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Trump’s State of the Union: Australians may have no idea

Something great is happening in the US

Here’s a smattering of US news that isn’t being heard much in Australia. 75% of Americans liked Trump’s speech, and 80% felt proud. Trumps tax reforms means companies are returning to the US for the first time in decades. (How will Australia compete?) In the last month, approval for his tax bill has tripled as people figure out they will get to keep more of their money. Meanwhile James Delingpole notes a big moment in the climate debate: “It’s over” he says. Climate change didn’t rate a mention in The State of the Union or in the Democrat rebuttal.

On the other hand, the Australian ABC said Trump’s State of the Union call for unity falls on deaf ears. Sure. Listen to the crowd. There is so much applause you will get bored of it. The ABC spin is the sanitized reference to how the left half the crowd sits, stony faced, wearing black, with sad expressions, apparently disapproving of wages rising and other good news. Black jobs. Tax cuts. Car companies coming back to the US. Who cares? Meanwhile, the other half of of the audience is doing a fitness workout, up, down, up, down. Stand, sit, clap, clap, more clapping. At least Bernie Sanders could clap. Give him a point.

All the links below.

All those stories:CBS newspoll shows 75% of Americans who watched the State of the Union, liked it.

Eight in 10 Americans who watched tonight felt that the president was trying to unite the country, rather than divide it.  Two-thirds said the speech made them feel proud, though just a third said it made them feel safer.  Fewer said the speech made them feel angry or scared.

James Delingpole marks a turning point in the climate debate: ” It’s over”

‘Climate change’ just officially ceased being an important issue in U.S. politics.

President Trump didn’t mention it in his State of the Union address. But nor, much to the disgust of environmentalists – did the Democrats in their rebuttals.

Trumps tax reforms are starting to hit and the popularity of change is “skyrocketing”. In December, only 14% of Americans thought the bill would reduce their taxes and half thought it would raise their bills. Now 44% approve of the bill. Blame the ideological media-commentariat for yet another failed prediction.

Donald Trump is teaching Republicans how to fight, by Michael Goodwin.

It’s an observation so strikingly true that you wonder why you didn’t think of it earlier. “Donald Trump,” a friend said the other day, “is teaching the Republican Party how to fight and how to win.”

The evidence is everywhere every day, and it was on vivid display Tuesday night. The president remains in a fighting mood, determined to keep punching his way forward.

Sourpuss Democrats Self-Immolate at State of the Union

The Democrats have no arguments, just tribal love or hate.

Roger L Simon on PJ Media:

Let’s give them the award straight up: Worst Performance by a Minority Party at a State of the Union Address. (Hey, it’s awards season, right?)

They broke the record. They get the prize with no runner-up for years to come. Steny Hoyer and Nancy Pelosi watching  Trump’s speech looked like a pair of sullen six-year olds on a sugar crash the day after Halloween.  Bernie Sanders looked mummified.  Schumer was slumped so deeply in his chair he was almost falling through the crack. Other Democrats, even ones who should have known better or secretly felt otherwise, sat on their hands.  You could see them glancing at each other, wondering whether they were allowed to applaud or stand up. What a bunch of cowards. It was a disgraceful display of bad manners, but even more it was incredibly stupid because “the whole world was watching.”  The camera was getting them all in close-up.

It was “the death of the Democratic Party”

Trump: “Americans are Dreamers, too!”. By Don Surber.

That was no State of the Union address tonight. That was the death of Democratic Party. President Trump was positive, optimistic, and energized as he pointed out one success after another. The stock market soars. Wages rise. Factories return. Taxes fall. Bonuses arrive.

I’m sure the Democrats won’t die, but it could be the death of Australian manufacturing. Invest downunder! Get high taxes, high labor costs, expensive unreliable energy, and a tiny market. We’ve got lots of land and resources, but a Titanium Shield of Red Tape, no free speech, barely any real media, and government funded anti-business activists. Joy!

Australian ABC viewers hear Trump talked to himself, no one really liked his speech

The ABC digs deep — Trump gives a rousing speech, popular with many Americans, but the ABC talks about what he said a week after his last State of the Union a year ago.

Thanks to commenter Pat (and thanks for your letter Pat) 🙂 .

1 Feb: ABC: Donald Trump’s State of the Union call for unity falls on deaf ears

By Washington correspondent Zoe Daniel
But the President faces deep trust issues with the electorate, after a year in which he’s repeatedly attacked his allies and members of  his own party, and undermined his own intelligence agencies who are investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election and  possible collusion by the Trump campaign…

Last year, for example, after a joint address to Congress, many dubbed the speech capital “P” presidential. Less than a week later, he accused his predecessor, Barack Obama, of wiretapping him — setting off a chain of events that lasted months…

Zoe Daniel does not use the words applause or clap, but she can find a “jeer”.

When he called for an end to so-called “chain migration” through tighter family reunification policies, he was jeered…

While some saw the irrational Democrats protests as childish, the ABC uses them to judge Trump as a failure. It’s all reported through Democrat-eyes.  Republicans don’t exist except when they embarrass themselves.

Unmoved by his rhetoric

While the President was calling for unity and bipartisanship, Democrats remained stony faced for most of the address.

In response Democratic Congressman Joe Kennedy (who happens to be a great-nephew of JFK) said: “Many have spent the past year anxious, angry, afraid. We all feel the fault lines of a fractured country. We hear the voices of Americans who feel forgotten and forsaken.”

In less than two weeks, the very Congress that Donald Trump just addressed will once again attempt to avoid another government shutdown over the issue of protection for Dreamers.

Based on the reaction to his plans, that appears fraught.

As Pat says: “unbelievable, but Zoe will keep her taxpayer-funded job!”

And we all know who Zoe Daniel would have voted for if she was a US citizen. It used to be that ABC reporters at least tried to hide which team they barracked for.

The SMH headlines:

When is “waving the flag” a “but” after calling for unity? Are American citizens meant to resent the flag?

h/t David.

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