OPINION:
“The state of our union is strong.”
President Trump declared these words during his State of the Union address on Tuesday evening. He’s right. It was part of an incredible week: Democrats screw up the Iowa caucuses, Mr. Trump delivers a remarkable address and the United States Senate votes to acquit. Not bad for one week.
Word came out on Monday that the results for the Democratic caucuses in Iowa would not be available that evening. It was blamed on an untested new app.
For Democrats, the election app disaster sends a horrible message to the American people about their ability (or inability) to govern the country. While others were speculating on who the winners and losers were on election night, MSNBC host Chris Matthews said the real winner was the “guy in the White House.”
He went on to state that Mr. Trump “is chuckling all night here, showing the Democrats can’t even get a three-car funeral organized or whatever you want to call it. I would say to the people of Iowa, ’Will the last person leaving Des Moines please turn out the lights?’ This has not been a success.” For once, Mr. Matthews was correct.
The incompetence in Iowa also opens the door to conspiracy theories from activists and media types alike. Looking at how poorly former Vice President Joe Biden performed in Iowa and the perceived disdain for Sen. Bernie Sanders by the establishment and you can see how reasonable people might reach that conclusion.
Mr. Sanders is likely to win in New Hampshire. Mr. Biden will get a much-needed victory in Nevada and then in South Carolina. And former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg will then begin a major financial advantage on Super Tuesday — less than a month from now. Democrats are being torn apart.
On Tuesday, Mr. Trump gave his best speech ever and arguably one of the best State of the Union addresses of all time.
As the president stated, “In just over two years since the election, we have launched an unprecedented economic boom — a boom that has rarely been seen before. There’s been nothing like it. We have created 5.3 million new jobs and, importantly, added 600,000 new manufacturing jobs — something which almost everyone said was impossible to do. But the fact is, we are just getting started.”
“Wages are rising at the fastest pace in decades and growing for blue-collar workers, who I promised to fight for. They’re growing faster than anyone else thought possible. Nearly 5 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps. The U.S. economy is growing almost twice as fast today as when I took office. And we are considered, far and away, the hottest economy anywhere in the world. Not even close.”
“Unemployment has reached the lowest rate in over half a century. African American, Hispanic American, and Asian American unemployment have all reached their lowest levels ever recorded. Unemployment for Americans with disabilities has also reached an all-time low. More people are working now than at any time in the history of our country — 157 million people at work.”
The president is right to brag about the successes during his administration. The American Comeback is real.
So were the remarkable citizens the president mentioned during his remarks. Stories of resilience and perseverance. Stories of love and devotion. Then to award radio icon and humanitarian Rush Limbaugh with the Medal of Freedom — and the first lady presenting it during the address. Amazing.
By Wednesday, a majority in the Senate voted to end the partisan witch hunt which was started by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after she warned against a partisan impeachment process in her chambers.
As I noted before, Mrs. Pelosi did not even wait to read the transcript before she announced an impeachment inquiry against the president. This was a far cry from her statements last March, when she said, “I’m not for impeachment.” She went on to say, “I don’t think we should go down that path because it divides the country. And he’s just not worth it.”
This might very well be the reason she tore up the president’s State of the Union address. Maybe she realized she should have listened to her younger self (last March). It really wasn’t worth it.
Instead, this week showed us that Democrats can’t run a caucus, let alone a country. The president reminded us what is good in America and how it is only going to get better in the coming years. And congressional Democrats reminded us that they have hate and rage to offer, but not better ideas.
If every week between now and November is this good for the president, he will be re-elected in a landslide. And the state of our union will continue to be strong.
• Scott Walker was the 45th governor of Wisconsin. You can contact him at swalker@washingtontimes.com or follow him @ScottWalker.
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