2018 STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS LIVE BLOG / DISCUSSION THREAD

By request of @stevescoins , this thread will serve as a liveblog/discussion of President Trump's 2018 State of the Union address.

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Post-Speech Thoughts:

First of all, it was a good speech; in many ways, a standard State of the Union address. President Trump combined talking up his record with appeals for bipartisanship. He made good use of special guests whom he shouted-out to in his speech.

His speech was a long one! C-SPAN said it clocked in at 1h 23 m. A moderator clained it was the second-longest SOTU speech. One of Bill Clinton's was longer.

Trump threw a lot of speech-weight behind his DACA replacement bill. He decorated it with his "Four Pillars" of immigration reform:

• A path to citizenship for 1.2 million DREAMers, provided they meet educational and character requirements, in a 12-year process.
• "Fully secur[e] the border." Complete the Wall; hire more ICE agents. No more catch-and-release.
• End diversity-visa program entirely; move towards merit-based immigration.
• End chain migration.

None of these proposals are new, but the packaging was.

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President Trump asked congress for seven bills:

1. A bill that would give powers to Cabinet officials to get rid of bad bureaucrats.

2. A bill to allow terminally ill patients the right to try out experimental (non-approved) drugs.

3. A $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill, of which part of the funds would be supplied by states and private companies.

4. A bill that both tightens up immigration loopholes and further supports ICE.

5. A bill that implements his Four Pillars, which he says represents a compromise.

6. A bill that toughens or gets rid of Obama's nuclear deal with Iran.

7. A bill that would tie aid to "friendship" with America. (He was somewhat vague here.)

#2, as well as his promotion of vocational schools, shows common sense.

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The overall tone of the speech, apart from trade, was Reaganesque. Peace through strength, government as hindrance (sometimes), faith and family as American strengths, and of course the optimism. President Trump didn't refer to Reagan's "Morning in America," but he might as well have.

What are your thoughts? Leave them below in the comments!

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10:37 PM. Hears someone ask Pres. Trump to release the memo!

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10:31 PM. The speech is now ended. Clocked in at ~1 h 20 min.

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10:29-31 PM. Says that the entire government belongs to the people. Government officials should heed them, protect them and respect them. End with saying that it's the American people who are making America great again. Says we have to be proud, confident in America values, and have faith in God. That will make Ameifca safe, strong, mighty, and free.

That ends the speech. When he finished, the yells of "U.S.A! U.S.A!" broke in again above the applause.

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10:28: Interestingly, chants of "U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A!" broke out after Trump praised America's history and good works.

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10:26 PM. Ties the earlier-mentioned dissident to the spirit of America. Sounds like he's moving in on the closer.

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10:20-5 PM. Now, he zeroes in on North Korea as a special treat against the world. Says that he won't yield to "complacency." Name-drops the poor kid Otto Warmbier, who was show-trialed and shoved into a prison camp, which killed him. Trump invited his whole family to the SOTU, and makes a point of commiserating with them.

Ties his memory to exhibiting "total American resolve." No specifics, a/o 10:23.

Also introduces a refugee, Sung Ho, who was starving & badly injured by a train running over him. Family went hungry to help him. Escaped to china, and walked to freedom and asylum. He's presented as another inspiring figure. Sung Ho got longest standing applause of the night.

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10:17 PM. Talks up his moving of embassy to Jerusalem, which more than thirty U.N. reps protested.Pivots to asking Congress to tie aid to "friendship" with America.

Then, gives verbal support to Iranian rebels. Asks Congress to take second look at Obama's nuclear deal with Iran. Talks up his sanctions against Iran, Venezuela, Cuba.

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10:08-17 PM. Shift to foreign policy. Mentions China (but not North Korea.) Asks Congress to end sequester of funds for defense. Says nuclear arsenal needs to be modernized. Describes disarmament as a "magical moment" but says it ain't coming soon.

Brags that ISIS is almost eliminated; ascribes the defeat to working with allies.

But says "much more work to be done." Intros an Army staff sergeant, Justin Peck, working on clearing cities, who rescued his collegaue Kenton Stacey after bomb exploded. Says he saved Stacey's life through CPR, artificial respiration. Congratulates him for winning a Bronze Star for valor.

Them turns to terrorist policy. Says that terrorists are not just criminals, they are "unlawful enemy combatants." Should be treated as such: meaning, no release [from Guantanamo]. Says he ordered Def. Sec. Mattis to keep Guantanamo Bay prison open. Asks Congress for greater powers of detention, and promises to keep sending them to Guantanamo.

Then, says he's eliminated "artificial timelines."

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10:05-7 PM. Next, highlights invited guest: police officer from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He helped a pregnant woman who he stopped from injecting heroin. He and his wife adopted her daughter. Trump holds him and his wife up as good example of voluntarism.

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10:04 PM. Moves to opoid crisis. Implies that his preferred solution is an escalation of the Drug War, but mentions upping treatment programs. Says that America will win in the end.

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9:57-10:04 PM Promotes his suggested replacement to DACA. His Four Pillars:

1. path to citizenship for 1.2 million DREAMers, provided they meet educational and character requirements. 12-year process
2. "Fully secures the border." Complete wall, and hire more ICE agent. [Drops C.J.'s name again] No more catch-and-release.
3. End diversity-visa program entirely; move towards merit-based immigration.Makes point about "love and respect our country."
4. End chain migration, which he spins as promoting the nuclear family. His point that current system lets immigrants bring in extended family got catcalls (1st time.)

Ties recent terrorist attacks to chain migration and diversity lottery.

Concludes that the Four Pillars represent a compromise. Urges Congress to pass legislation to implement them; says that such a bill encapsulates "America First." Ends this sec with a call to "set aside politics" and "get the job done!"

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9:53-57 PM. Says that as President, his compassion is reserved for poor and disadvantaged Americans. Then pivots to he protecting America and helping Americans realize their dreams. "Because Americans are dreamers too." Intros ICE agent "C.J."; says that MS-13 ordered C.J.'s murder, but he kept on arresting gang members. Credits immigration crackdown to getting rid of thousands of MS-13 members, either through deportation or conviction. Ties credit firmly to actions of ICE agents, who he thanks.

Then, asks Congress to "send C.J. reinforcements". Pivots to immigration reform.

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9:49-53 PM. Now, illegal immigration. He gets back to introducing p[people from the gallery: two couples whose daughters were murdered by MS-13 gang members. Ties MS-13 plague to too-loose immigration laws. (Both couples are minorities, for what that's worth.) Consoles them publicly.

Pivots to fourth call to Congress, for new legislation that both tightens up immigration loopholes and (further) supports ICE, which he calls "great, great people."

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9:47-49 PM. Shifts from infrastructure to jobs, esp. welfare-to-work. Urges job training as path for the latter. Talks up vocational schools. Urges paid family leave.

Ties the foregoing to a new program to help ex-prisoners get back into the job world.

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9:44-46 PM. Infrastructure. After complaining about delaying red tape, "safe, fast, reliable and modern infrastructure." Asks Congress for a $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill, of which part of $$$ would be supplied by states and private companies. Third ask. Asks that bill includes override provision limiting permit delays to no more than two years. He ends by talking up American "grit."

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9:43 PM. Shifts to trade, another theme. Says is principles of trade deals is, they have to be "fair" and "reciprocal." Promises renegotiation, extra protection of intellectual property.

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9:41 PM. Returns to a theme in his campaign: drug prices are too high. Says he's making effort to reduce costs, but doesn't specify what. He just promised that prices will come down: "watch."

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9:40-41 PM. Brags about FDA approving record approval of drugs, and then asks Congress for a bill to allow terminally ill patients the right to try out experimental (non-approved) drugs.

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9:37-9 PM. Talks up his deregulation efforts, lifting lodestone of coal industry. Brags about U.S. being a net energy exporter. Ties one dereg. effort to helping Detroit recover (!). Then, brags that Chrysler, Toyota, Mazda opening up auto plants in U.S. Says that good news like this is "news Americans are... unaccustomed to hearing."But, implies that they will become accustomed to hearing it.

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9:33-37 PM. Talking up his record in re. judges, 2nd Amendment, religious liberty, health-care choice for vets. Again, Dems sitting down & not applauding. Also talks up the new "VA Accountability Act" and brags about firing incompetent VA employees. Some Dems applauded for that. Trump continues with a promise to do more for vets, particularly in area of "accountability and respect."

First call to Congress for bill that would give powers to Cabinet officials to get ride of bad bureaucrats.

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9:31-33 PM. Intros. Preston Sharp, the 11-year-old who started a movement to put flowers on vets' graves. Preston got the spot beside the First Lady in the gallery. Trump then pivots to a pointed comment about standing for the National Anthem. Dems seem unenthusiastic. ;)

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9:28-9:31 PM. After name-dropping Apple and Exxon, he says that the tide in America has turned. Then, pivots to future. Refers to all of America as a single team, a single family, underneath a single flag. "Together, we are rediscovering the American way." Touches on Reaganesque "faith and family, not government and bureaucracy." Enthusiastically talks up veterans and soldiers.

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9:25-26 PM. After talking up business tax reform, Trump intoduced a couple who owns a small manu. business in Ohio who's expanding. He also shouts-out one of their employees, who he talks up as an all-American worker. Make of this what you will, the employee is black.

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9:21-24 PM. Talking up his tax cuts. Dems back to sitting down & not applauding. Brags about eliminating Obamacare individual mandate. (Microphone makes clear that Trump himself applauded: hmm....)

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9:20-21. Now taking up economy: rising wages, 45-year low in unem. claims, African-American unemployment rate all-time low. (If you remember, Pres. Trump feuded with Jay-Z about this.) Hispanic unemployment all-time low, stock market near all-time high. Ties the foregoing to prosperous 401Ks & student savings plans, which was shrewd.

Naturally, he implies that his tax cuts were the reason.

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9:18 PM Says the almost obligatory "State of the Union is strong!" [Fun Fact: the only modern Pres. who did not say so was Pres. Ford in 1975.]

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9:17 PM. Standing ovation for Rep. Scalise. All Dems join in. Trump pivots towards appeal to bipartisanship, a standard trope in SOTU speeches.

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9:13-16 PM Talks up heroism of ordinary Americans, eg. Cajun Navy in Texas hurricane. Intro's two heroes from Hurricane Harvey, and then shouts-out Rep. Steve Scalise.

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9:12. Unsurprisingly, Trump talking up his first days. Refers to his "righteous mission". Now, talking up his record.

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9:10 PM Pubbies all standing & applauding. Some Dems are doing neither. Pres. Trump just introduced.

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9:08 PM: Trump at podium. About to begin.

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9:06 PM President Trump arrived.

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9:03 PM. Cabinet still arriving, VP Pence and Spk. Ryan in place. Prs. Trump not here yet.