The president’s annual State of the Union address is never much fun for the party whose candidate isn’t in the White House. The speech is typically a long list of accomplishments and aspirations that usually fall along party ideological lines. So you can expect the party that isn’t the president to be less than thrilled.
Still, President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address was striking — not only because it was arguably his most presidential speech to date in tone and tenor — but also because it laid bare the spectacular decline of the Democratic Party in 2018.
Trump struck a bipartisan tone from the start, referencing the many natural disasters that have devastated the country and using the occasion to acknowledge first responders — some of whom were in the audience — whom he personally thanked.
He then appealed for unity not only in the face of tragedy, but also in politics.
It was a natural prelude to the economic boom that followed Trump’s election. The president, with understandable pride, referred to the stock market’s soaring value over the past year, the millions of modern jobs, the growth in manufacturing employment in particular, the billions of dollars that corporations have committed to investing in the United States, and the rise in average wages.
These points were met with great cheers and applause. From the Republicans. The Democrats sat and were glum.
Trump continued, citing economic milestones, such as record-low unemployment among black and Latino Americans. Again, it was Republicans who cheered. But Democrats — most visibly and shockingly, members of the Congressional Black Caucus — refused to applaud and looked sour.
Trump praised the rise in consumer confidence and touted the positive impact of recent tax cuts on middle-class families and diminutive businesses. He introduced the owners of a diminutive welding company in Ohio, as well as one of their employees — an African American — and told how the employee was able to educate his daughters and buy a modern home with his increased wages.
The Democratic response was, at best, restrained.
Trump devoted much of his speech to supporting police, military and veterans, to whom he promised greater accountability at the VA and better health care. He reiterated his commitment to the American auto industry.
On immigration — where the differences between Democrats and Republicans could not be starker — Trump has reached out. He has announced his plan to offer a path to citizenship for 1.8 million people here — in exchange for legal border security and a wall to ensure that “amnesty” for millions does not happen again.
In a significant departure from established Republican priorities, Trump announced his intention to pressure Congress for $1.5 trillion in infrastructure spending and paid family leave.
At many points in his speech, Trump not only looked directly at Democrats in the audience, but physically reached out to them. The gesture was clear: I suggest we meet halfway.
You might think that would be music to Democrats’ ears. That would be a mistake. Most Democrats in attendance remained seated, smiling or clapping to show their support — even on issues they have traditionally supported. Faced with example after example of improving the constituencies they claim to represent, Democrats refused to stand or clap (West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly were notable exceptions) and, in some cases, booed.
This is unfathomable. And let’s consider the broader implications. The Democratic Party is so devoid of ideas – and Democrats themselves are so small-minded – that in fact bad when the policies of their political opponents have proven effective in helping the people they claim to care about: minorities, the middle class, veterans, and diminutive business owners.
Perhaps Democrats are nervous because Trump not only delivered one of the most conservative SOTU speeches in years, but also managed to hijack a significant portion of the Democratic ticket. After all, if they don’t stand for jobs, higher wages, better prospects for minorities and middle-class families, infrastructure spending, a path to citizenship for immigrants, and a safer nation — what are they for? And if they do support those issues, why wouldn’t they work with the president to achieve them?
Their capricious performance during the State of the Union casts a very dire airy on Democrats, as it falls somewhere between the humiliating failure of the Schumer “shutdown” and the expected release of the House Intelligence Committee memo — a document that could cast an even dimmer airy on Democrats in the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
Democrats have been bragging about a “blue wave” in November for months. At this rate, they’ll just eat their own.
