The State of Disunion.

We 'furriners' gathered to hear what President Trump had to say last evening after dinner. It ain't just Americans who take note, as we out in the wide world sometimes are like the people of Gaul getting news of Caesar, galling though some of that news often is. But the general sense from the Tavern's cusomers was that he did quite well considering his hair and general style of personal presentation. It was the 'meat' of his fare that was of most interest of course, followed coldly by the impressions we had of his detractors who sat and scowled at pretty well everything he had to say. Talk about pushing what you don't like to the side of your plate!

Mr Trump does not have the affable and easy style of Ronald Reagan, 

nor his engaging, lop-sided smile and laughing eyes, but Trump's almost child-like facial expressions hide a keen mind, a sharp and tough mind, which is just what America needs right now. Trump himself maybe needs a 'style' advisor and a few lessons on self-presentation, of which Reagan had a lifetime experience.

There were phrases and concepts missing from his speech. I do not know who wrote it for him but I do wish they had asked around the Tavern for a few suggestions. One would have been "Just what part of 'NO' don't you understand?" He could have aimed that at the stoney-faced Democrats when talking about 'illegals', for instance.

But for now we were given a short description today by Patricia McCarthy who dropped in.  It summarised well without going into the detail.

Personally from behind the bar I was quite impressed by the 'stage-management' of the invited guest-examples of fine American men and women, who's achievements, heroics, triumphs, pain and anguish were offered as living illustration of the real American Spirit. 

Out here, well away from America the country, we are perhaps do not find the minutae of what is happening in the highways and bye ways to be too pressing, but we do take notice of quality and people, particularly in the 'Political Class'. And what a woeful mess he has inherited.

The Shabby, Sophomoric Behavior of Democrats at the SOTU

It is difficult to imagine a more galling demonstration of incivility than the Democrats in the room for President Trump's State Of The Union speech. 

They scowled, frowned, and sat on their hands. They could hardly be bothered to acknowledge the heroes in the audience when they were introduced. 

 http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2018/01/the_shabby_sophomoric_behavior_of_democrats_at_the_sotu.html

While the Dems brought illegal immigrants, Trump invited actual paragons of American character and the families of victims of illegal immigrant crimes, as well as a victim of North Korea. 

It was embarrassing, like watching the anti-Semites in the UN stomp out of the room when Benjamin Netanyahu speaks. 

How is it any different? 

Our Democrats behave exactly like the most racist, intolerant people on the planet, and in their own Capitol.

The Democrats loathe the tax reform that has kick-started the American economy. They abhor the return of American manufacturing and the bonuses so many companies have doled out to their employees. It was not so long ago that Obama essentially swore that "those jobs are never coming back."  

"Crumbs," billionaire Pelosi called their bonuses. 

An actual paragon of American character 

The left today hates our military. They hate the notion of national security. Like Obama, they cannot abide the unfair advantage, as they see it, of American might, American success, and American freedom which they are always trying to impede, to restrict, to regulate and tax. The left has been doing its best to turn the United States into Venezuela for two generations. Progressivism is socialism. Venezuela is how it ends.

How and why have the leftists among us become so anti-American, so contemptuous of the Constitution, the Founders, and American heroism? 

When did they get to be so rude? They hate Trump so much they have regressed to being playground bullies, a gang of horrid little toddlers.

They seem to have one issue and one issue only, the prioritization of illegal immigrants. That's all they've got and for some reason they think it is a winning issue, that it will drive their base to take back the House and maybe even the Senate this year.

They are so blinded by the light of their own self-regard they think that is a turnout cause for most Americans who are suffering under the onslaught of illegals in their communities. 

Congressman Tim Ryan, a Democrat from Ohio, kept an empty seat to honor a deported illegal from his district, a district in which many thousands have died from opioid overdose. Tucker Carlson asked him why he would want to make his defense of illegals a cause and not the deaths of so many Americans. He did not have a satisfactory answer. But this much is clear: the Democratic Party is today the party of illegal immigrants. That is their core constituency, that is who they represent over and above Americans.

It was truly shocking for all to see how disrespectful were the Democrats in attendance.

Do they think their bad manners will endear them to the American people, most of whom have been taught basic manners and probably agree with nearly every word Trump spoke? 

Do they think that refusing to stand for the heroes and victims Trump profiled will win over new voters? The parents of two African-American girls killed by MS-13 gang thugs were present and Trump recognized them. 

The Democrats would not even stand for them. 

The members of the Black Caucus in attendance did not even stand when Trump touted the "lowest black unemployment ever recorded." 

They cannot even celebrate good news for their own people who suffered terribly under Obama. These elected representatives lack the basics of common sense if they think this kind of scorn will win over voters.

High taxes, redistribution of wealth, open borders, the erasure of gender, the primacy of skin color, the dumbing-down of education across the board: these are the policies the Democrats promote. This is why they are desperate for illegal immigration, amnesty for millions, and chain migration. They cannot remain in power if they do not massively increase the dependent class they themselves created by design. It goes without saying that many of these immigrants are hardworking, fine people who are assets to our civil society, but many thousands of them are not. The criminal element among them is too much to bear. That is why legal immigration and immigration laws exist.

The fact that the Democrats in Congress loathe our president more than they love their country or the American people is a tragedy.

They have become a group of chattering nabobs who have nothing but disdain for President Trump and anyone who voted for him, those of us who wisely chose a political novice over a known criminal and liar.

Given the many successes of Trump's first year (too many to list here) that would make Trump supporters the really smart people. It follows then that the Democrats are not only ill-mannered and out of touch with the constituents they represent, they are not very bright. 

Generally speaking, enmity and rancor do not win over voters. 

Optimism and success for all does. 

Love of country does. 

President Trump loves the country and all of its people. 

That was the message of the night, loud and clear.

Yes, that was the message we heard in the Tavern.

We raised a glass, a tankard, many a horn for a speech that could have been mendacious as any Obama gave but was a breath of fresh air.

America is starting to pull itself together after a longish period of divisiveness and institutional destruction that went from the top to the bottom. The streets and schools are littered with the tattered remnants of what was and this new Administration has a great deal of cleaning up to do.

Year one has seen several laudable successes. Trump intended to clean out the stables and drain the swamps. A number of Herculean tasks are on his desk for year two - of hopefully more years and even greater achievement.

Getting rid of the mealy-mouthed will take some time while so many people insist on voting for disunity. 

Roll on the Tumbrils.

All is quiet in Gaul.

Pax.