image credit: 989thewolf.net
I thought President Trump's State of the Union speech was outstanding, and most of the commentary I've read is positive. I especially appreciated a few short takes by Don Surber:
Trump
forced one of his nagging critics, Chris Cillizza, CNN's editor-at-large, to
concede the brilliance of the move.
"Perhaps
not surprising for someone who has lived his life in the spotlight and who
built a life on image and brand, the stagecraft of Trump's first State of the
Union was outstanding. From the families who lost loved ones to the MS-13 gang
to Otto Warmbier's parents to the North Korean defector and his crutches, the
visuals -- and the stories they told -- were haunting and memorable," Cillizza wrote.
The
photograph that won the night was not President Trump, but rather Ji Seong-ho
holding his crutches aloft. He escaped North Korea in 2006, and now lives in
South Korea helping others escape.
Here’s the photograph of Ji
Seong-ho:
I did not know Ji Seong-ho’s story,
and it is harrowing. Here’s the link to the page on Wikipedia. Surber
continues:
His
presence was testimony to the appreciation of President Trump's efforts to
confront Kim Jong Un, which may lead to the departure of Kim, and the
unification of the two Koreas.
Incorporating
the victims of MS-13 and the heroes of America made his message theirs. And
they are more credible to those who are not as Trumpian as we are. They sold
his policies.
To
be sure, [there] was the co-opting of the Democratic Party line. The line of
the night was "Americans are Dreamers, too!"
