I guess it depends on who you ask but in my view and from what I see, hear, and read it did.  There was no Joe Wilson moment with shouts of “You Lie” but the sulking and sullen behavior could not go without notice.  To Donald Trump’s credit, he did not let it deter him in his speech nor did he completely turn his attention to the Republican side of the aisle but reached out to the Democrats offering them an olive branch of sorts, which the rejected.  Oh, there were numerous times that some of the Democrats ‘clad in white’ vigorously gave him the thumbs down gesture acting like Junior High School girls.  They thought that their sullenness and sulking would be noticed by the public and it would work in their favor as they prepared to play the role of victim to Donald Trump’s lashing out at them.  He didn’t and they were upstaged by the First Lady, then the widow of fallen Navy Seal Ryan Owen’s widow, Carryn Owens.   The picture is another example of their childishness so the speech antics and at other times they have shown themselves to be petulant children.

Of course, I am a constitutional conservative, a veteran, an American, and a Christian.  I view myself as an American patriot and a defender of freedom for everyone so my view of their antics comes through the prism of my beliefs. However, even some on the left have lamented the failed tactics of the Democrats and the petulance they portrayed.  They fear the visual will be long remembered by voters and know that the Republicans will rehearse it in the minds of the public leading up to the 2018 elections, as they should.  People like Shelia Jackson Lee who normally hog the aisle seats for photo-ops avoided the aisle like the plague.  Someone asked if a single Democrat shook President Trump’s had before the speech and it did not appear they did.  When the President said, “we are all made by the same God” many of them visibly squirmed in the seats, for if you recall they booed God in one of their national conventions and voted him out of the party platform.  I’m sure the mention of God as creator was not a comfortable moment for them.  When the President called for simple and singular nationalism the Democrats stuck to their tactic of sullenness and gave the appearance of being anything but Americans and members of the American Congress.  How could they think that would play well in the minds of the American people who are hurting and want to see America prosper again.

The president’s plea for Congress to act with regard to education giving those in the inner cities who are forced to attend low quality and underperforming schools did not meet with warmth from the Democrats.  The idea of vouchers, school choice, and personal responsibility are anathema to the party that has gone so far to the left those ideas appear to them as ‘ultra-right-wing extremist’ values.  Throughout the campaign and subsequent to the election Mr. Trump has proclaimed that the ‘era of empty talk is over’ and it should be.  I personally am fed up with the ‘hot air politics’ of Washington, the Cronyism, the Pork-filled legislation, and the political posturing of the members of Congress.  I do not want any more ‘business as usual’ politics and have no interest in the ‘pomp and ceremony’ of Washington’s prescribed way of doing business.  NO!  Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty, roll up our sleeves and get busy addressing the matters at hand and reach some concrete solutions to move America forward again.

I was particularly moved and proud when the president said regarding Ryan Owens, “For as the Bible teaches us, there is no greater act of love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Ryan laid down his life for his friends, for his country, and for our freedom.  And we will never forget Ryan.  To those allies who wonder what kind of friend America will be, look no further than the heroes who wear our uniform.”  As a veteran and a Christian, I was about to have a shouting spell in my living room it moved me that deeply.  I pray that the American people remember the visual of Carryn Owens, the tears of grief and gratitude on her face, and the genuineness of respect that came to her from the President and at least one side of Congress.  I pray that we do not soon forget the callousness and disrespectfulness of the petulant who were in attendance.

Let me openly state that I expect President Trump to do some things and cut some deals that will frustrate me.  I truly believe that he approaches this task not as a political ideologue but as a businessman who sees a need and wants to find the best possible solution.  He will cut deals that may not set well with many of us conservatives and constitutionalist but he will also likely stand firm on some core items and hopefully get them through Congress over the opposition and obstructionism of the Democrats.

If it were only Democrats he had to contend with, I would not be as apprehensive about the success of his policies and the fulfillment of his promises to the American people.  There are members of the Republican Party such as John McCain and Lindsey Graham who are so adamantly opposed to Mr. Trump they refuse to cooperate.  In the case of Mr. McCain, he appears so filled with hatred for the president and so angry at the American people for electing Donald Trump while failing to elect John McCain he has become a detriment.  He has, in my opinion, out-served his usefulness and is such a narcissist he appears to be suffering from some psychological problem that it beyond my expertise to diagnose.  I pray that the people of Arizona allow him the opportunity to transition into retirement permanently and send a new face with new ideas to the Senate at his next election.  I will never disparage his service and the fact that he was a POW but as a current Senator, he is deserving of all the criticism we offer.

America is at a major crossroad politically, socially, morally, and economically and I pray that we all unite behind those things we can which will afford the opportunity to jumpstart our economy, secure our borders, strengthen our military, enhance our national security, and deal with the problem of Lawlessness that is becoming an epidemic.  We can win this war but only if we Pray, Labor, and Persist.

God, bless you and God bless America!