Ancient game show or Trump speech?
The Bulwark team’s approach to SOTU analysis sounds like the name of an early 1960s game show even I barely remember (and Donald Trump was never clever enough to play). They urge Americans studying Donald Trump’s speech from Tuesday night to pay close attention to what the con man didn’t say.
Bill Kristol didn’t watch the speech either. He doesn’t venture an analysis, but he skimmed a transcript of its one hour and 48 minutes. Here’s what he didn’t see mentioned: equality, rights, the rule of law, the Constitution, republic, democracy, immigrants (although he mentioned immigration), opportunity, and justice.
And of course, while he relished telling lurid, bloody tales of immigrant violence, Trump never mentioned Renee Good or Alex Pretti, both shot and killed by his civil-rights-blind immigrant-hunters in Minneapolis.
“Our president has no interest in elevating what is distinctive and admirable about America,” Kristol writes. “Nor does he have any interest in addressing instances of gross injustice in America. For now, those are our tasks, and our duty. It is, after all, our Union, not Donald Trump’s.”
Amen to that. Get after it.