contracticts himself on legislation as he did on this DACA deed. For you to write that trump's replacing the ACA with a "workable system" is something someone on magic mushrooms would write. What has trump done on that issues besides sabotaging the plan and hurting the most vulnerable Americans?
skud: "His biggest folly is expecting bi-partisan support for anything. He can't get his own party's support because he is so toxic and they feel threatened of losing their very profitable job."
SK: The country will not forget that the GOP put party power above love of country. Every day trump defiles the American presidency is a day the GOP will regret. They've lost the women's vote, minority voters, young peopl.
Recent special elections across this country, and most significantly in Alabama, show how disgusted sane people are with the moral pig in the White House.
What you describe in your own words: that trump is disgusting but he's doing some good things -- is a perfect example of a Faustian bargain.
Right now we are witnessing a POTUS trying to bend the DOJ to his will to stop an investigation into the Russian involvement in the 2016 election and his obstruction of justice.
There is a strong smell of impeachment in the air.
Oops...as Trump becomes more and more successful the dems are becoming quite irrational. It's one thing to despise the man for his personal actions but his policies are in fact working, so don't let your personal feelings cloud your critical thinking
Infidel753, Trump's people must be exhausted every day from having to make the morceau de merde look like he's competent.
Dave, Jerry, RN, we can all agree, as does a majority of the American people (and the world) that Trump is an abberration, and we must not make him appear to be normal. Reading someone else's speech will not change what trump essentially is: A liar, a bully, and morally reprehensible.
skud,
Trump did not end Obamacare. It is still the law of the land. He simply eliminated the mandate.
Skud, maybe you've forgot all the insults Pres Obama endured for using a TelePrompTer. That never happened until a black man was elected. We were told he needed s TelePrompTer because he want smart enough to speak without one.
We're just parroting how conservatives and the GOP treated Obama. Except in our case it's because Trump is dangerous, not black.
Of course the recovery is all Obama's doing and the Clinton, Algore debacle of strong arming banks to give sub prime mortgages had nothing to do with the housing downfall. Remember dodd/fraank/waters saying everything was great at fannie/freddy while they were lining their pockets. The disaster of the first three years were Bush's fault and then the next five years of no growth were someones fault and now a year after the mistake is out of office the recovery is obama's doing. Do you really believe what you said or do you get your ideas directly from the DNC.
Impeachments have been passed in the past few years but the slime continued to rule and rape but that was OK because he was a democrat.
Can't wait to hear the brilliant maxine give her rebuttal tonight, that is true entertainment.
JC
I should have said started the process to end or replace obamacare, my error.
I do think it is a mistake for a president to not use a teleprompter because it will keep them on task. Obama was very good at reading his prepared speech, trump goes off the rails unless he follows the script.
Anon 1331 expressed that we all get caught up in our own biases but need to look at the results which are much better than in the last number of years. There are people who forget that the first letter in DACA is deferred and even obama the great said it was temporary. Now it is all the GOP's fault their is not bi-partisan efforts to fix it.
As part of the middle class and not living in the colonies I don't feel attacked by a sitting president. I am optimistic that we can work through the current difficulties.
My parents immigrated to America from Italy. My father used to tell us how much the Italian people liked Mussolini. Why? He was doing great things for Italy: He made the trains run on time, and he was rooting out the Mafia in southern Italy and Sicily. (The Sicilian mafia were eager collaborators with the Allies in WWII. Why do you suppose they wanted to have Mussolini defeated?)
Since you constantly bring up Bill Clinton's character and sexual conduct, I thought you'd like to read what conservative William Bennett said about such matters during the Monicagate scandal in his book "The Death of Outrage":
Bill Bennett explains why presidential character matters; why allegations of sexual misconduct need to be taken seriously; why reasoned judgment is the mark of a healthy democracy; and why the ends don't justify the means.
Explosive and hard-hitting, powerful in its logic, carefully reasoned in its conclusions, The Death of Outrage is directed at a shameful chapter of American history. It is an urgent call for American citizens to repudiate the deep corruption of Bill Clinton, and the corrupting arguments made in his defense.
Now that the GOP has a philandering sexhound in the White House, they brush off the matter of "character" in a POTUS. It doesn't matter whether the adulterer was in or out of the White House at the time, his behavior goes right to the center of a president's character, and reflects on the character of the people who support him.
My advice is look not just to what a man does, but what his character is. "Character is destiny." --Heraclitus
One more thing:
The leaders in the Evangelical right excuse Trump's rotten character by giving him a "mulligan," or claiming God chose him to be president at this time. Of course, that is laughable bullshit and beautifully exposes the so-called religionists as the shameful phonies they are.
Ms,Shaw...a person who has no faith could never understand faith
No, skud, Trump did not start the “...process to end or replace obamacare,...”.
The GOP started it the next day after it was passed. They tried to repeal it over 50 times before Trump was even president. Once again, he simply continued someone else’s policy.
Here are some choice thoughts on tonight's SOTU address (happily I will miss it because of a previously scheduled meeting):
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is encouraging her caucus to behave during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address tonight, saying the focus should be on “his slobbering self.”
During “New Day,” Republican commentator David Frum of The Atlantic, noted that all Trump must do is clear an extremely low bar.
“Look, if President Trump gets through the hour without putting a fork in somebody’s eye he will be praised as the most presidential president since the most presidential president,” he said.
Pelosi needs to retire. Or, her constituents ought to retire her. She is rapidly approaching, if she hasn't already entered, senility.
Pelosi has outlived whatever useful purpose she once had.
I will be watching The Orangish Stable Genius very intently. I'll be looking for that grain of brilliance his adoring cultists believe exists somewhere in his "superior" mind.
Skud, and others. The legacy of the Clintons is forever tarnished. HRC was in a tough place, having to weasel around harassment allegations for others when WJC was himself accused and in fact fact guilty of predatory behavior to one of his employees.
But she knew that going into her races for president and yet, had no acceptable responses to how one should judge or react to charges because to do so would mean accusing her husband. It would be the same if Melania was to answer questions from the media, given what we know about Trump.
Skud, you seem to think everyone here, or every lib, or every Democrat loves everything the Clintons or Obama did. It's just now true and unlike some, at least here, if you care to go back and look, you will see many critical viewpoints towards them, even while they were in office.
But however bad past presidents may have been does not matter. We are talking about DJT and any reasonable person should be able to conclude that he has embarrassed us abroad, has said racist things, has supported white nationalists and has repeatedly lied.
And all of that is independent of of WJC, HRC or Barack Obama.
"Anonymous said...
Ms,Shaw...a person who has no faith could never understand faith"
I understand plenty. I understand that a person who calls hims/herself a born-again Xtian and yet continuess to admire and support Trump, who lies, cheats people out of their money, bullies, humiliates, denigrates the handicapped, the military, women, and has the moral compass of a alley cat -- I understand that person is a person of FAKE faith. Because that same person viciously attacked President Obama who was nothing like Trump and everything like a Christian believes a moral person should be.
I don't respect people of FAKE faith.
"He's done marvelous things" says the gnome. "The economy is booming" but of course nothing the Trumpist Junta has done has taken effect yet, the economy has been growing for 8 years as any graph illustrates and as to the "trump Bump" The European Union with all it's socialist baggage has been doing better. So I'm not watching the bullshit festival tonight. The state of the Union is deplorable and has been since we gave the devil a ride and if he wins his battle with justice there's no way back. Go ahead and believe it. Be optimistic about the "marvelous things" Trump has done and will do and continue to do after elections are suspended and he starts appearing with a toga and laurel wreath."
Ms. Shaw, you make my point, you have absolutely no understanding of true faith
Trump will screw up everything but the economy. If it truly is the "economy stupid" he may very well win in 2020.
History tells us presidents do not lose at the ballot box because they started a war.
It's encouraging that Republicans are retiring and the courts are ruling against the biased Republican gerrymandered voting districts.
Trump is not up for election in 2018.
Democrats should focus on gaining majority in 2018. A real (almost certain) possibility in the Senate in 2018 and the House is not out of the realm of possibility to turn Democratic.
Anonymous, I know exactly what "true faith" means. I see it every day in those who continue to support Trump. One of the definitions of "faith" is " (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof
That defines the sort of "faith" Trump supporters have.
Anonymous @7:53AM
There is also the case that even if the economy is doing well, a highly unpopular president will find it difficult to win re-election. Trump has so disturbed the norms of American probity in a president that I and others believe he will not get a second term. And maybe that will be a moot point should Robert Mueller finish his job before then.
It's sad that we have to rely on Mr. Mueller to remove such a dangerous person from the White House, but I suppose that's how Republicans felt about Mr. Starr.
Even if Trump were convicted of a crime, I wonder if today's Republican majority would vote to impeach him?
The Clinton s must be the most investigated politicians in American history and the only charge that ever was proven was lying about adultery.
Like Nixon, Trump and his administration are involved in serious crimes and we already have multiple convictions from Mueller.
I expect Jeff Sessions would be a Robert Bork and would carry out the presidents order to fire anyone.
I doubt today's Republican leadership would have the same response to a "Saturday Night Massacre" as the Nixon Republicans did.
I don't think Trump would resign if asked to by his party and we could have a convicted criminal as our president.
Anonymous @2:54PM,
It was Trump himself who said we cannot have a person under investigation serving in the presidency.
Trump is quite silent about the fact that it is HE who is now president and under an investigation for obstruction of justice.
Everything about investigations he predicted would happen to Hillary is now happening to him. Trump's nasty ploy during the campaign to have Bill Clinton's sexual accusers at one of the debates is now turned around and sticking to him and his extra-marital affair with a porno star and the 19 women who've accused
I can't decide if this is Shakespearean or Dickensian in its karma.
Post a Comment