Sunday, March 05, 2017

How're We Doin' America?

There he stood, striped tie and smug smile, ready to tell the country that all is well. We sat waiting for that moment when he would either A) start making things up, or B) the spittle would begin to fly. The good news is that we effectively avoided both of those as King Twit addressed the joint session of Congress. The reviews have been mostly positive, at least as far as the lack of fabrication and spittle is concerned.  
That's the happy news. Now we look back at the content of the speech and applaud those "presidential" moments that came after a month of stomping about, fabrication and spittle in full effect. "I am asking all citizens to embrace this renewal of the American spirit. I am asking all members of Congress to join me in dreaming big, and bold, and daring things for our country," Terrump said. "I am asking everyone watching tonight to seize this moment. Believe in yourselves. Believe in your future. And believe, once more, in America." Dreams. Belief. America. Nothing there to antagonize or belittle. It sounds downright pleasant with little or no context. Just like his suggestion that "the time for trivial fights is behind us."
As rhetoric goes, it's pretty benign. 
Does that mean the the fabricating spittle monster is gone for good? 
I wouldn't count on it. 
While Twitter set all kinds of records for the activity during about a president's address to Congress. We can only assume that the reactions were a mix of pro and con, but it is the aftermath that is the most curious. Who turns out to have reservations about the budget put forth by his orangeness? Republicans. Go figure. With all that shuffling around and putting an additional fifty-four billion dollars in the defense bin, some of the other coffers are running dry. Diplomacy and foreign aid would be cut thirty-seven percent under this plan. I suppose that makes sense if you imagine that we will be spending more money to blow other countries up, we really don't have to keep them fed or make any new friends. So at once this is a budget that cuts too deep and not enough. 
Go figure.
With all that speechifying and addressing, he hasn't had time to devote to his passion.
#Sad. 
Or #relief. 
Stay tuned. 

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