President Trump spoke to a joint session of Congress last night in a speech running a little over an hour long. What was at once noticeable, was the large contingent Democrat Women protesting against Trumps perceived war on women, by wearing all white. Whether it was intended to or not, it gave the impression of the hand of Clinton politics still at work within the country.
Whether founded on good intentions or not, the group immediately tainted their movement when senior leaders such as Nancy Pelosi and Deborah Wasserman Shultz refused to stand or clap for numerous bi-partisan American initiatives, in what is quite clearly an all out effort be be obstructionist from the first days of a Trump Presidency.
Paul Ryan was warm and introduced Trump with a smile, after which the President assumed command of the floor, and while the message was consistent, the tone bore a subtle change. Some of the hard edges were off, and the language was more measured and diplomatic. That’s certainly not to say that Trump wasn’t still the same brash personality we have gotten used to, but he stepped more lightly around pits that many were waiting to see him fall in to.
From the very beginning, the timbre seemed to be of bridging a divide to try and pull America back together again.
TRUMP RENOUNCES HATE
“Tonight, as we mark the conclusion of our celebration of Black History Month, we are reminded of our Nation’s path toward civil rights and the work that still remains. Recent threats targeting Jewish Community Centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries, as well as last week’s shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a Nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms.”
Trump went on to discuss the upcoming 250th celebration, and compared the technology of America’s Centennial to what we might see when the 250th occurs in 9 years. Trump also spoke about Jobs, the economy, and the tremendous uptick in the stock market since his election in November. Little did he know that the market would open over 21,000 today, setting yet another record since being elected. According to Market Watch, it was one of the fastest 1,000 point climes in history.
“To protect our citizens, I have directed the Department of Justice to form a Task Force on Reducing Violent Crime.
I have further ordered the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice, along with the Department of State and the Director of National Intelligence, to coordinate an aggressive strategy to dismantle the criminal cartels that have spread across our Nation.”
The President discussed the importance of upholding our laws, and referenced his executive orders to crack down on illegal criminals and organized crime, and renewed his commitment to stand behind our Police and Sheriff’s.
Again, as evidenced by Nikki Hale’s speech at the United Nations, Trump reiterated his intent to stand firm with Israel, but to also work with our Muslim allies to defeat “Radical Islamic Terrorism” and destroy ISIS once and for all.
In clarifying the actual numbers of unemployed Americans, Trump underscored the dishonesty in the way we calculate our unemployment numbers.
“Ninety-four million Americans are out of the labor force.
Over 43 million people are now living in poverty, and over 43 million Americans are on food stamps.
More than 1 in 5 people in their prime working years are not working.”
Oh the whole, it was an obvious attempt to take a hard assessment of where we currently stand, and reach across the aisle with perhaps more finesse than he has shown in the past.
If particular import to me, was his call for all Americans to step up and work together the be part of the renewal of American Spirit. I found it to be reminiscent of JFK’s famous line “Ask not what your Country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”, and indeed it may be that time, if America is willing to move forward together.
On Trade, Trump brought up the commitment of several Corporations to keep jobs in America, and how America currently allows imports with low taxes, but in the case of Harley Davidson, the company faced stiff taxes when exporting out of the Country.
“They said that in one case another country taxed their motorcycles at 100 percent.”
Harley-Davidson came down to the White House for discussions on jobs and economy, and took advantage of a photo op, displaying Five bikes on the White House front lawn.
“I just met with officials and workers from a great American company, Harley-Davidson. In fact, they proudly displayed five of their magnificent motorcycles, made in the USA, on the front lawn of the White House.”
While they were kind enough to ask the President if he wanted to ride one, perhaps they should have remembered that it is, in fact, Vice President Mike Pence that is the biker.
When it came to discussing HealthCare, and the long time declared Republican goal to repeal Obama Care, Trump addressed some of the concerns of many people on both sides of the aisle. In a clear summary he directed Congress to focus on the following issues when working on a replacement for ObamaCare.
“Here are the principles that should guide the Congress as we move to create a better healthcare system for all Americans:
First, we should ensure that Americans with pre-existing conditions have access to coverage, and that we have a stable transition for Americans currently enrolled in the healthcare exchanges.
Secondly, we should help Americans purchase their own coverage, through the use of tax credits and expanded Health Savings Accounts — but it must be the plan they want, not the plan forced on them by the Government.
Thirdly, we should give our great State Governors the resources and flexibility they need with Medicaid to make sure no one is left out.
Fourthly, we should implement legal reforms that protect patients and doctors from unnecessary costs that drive up the price of insurance — and work to bring down the artificially high price of drugs and bring them down immediately.
Finally, the time has come to give Americans the freedom to purchase health insurance across State lines — creating a truly competitive national marketplace that will bring cost way down and provide far better care.
Everything that is broken in our country can be fixed. Every problem can be solved. And every hurting family can find healing, and hope.
Our citizens deserve this, and so much more — so why not join forces to finally get it done? On this and so many other things, Democrats and Republicans should get together and unite for the good of our country, and for the good of the American people.”
A declaration of bringing the costs of drugs down, shows Trumps understanding that the HealthCare / Insurance scam cannot continue, where over inflated costs of drugs are billed to insurance companies who pay the exorbitant costs, then pass the cost through to the patient through higher premiums and higher deductibles. This would certainly be of concern to investors and Big Pharma, where some of Washington’s most lucrative corruption holds a death grasp on Congress. Later on, in what one might call a “Giveback” in negotiating terms, Trump promised to cut regulation and fast track approvals for new drugs through the FDA, so that we might hope to have a generation of miracle cures.
Be the first to comment