Flotsam and Jetsam - SOTU and Beyond

In case you missed it, Sundance has the rerun, President Trump State of the Union Speech. As does Althouse, Trump delivered a very long SOTU last night. Did you watch? Really? "It was too late for me, but I watched. Until I didn't." We didn't either, though I picked it up in the last 30 minutes. I'm not much into watching speeches live, but you might be. Insty, THEY’RE SAYING IT WAS THE LONGEST STATE OF THE UNION IN HISTORY. "Didn’t seem like it. I wasn’t even planning to watch the whole thing and I just kept watching." If nothing else (and there's a lot more) Trump is a master in front of a crowd. PJM's Stephen Kruiser sees Trump Gives GOP Blueprint for Midterms in Soaring SOTU Address and Matt Margolis thinks This Moment of the State of the Union Just Lost the Democrats the Midterms. Don't count the chickens yet. The unsinkable Mollie @MZHemingway, "Trump asks peopole to stand if they agree that the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens and not illegal aliens. No Democrats stand. Trump pauses, understanding the significance of the moment heading into midterms." Mark Hemingway @Heminator, "I cannot believe Dems fell hook, line, and sinker for Trump's message. Refusing to stand for the statement that we should support citizens over illegal aliens was a giant gift to GOP candidates in the midterms. Omar and Tlaib angrily yelling back is just the icing on the cake." Stephen Miller @StephenM, "The immortal visual of the entire Democrat party—upon explicit repeated invitation—refusing to stand for the core moral principle that US government owes its allegiance to US citizens and not foreign criminal invaders, is the most shocking image in the history of the US Congress." Savanah Hernandez @Savsays, "LMAO not the person responsible for switching cameras going STRAIGHT to Ilhan Omar as Trump announces that Somali “pirates” have looted our nation." Buzz Patterson @BuzzPatterson, "They were protesting losing their slave labor. Not much has changed in 165 years." Quote Margot Cleveland @ProfMJCleveland "The last time this many Democrats skipped town before the State of the Union was 1861! True story!" Trump Spotlights Ukrainian Refugee's Murder in State of the Union, Democrats Stay Seated (This story is a summary of posts on X and may evolve over time.) Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, Trump's SOTU Message: It's the Economy, Stupid! and SOTU Tuesday Final Word with Full Speech. As Ace predicted Trump Will Focus on the Economy and Affordability in Tonight's SOTU, "And making the case for his policies." Not at tough prediction.

Robby Soave @robbysoave, "Trump brought the Olympic champion U.S. hockey team to the State of the Union, and the Democrats brought a woman who helped Epstein traffic underage girls." Beege Welborn at Hat Hair, Nothing Like an Adoring US Media to Celebrate Team USA - Seriously. There's Nothing Like That. Matt Vespa at TownHall, Oh, Now the Feminists Are Trying to Ruin Team USA's Gold Medal Win Over Canada. Chuck Cooke at NRO sees Our Men’s Hockey Team’s Historic Win Was Just Too Much for Sports Writers to Bear. Guy Benson @guypbenson, "By “the room,” he means the newsroom." Quote Jerry Brewer @JerryBrewer "The U.S. men's hockey team won gold -- and then lost the room. A column on fragile, fleeting unity and an historic team that let its moment drift into political manipulation:" In a Larry video at Hat Hair, Jessica Tarlov Rages As USA Men's Hockey Shuts Down Trump-Hating Liberals. Oilfield Rando @Oilfield_Rando, "Update: the womenfolk demanded contrition and an apology from the men’s team, but today video has been released of the menfolk having an awesome time drinking and being patriotic in a high end strip club. Seething levels high enough for a Chernobyl event." Quote Oilfield Rando @Oilfield_Rando "Trump cracked a joke about the womenfolk overreacting to smallest perceived slight and you’ll never guess what they did in response lol." Charles C. W. Cooke @charlescwcooke. "This is true, but if World War III were between Canada and the United States, the United States would also win that." Quote The Free Press @TheFP "You won a hockey game, dear Southern neighbors, not World War III, writes Rupa Subramanya"

Michael A. Arouet @MichaelAArouet, "This is an amazing chart. Republicans are prouder to be American today than in 2000. Something really weird happened to Democrats though. What happened?" John Sexton at Hat Hair VIP hears CNN admits Actually, the Economy is Pretty Good Right Now. RCP comments End the Filibuster – Or Stop Pretending To Govern. Insty cites JEFFREY CARTER: “You know why libertarian Republicans can’t win in general elections? They are terrible at strategy.” “AOC would never break ranks with Democrats. She’d never pick a fight to make them look bad. Massie goes out of his way to do it.” On the Breitbart Bus, Why Trump’s Critics Are Wrong About “Balance of Payments” and Tariff Authority.

VodkaPundit at Insty, IT TOOK THEM UNTIL NOW TO FINALLY NOTICE ALL THE TORPEDOES CIRCLING BACK? unusual_whales @unusual_whales, "The New York Times just published an opinion by Daniel Richman titled ‘The Epstein Files Should Never Have Been Released’" More from Ed Morrissey: NYT Disclosure Fail. "I thought the name on this column sounded familiar. Richman is a friend of Comey’s who had possession of memos by Comey that the former FBI Director had leaked through him as a way to force the appointment of a special counsel in 2017. Judicial Watch discovered the deception in 2019 after going to court over a FOIA demand." Autism Capital @AutismCapital, "NEW: Norway’s former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland is hospitalized following a suicide attempt after police began an investigation following his appearance in the Epstein files. He is previously in the files telling Epstein that “If Trump wins I’ll settle on your island.” Dave Strom believes The Implosion of Ro Khanna Is Complete.

PJM's Sarah Anderson sees Cuba’s Russian Rescue Fantasy Falls Apart. From the Center Square, U.S. Supreme Court to hear Cuban land claims cases Monday. Beege Welborn says DAWG: Panama Supreme Court Annuls Chinese Canal Ports Deal, Country Retakes Possession. Sundance, Following a Court Ruling, The Government of Panama Has Taken Back Control Over Both Entrances to the Panama Canal – Cancelled Chinese Contracts. Also from sundance, EU Schedules Permanent Ban on Russian Import Oil for Three Days After Hungarian Election, "I guess we can put this in the open admission file surrounding the all-out effort by the European Union to defeat Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban," and Ukraine (EU) Strikes Russian Oil Pumping Station that Transmits Oil into Hungary and Slovakia. From ToI, US military begins withdrawing from main base in northeast Syria, Syrian sources say. "Dozens of trucks, some carrying armored vehicles, depart base in Hasakah province; last US troops expected to leave country within 20 days, ending 12-year presence." From Splendid Isolation, Bring Back The Killing "This kind of crap really throws sand in my gears . . ."

One thing I saw none of, from the Divine Miranda Devine: Dems will roll out their perfect agent of subterfuge, Abigail Spanberger, in response to SOTU. At Liberty UnYielding, Fairfax County prosecutor lets killers escape justice through insanity defenses.

Paul White Gold Eagle @PaulGoldEagle, " BREAKING: Venezuela’s former intelligence leader Hugo Carvajal has CONFIRMED that Democrat Senator Adam Schiff and Democrat Congressman Eric Swalwell, both of California, are two of the top names on the VENEZUELA LIST of US politicians that are receiving MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN KICKBACKS AND LAVISH GIFTS from the Maduro regime and Venezuelan drug trafficking organizations in exchange for using their official power as a means of undermining the Trump administration’s ongoing war against these" Which would explain a lot if it's true. It could be a Russiagate style hoax. Time will tell.

Stephen Kruiser says Gavin Newsom Wants Folks to Know He's Down With the Struggle, of sudden adult-onset dyslexia. Hat Hair's John Sexton notices Gavin Newsom Can't Keep His Stories Straight. American AF @iAnonPatriot, "HOLY SH*T A video has resurfaced of Gavin Newsom telling white people that he read a 260 page book in an hour and a half.. Now he’s telling black people that he’s like them and “can’t read”.." Dan Crenshaw @DanCrenshawTX "lol this is the worst spin job ever. Was he talking to a dyslexia support group? No. He told a room of full of black people that they can’t read.Sauron's Eye whines As conservatives accuse Newsom of bigotry, California governor's office slams "MAGA-manufactured outrage." Nick Arama at RedState thinks Newsom Sticks Another Fork in His Faltering Campaign Before It Begins With This Remark About Kamala: End Wokeness @EndWokeness, "Governor Newsom tonight: "You would not know Kamala Harris without Willie Brown" Fact-check: TRUE." Mike LaChance at LI hears Gavin Newsom Says Democrats Need to be More ‘Culturally Normal’ to Win, “less prone to spending a disproportionate amount of time on pronouns, identity, politics, more focused on tabletop issues.” Presumably, they won't listen. From Ace, Killer of Caltech Astrophysicist Was Let Out of Jail by Leftwing Judge, Citing California's "Unnecessary Prosecutions" Law. "Signed into law by Gavin Newsom, of course. It is better that a thousand innocent men be killed by Democrat criminal lunatics than a single Democrat criminal spend a night in stir, goes the insane leftwing "thinking."" Shooting News Week on California Jurisprudence: Killer of Caltech Astrophysicist Had Previous Gun Charges Dropped ‘In the Interest of Justice.’

Stacey @ScotsFyre, "Your budget is larger than the entire state of Florida. Yet somehow you failed to budget for snow removal which is an annual event. Well done everyone." Quote Mark D. Levine @MarkLevineNYC "Update: Salary for emergency snow shovelers in NYC has been increased to $30/hour. Walk into any sanitation garage by 8pm today, or from 9am-8pm tomorrow, to sign up. x.com/MarkLevineNYC/…" Jeff Charles at TownHall thinks you should Watch Zohran Mamdani Fall Apart When Asked About Voter ID. Sister Toldja at RedState, Mamdani Responds to Agitators Hurling Snowballs at NYPD, Immediately Makes It Even Worse: Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @NYCMayor, "I’ve seen the videos of kids throwing snowballs at NYPD officers in Washington Square Park. Officers, like all city workers, have been out in a historic blizzard, keeping New Yorkers safe and cars moving. Treat them with respect. If anyone’s catching a snowball, it’s me." Benny Polatseck @BPolatseck, "@NYCMayor Mamdani says the mob that pelted NYPD officers in Washington Square Park shouldn’t be charged because, in his words, “it looked like a snowball fight.” That’s how you lose the rank and file." A Chloe vid at Hat Hair, Something UNBELIEVABLE Is Happening To NYC Cops Under Mayor Mamdani.

Driscoll at Insty, OLD AND BUSTED: “You Have to Break a Few Eggs to Make an Omelette.” The New Hotness? Forget the omelette, let’s just break some eggs: Coddled Affluent Professional @feelsdesperate, "1/2 This is funny because it’s true. The Left no longer promises a ‘workers paradise’ just beyond the horizon. The dream now is a disinhibited behavioral sink with no bounds limiting the most unwell people from engaging in the worst and most aggressive antisocial behavior." Quote Yeerk.P @PYeerk "Leftists are now arguing that women with little babies are "fascist" and have to be "abolished" so vagrants can piss on public transport in peace." Ben Young at Compact explores How the Revolutionary Left Embraced Radical Islam. At Calling all RushBabes thinks *If you thought the Washington Income Tax was the worst they could do, you were mistaken. DemocRats go Whole Hog. Erick Florack at PJM wonders Are Democrats Working Against Their Own Voters?

From NRO, S.F. Homeless Nonprofit CEO Charged with Nine Felonies for Allegedly Misappropriating over $1M in Public Funds. Ward Clark at RedState, Trunk Full of Bling, Pockets Full of Lies: Nonprofit Boss Charged in Blatant Cash Grab.

Insty, WHICHEVER WAY THE (LUCRATIVE) WINDS BLOW: Noam Blum @neontaster, "It is uncanny how 2014 Tom Nichols, Bill Kristol, Rick Wilson, et al sounded exactly like the people they call dangerous fascists today." Quote Stephen L. Miller @redsteeze "Replying to @TheAtlantic and @RadioFreeTom I found some Nazi replacement rhetoric that neither of the author (@RadioFreeTom) or @JeffreyGoldberg or The Atlantic seems interested in addressing." Matt Margolis wonders Can We Blame the Democrats for the Latest Assassination Attempt on Trump? Sure, why not?

Roger Kimball at Am Great is struck by The Left’s Elastic Principles On Judicial Authority. "Democrats cheer or jeer the Court as convenience dictates; their lone consistency is power—pursued relentlessly, defended fiercely, and projected onto opponents." Bryan Jung at PJM is enjoying how Netflix’s Stock Plunges After Refusing to Fire Susan Rice Over Threats to Trump Officials.

Sundance celebrates the U.S Court of Appeals – DC Circuit – Rules IRS Can Share Information with DHS for Immigration Enforcement. Capt. Ed says Pass the Popcorn: DoJ Sues Sherrill Over Access Ban on ICE. From the Center Square, CDL tests will become English only. Driscoll sees the TALKING POINTS HAVE GONE OUT: Stephen Miller @StephenM, "The most debunked Dem lie. According to the WaP/NYT, Martha’s Vineyard would be more idyllic if they mass absorbed illegals from failed, violent nations. Third world migration bring third world crime & third world conditions. There’s a reason no reporters live in migrant housing." Quote Karoline Leavitt @PressSec "Notice how both the Washington Post and New York Times use the same stupid Democrat talking point to downplay crimes committed by illegal aliens:" Mary Chastain at LI, Idaho Woman Arrested for Allegedly Stealing Ambulance to Torch DHS Building "Thankfully no one was hurt!" 

Peking Rose

Elle Purnell at Da Fed thinks Eileen Gu Indicts Birthright Citizenship And Our Entire Immigration Orthodoxy. "“I am proud of my heritage, and equally proud of my American upbringings,” she wrote on Instagram announcing her defection. For Gu, her heritage — her loyalty — is Chinese. America was an “upbringing,” a red-white-and-blue finishing school that opened all the right doors but does not elicit national allegiance or anything, really, on her part."

At Hat Hair, Mark Judge predicts The Mainstream Media Will Not Survive 'The Information State' "To summarize: shocked by the arrival of Donald Trump in 2016, American government officials, the media, and the technology giants created a system of censoring the public, spying on other opponents, and planting false stories. The media was complicit and will never fully recover."

Robert P. George @McCormickProf, "Honestly, who didn't see this train wreck coming? Legacy organizations from the AMA to the ACLU should not be let off the hook for what they promoted and defended. Their ideologically motivated gross irresponsibility must not be forgotten." Quote Jesse Singal @jessesingal "I have a piece in The New York times about what it means to "trust the science" when it comes to the professional guidelines on youth gender medicine." Ace delighted as Hell Freezes Over: NYT Admits That Trans "Science" Was Heavily Politicized and Distorted by Prejudice. "None of this is new to you, but it might be new to 80% of the New York Times' mentally-ill Wine Mom cult members." Dave Strom thinks It Shouldn't Take a Secretary of Defense to Fire a Pervert Scaring Kids to Get a Teacher Fired, and It's Time to Crush the American Medical Association. Is a GBU 57 too much?

Nico Perrino @NicoPerrino, "This is one perspective on how colleges started to become ideological monocultures:" It's the ratchet racket. Conservatives and moderate hire anybody, including extreme lefties. Lefties hire only lefties. I've seen it in action.