BloggeRhythms

The new president’s address to a joint session of Congress last night has been met with two quite different reactions, as should be expected. 

Republicans in Congress were awed, overwhelmed and greatly pleased with the masterful job they saw from their leader. At the same time, attending Democrats naturally did their best to perform as contrarians. Yet, the job was so well done even they had to applaud heartily in several appropriate places.  

While critiques and responses are plentiful in the media, some very positive reactions from unexpected places provide meaningful insight regarding what took place.       

As far as the economic outlook’s concerned, Fred Imberto writes @cnbc.com that “U.S. equities traded sharply higher on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones industrial average climbing above 21,000 for the first time, on the back of President Donald Trump's speech to Congress.” 

Tom Wright, director of equities at JMP Securities said: “I think this is optimism related to the speech and to optimism about the administration's ability to push through its agenda. There was always this nagging concern that they were going to have trouble doing so.” However, it now seems that those concerns have dissipated.  

Moving on from the highly positive market reaction, a quote from none other than ardent Obama supporter Chris Matthews was found @breitbart.com. Matthews said, “I think this line of economic nationalism works. I think left, right, and center, I think, people have a sense of righteous indignation, right or wrong, that we’ve been screwed worldwide. … I thought that was a winner politically. I think that’s probably the reason he was elected in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. It is his winning ticket, economic nationalism.”

Another Breitbart reporter, Pam Key writes @breitbart.com about the reaction from former Obama administration green jobs czar and network contributor, Van Jones, who stated “during the moment honoring fallen Navy SEAL’s William ‘Ryan’ Owens’ widow, Carryn Owens, Trump “became president.”

Jones went on: “There are a lot of people who have a lot of reason to be fearful of him, mad at him. But that was one of the most extraordinary moments you have ever seen in American politics, period. And he did something extraordinary, and for people who have been hoping that he would become unifying, hoping that he might find some way to become presidential, they should be happy with that moment.

“For people who have been hoping that he would remain a divisive cartoon, which he often does, they should be a little worried tonight,” he continued. “That thing you just saw him do, if he finds way to do that over and over again, he’ll be there eight years. There was a lot he said in that speech that was counter-factual, not true, not right, and I oppose and will oppose, but he did something you can’t take away from him, he became president of the United States.” 

Aside from the thoughts of two prominent leftists, another significant indication of the POTUS’s rising to the occasion came from a CNN poll of Americans who watched his first address wherein nearly four out of five had a “positive reaction” to the speech.  

According to Joel B. Pollak also @breitbart.com: “The survey, conducted among 509 respondents with a 4.5% margin of error, showed that 57% had a “very positive” reaction to the speech, while 21% had a “somewhat positive” reaction, adding up to 78% “positive” overall. Only 21% of those who watched the speech had a “negative” reaction.

“In addition, 69% of viewers thought that the speech “would move the country in the right direction,” while only 26% said it would move the country “in the wrong direction.” Prior to the speech, 58% said they expected the speech to move the country in the right direction, meaning that the speech had a positive impact on viewers. In addition, 69% said that the speech made then more optimistic about the country, while only 28% said it made them more pessimistic.”

On specific issues, highest marks were received for the POTUS's proposed policies on the economy, with 72% saying those went in the right direction. “Almost as many, 70%, said the same about his terrorism proposals. Slightly fewer, but still a majority, felt his policies on taxes (64%), immigration (62%) or health care (61%) were heading in the right direction.”

Consistent with the president's ability to draw support across party lines, as happened in the election: “Ideologically, about two-thirds saw Trump’s speech as about right, while roughly one-quarter (26%) pegged it as too conservative. Just 8% said it wasn’t conservative enough.”

And then an item was found from Joe Concha @thehill.com, who wrote about plaudits received from Fox News's Chris Wallace. The thoughts expressed are extraordinary because during the presidential campaign Wallace most often seemed to treat Trump as an aberration, not a serious contender compared to the real politicians in contention. As things progressed, Wallace always appeared shocked that Trump remained so long in the contest.    

And now, after being so wrong about Trump, yet keeping his job at Fox, Wallace said: “I thought it was by far the best speech I've ever heard Donald Trump give. It was one of the best speeches in that setting I've ever heard any president give."   

Another long-time non-believer “Democratic strategist and CNN contributor Kirsten Powers echoed Wallace's sentiments, calling it Trump’s “best speech” ever.” 

While the media types speak for themselves as to Trump's outstanding performance yesterday, readers added their own perspective of what took place, the vast majority supportive of the new POTUS. 

Liberal Fascism wrote: “Write it on the calendar. You just watched history unfold.

“With the recitation of that Speech, you just witnessed the end of the Democrat Party.”

The comment received 171 “Likes.”  
 
George Wallace responded to Liberal Fascism, opining: “Yep. The Dems are out until at least 2024. They disgraced themselves."

And then, a very odd occurrence took place as “the Democrat giving the response to President Trump’s congressional address Tuesday seemed to have forgotten what party he was representing — when he inexplicably called himself a Republican during his address,” according to Max Jaeger @nypost.com today. 

Former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear said in a telecast from a diner in his home state: “I’m a proud Democrat, but first and foremost, I’m a proud Republican, and Democrat, and mostly, American.” 

“It was not clear why Beshear called himself a “proud Republican,” but the small group of supporters surrounding him did not seem to balk as he flip-flopped affiliations. 

“Beshear served two terms as Kentucky governor and one as lieutenant governor, in addition to four years as the state’s attorney general and six in its legislature — all as a Democrat.” 

Thus, it seems that the new POTUS is having some kind of truly ethereal effect on those on the left. First we had Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway giving Academy Awards to the wrong recipients and now a long-term Democrat politician claiming to be a “proud” Republican. 

And if things like that keep happening, and she thinks it might help her win, Bill Clinton’s wife might very well run for some kind of office as a Conservative in the future.   

That’s it for today folks. 

Adios