By Daniel M. Ryan
web posted March 6, 2017
President Trump normally has good luck, the kind of luck that surfaced again when his remarks about troubles in Sweden were scoffed at – until more than a few Swedes reported that Sweden does have its troubles. Tim Pool, for one, can tell you about them.
Unfortunately, President Trump’s usual luck vanished with respect to his great address to Congress. The news cycle was flooded by the non-story about AG Sessions’ meetings with the Russian ambassador, which of course were quickly shown to resemble meetings which Democrat Senators have attended. Senator McCaskill, one of Sessions’ accusers, was quickly caught out for her hypocrisy topped off with an outright lie. Sean Davis spotted a stealth delete by the New York Times; Zero Hedge was glad to pass it along.
As of last Sunday, the news-cycle ball was back in President Trump’s court. He demanded a Congressional investigation into the Obama White House’s wiretapping of his campaign. Lo and behold, none other than Lindsey Graham is taking President Trump’s allegation seriously; he’s promised his constituents “to get to the bottom�? of it. Make of this what you will. And while you’re doing so, remember that the Internet has an elephant’s memory.
Won Them Over
The elephant certainly has lots of memories about his speech! It wasn’t just those on the Trump train who were wowed by his address; folks like Van Jones praised him too. Remember those people complaining that President Trump’s inaugural address was like a campaign speech? I didn’t read anything like that after his Address. If you jumped on the Trump Train on the grounds that he’s a quick learner, you got what you voted for on the night of February 28th.
Interestingly, Richard Spencer was mixed-to-disappointed by it. I’ve heard a complaint...
But others, except openly partisan libs, applauded it. President Trump showed a mastery of modern American ritual, particularly in his highlighting of ordinary folks whose lives have been affected by government policy. He highlighted Maureen Scalia, the widow of Supreme Court Justice Antonia Scalia. He highlighted Megan Crowley, a sufferer of Pompe’s disease whose very life was saved by the extraordinary exertions of her father in the teeth of FDA restrictions. He highlighted Denisha Merriweather, who got into college thanks to the help of a private learning centre after her public school failed her. He highlighted Jamiel Shaw, Susan Oliver, Jenna Oliver, and Jessica Davis, all of whom lost loved ones murdered by vicious criminals. And of course he highlighted Carryn Owens, the widow of slain SEAL William "Ryan" Owens. The applause she got, during which she was both crying and praying, was the longest I’d ever seen in a Presidential address. Strikingly, the applause she got shows beyond argument that America does not wish for war. In a bellicose nation, the applause would have gone to someone like the Red Baron. But not in America! As President Trump reaffirmed, “[W]e know that America is better off when there is less conflict, not more. “
His speech overall showed that President Trump is growing in office – in a good way. He did include his campaign themes, but he nestled them into a clear reach over the aisle for unity. Why else would have have put so much emphasis on infrastructure rebuilding? Infrastructure is the most bipartisan component of his mandate, the one that Dems support most. He started off by highlighting Black History Month and condemning the recent vandalism of Jewish cemeteries. His opener reinforced the message from his Inaugural Address: that all Americans bleed red, white and blue.
Anyone worried about President Trump “growing in office�? in the usual way need only focus the health-care part. His suggestions for “replace�? might as well have come from the health-care chapter of 2000’s The America We Deserve. True: he’s long dropped the hit-part piece of that chapter (single-payer.) But, his five points might as well have come from the rest of that chapter. If you’re one of those who read the entire book, you’ll see that Trump has been consistent in a way that professional politicians simply haven’t. The man’s not made for bending.
Naturally, he devoted part of his speech to highlighting the promises he’s kept, and signs that the American economy is turning around. And interestingly, he was modest. He could have easily stuck in more statistics that show the “Trump bump�? has not only helped the stock market but also the overall economy – particularly in the area of manufacturer optimism. Not to mention the fact that initial jobless claims have dropped to a level not seen since 1973. It seems that President Trump will not spend a monotonous amount of time blaming his predecessor, like his predecessor did.
Instead, he showed a profound optimism about America’s long-term chances. The apparent doom-and-gloom of his campaign was no more than he calling attention to the problems that have been festering during the reign of professional politicians. In his heart, he really believes that it’s a fool’s choice to sell America short.
The Internet has made things tempestuous, particularly for gatekeepers, but it’s dispensed a cornucopia of blessings. One of them is the aforementioned elephant’s memory. It doesn’t just serve critics scotching out politicians’ lies or hypocrisies; it also allows us to recall triumphs. Even though the fickle news cycle lurched away from President Trump’s Address to the Jeff Sessions’ non-scandal, President Trump’s Address is permanently etched into the Internet. It’s only a search away.
As for the news cycle, President Trump will learn fast about its fickleness. As I write, Wednesday’s non-scandal has been replaced by a real scandal. Per Fox News, “ Obama Administration CONFIRMS Wiretapping on Donald Trump.�? The fake scandal has jumped the shark to the point where even Chris Wallace accused Democrat Senator Cooms of “ more than a whiff of McCarthyism.�? The waves toss and turn, but the rock still stands. 
Daniel M. Ryan, as Nxtblg, is shepherding the independently-run Open Audi Initiative Prediction Market Shadowing Project. He has stubbornly assumed all the responsibility and blame for the workings and outcome of the project.