SOTU – Pensito

Trump’s SOTU a Ratings Disaster

February 6, 2020 Buck Banks

-25%

President Trump’s State of the Union address drew a considerably smaller audience on the broadcast networks — down about 25% from the comparable figure last year, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Off His Pace

February 5, 2020 Buck Banks

The Senate has acquitted him of misdemeanors and high crimes,
But Donald Trump still has us watching closely for dementia signs.
In his State of the Union
We detected some confusion —
During the whole 78 minutes of speaking, he only lied 31 times.

Trump’s SOTU Filled with Hoo-Ha

February 5, 2020 Buck Banks

31

The Washington Post flags 31 false or misleading statements in President Trump’s State of the Union address. “Many of these claims have been fact-checked repeatedly, yet the president persists in using them.”

Pelosi Explains Her Post-SOTU Act

February 5, 2020 Buck Banks

“He shredded the truth so I shredded his speech.”

— Speaker Nancy Pelosi, quoted by The Hill, in a meeting with House Democrats.

Coulter Hated Trump’s SOTU

February 6, 2019 Buck Banks

“This was the lamest, sappiest, most intentionally tear-jerking SOTU ever. Please fire your speechwriter.”

— Ann Coulter, who was once President Trump’s biggest cheerleader among conservative pundits, tore into his State of the Union address after the president tried unconvincingly to act like a unifying president.

Santorum: Trump’s SOTU Speech the Worst Ever

February 6, 2019 Buck Banks

“This was probably the worst delivered speech I’ve heard Donald Trump give. He ran over his lines, he mixed up, he didn’t deliver his punch lines, he would deliver a line and go to the next issue, and I don’t think he even realized he was moving on to the next issue.”

— Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), discussing President Trump’s State of the Union address on CNN.

Turn off the State of the Union

January 27, 2018November 1, 2019 Jon Ponder

What Boehner Did During the SOTU

January 26, 2015 Buck Banks

This is the president’s night, and so I sit there and try to make no news. Although, inside, I’ve got a lotta things rollin’ through my mind.

— Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), quoted by the AP, on what he’s thinking about during the State of the Union address.

Obama Adds New Words to SOTU Lexicon

January 23, 2015January 28, 2015 Buck Banks

Ben Smith of Northeastern University analyzed the language of President Obama’s State of the Union speech Tuesday night against every SOTU since 1790 and found Obama introduced a number of words never before used in the address. The list includes:

[…]

The GOP Translation of Obama’s State of the Union Speech

January 22, 2015 Buck Banks

You won nothing in November. The 2014 election had no consequences for my Administration whatsoever. You may have beaten my party and members of my team in the mid-term elections, but you’ve never beaten me. And, now you never will. All this talk about compromise and working together means you do what I want, because I’m not meeting you halfway on anything. My veto pen is ready and inked up. I will fight you and your agenda til the movers come on January 20th, 2017. I am still the President.

-25%

President Trump’s State of the Union address drew a considerably smaller audience on the broadcast networks — down about 25% from the comparable figure last year, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

31

The Washington Post flags 31 false or misleading statements in President Trump’s State of the Union address. “Many of these claims have been fact-checked repeatedly, yet the president persists in using them.”

“He shredded the truth so I shredded his speech.”

— Speaker Nancy Pelosi, quoted by The Hill, in a meeting with House Democrats.

“This was the lamest, sappiest, most intentionally tear-jerking SOTU ever. Please fire your speechwriter.”

— Ann Coulter, who was once President Trump’s biggest cheerleader among conservative pundits, tore into his State of the Union address after the president tried unconvincingly to act like a unifying president.

“This was probably the worst delivered speech I’ve heard Donald Trump give. He ran over his lines, he mixed up, he didn’t deliver his punch lines, he would deliver a line and go to the next issue, and I don’t think he even realized he was moving on to the next issue.”

— Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), discussing President Trump’s State of the Union address on CNN.

This is the president’s night, and so I sit there and try to make no news. Although, inside, I’ve got a lotta things rollin’ through my mind.

— Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), quoted by the AP, on what he’s thinking about during the State of the Union address.

— GOP pollster Neil Newhouse translates President Obama’s State of the Union address.

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“If you’re asking me a hypothetical about whether this Republican Senate would confirm a member of the Supreme Court due to a vacancy created this year — yeah, we would fill it.”

— Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), on Fox News.

“You know, Nixon actually resigned.”

— House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler responded to President Trump’s demand to get “bad people out of our government!”

“You have to be careful about what you are watching and reading, because the media has taken sides. So if you only watch Fox News because it’s reinforcing what you believe, you are not an informed citizen.”

— Former White House chief of staff John Kelly, quoted by the Morristown Daily Record, on working for President Trump.

“Vacancies at all levels go unfilled and officers are increasingly wondering whether it is safe to express concerns about policy, even behind closed doors.”

— Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch said Wednesday that the State Department is “in trouble” and that the department is being “hollowed out,” CNN reports.

“That the Democrats are crooked … that they shouldn’t have brought impeachment and my poll numbers are 10 points higher.”

— President Trump, when asked if he learned any lessons from being impeached.

Numerati

27%

A new St. Pete Polls survey in Florida shows Michael Bloomberg leading the Democratic primary race with 27%, followed by Joe Biden at 26%, Pete Buttigieg at 11%, Bernie Sanders at 10%, Amy Klobuchar at 9% and Elizabeth Warren at 5%.

$580,600

$3.8 billion

Politico: “The surprise reprogramming of another $3.8 billion… means the Pentagon will have forked over nearly $10 billion since last year to help pay for President Trump’s border wall.”

29%

A new Morning Consult poll finds Bernie Sanders leading the Democratic presidential race nationally with 29%, followed by Joe Biden at 19%, Mike Bloomberg at 18%, Pete Buttigieg at 11%, Elizabeth Warren at 10% and Amy Klobuchar at 5%.

$60 million