By MARSHA MERCER
Give President Donald
Trump credit. He showed Tuesday night he can deliver an inaugural address.
So it was 40 days after his inauguration – but who’s
counting?
The bullying, snarling Trump was gone; in his place was a
well-behaved guard dog, one that wants to please and is, literally, good with
children.
“My administration wants to work with members in both
parties to make child care accessible and affordable, to help ensure new
parents have paid family leave, to invest in women’s health, and to promote clean
air and clean water and rebuild our military infrastructure,” Trump said in his
first speech to a joint session of Congress.
Except for the last bit about rebuilding the military, the remark
could have come from a Democratic president, as could Trump’s call for $1
trillion in new infrastructure spending – something that had Democrats and usually
cost-conscious Republicans on their feet, applauding.
Outsider no more, Trump
placed himself squarely in the line of Republican presidents. He echoed George
W. Bush -- “Education is the civil rights issue of our time,” Trump said – and
cited Abraham Lincoln and Dwight Eisenhower.
Does any of this matter? For this president at this moment,
yes.
Asked on Fox & Friends the other day to grade his
presidency so far, Trump gave himself an A for achievement and effort but a C
or C-plus for messaging or communications. He was determined to exceed
expectations in the speech -- admittedly not a high bar. He has historically
low approval ratings for a new president.
On Tuesday night, he provided a
glimpse of someone who may become more than an angry cartoon character with
orange hair. He showed he can curb his insults
and stick to his text. He was light on troublesome specifics and heavy on
morning in America.
For one night, anyway, the man of I, I, I discovered the
small words that bring people together: we, us and our.
“Everything that is broken in our country can be fixed,” he
said. “And every problem can be solved and every hurting family can find
healing and hope.”
Trump also orchestrated a long, heart-rending moment of
mourning in America when he recognized Carryn Owens, the teary widow of Navy
SEAL William “Ryan” Owens, one of Trump’s guests in the balcony. Her husband was
killed last month in a counter-terrorism operation in Yemen.
“Ryan’s legacy is etched into eternity,” Trump said, leading
a prolonged standing ovation, during which tears soaked the grieving widow’s
face.
For someone who
prizes himself on being unpredictable, the speech was notable for its normalcy.
There were no attacks on the news media
or judges and no embrace of Putin and Russia.
“The time for small thinking is over. The time for trivial
fights is behind us,” Trump said, urging Republicans and Democrats to unite
behind his emerging agenda. The speech
was vague enough that everyone could hear what they wanted. Some congressional Republicans thought Trump was endorsing the
House leadership’s plan for health care reform; others thought not.
“Home run,” House Speaker Paul Ryan gushed about the speech.
Congressional Democrats, critical of the lack of detail, were restrained in
their critiques, although Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Democrat of Oregon, issued a
one-word statement reacting to Trump’s address. It read: “Resist.”
And Sen. Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, said, “For those Americans looking for a clear and
forward-looking agenda, tonight’s speech raised more questions than it
answered. I believe the President missed an opportunity to begin to reach out
beyond his political base to all Americans.”
But Warner also said: “I have long
supported investing to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure, and if President
Trump is willing to work in a bipartisan fashion we can accomplish that goal.”
Warner is right. Trump’s
haziness can’t last; he will propose a federal budget in a couple of weeks that
will make his values clear. Whether he can maintain his bipartisan tone and
composure as negotiations proceed on issues where he’s opposed will be a
test. Democrats also face a test whether
they can present alternatives and become more than the Party of No.
“We are one people with one destiny,” Trump declared near
the end of his speech.
Maybe and maybe not. It will take more than one well-crafted
speech to change the dynamics on Capitol Hill.
(C) 2017 Marsha Mercer. All rights reserved.
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