Democrats beware Trump Derangement Syndrome
After  President Donald Trump âs first State of the Union address  I am ready to send a version of Horowitzâs message to congressional Democrats. As I used to hear an old Chicago Democratic ward boss say: Donât get mad  get smart.
Donât just sit on your hands and pout while  President Trump  takes advantage of the one thing  he  knows how to do better than most of  his  fellow politicians do: video salesmanship.
I take no glee in making this critique. Iâm not a fan of Trumpâs politics   his  vulgarity   his  exaggerations and  his  outright falsehoods when  he  speaks. I donât like the way  he  deliberately drives wedges between racial  ethnic and gender identity groups and blows dog-whistle kisses to the intolerant right.
But consider the congressional Democrats who decided to sit silently and look visibly displeased throughout the speech  even when it touched on issues or developments of which they approved â such as a record dip in black unemployment. The Democrats are understandably displeased that  Trump  brags about that statistic as if it reflects a trend that started on  his  watch  when it actually began in 2011 under Obama.
But  ah  it is not the facts or ideas that make a difference in the political impact of major events. It is the optics. As long as  Trump  is seen by  his  supporters and persuadable moderates as reaching out to other races and standing up for America  the details donât matter. Itâs how people feel about you that counts. In  his  mastery of those âinstincts â as  Trump  likes to explain   he  comes closest to Ronald Reagan  the nationâs only other president to come from the entertainment industry.
Like Reagan  Trumpâs stagecraft at the State of the Union was outstanding  befitting a man who spent most of his adult life building his brand as a celebrity through celebrity gossip media and his own reality TV shows. More comfortable with ad libs to a rally crowd than with reading a teleprompter   Trump  filled the speech with callouts to guests in  his  audience who had poignant  tragic  heroic or uplifting stories to tell.
Reagan  in fact  was the first president to amplify the impact of the State of the Union address by calling out notable audience members in 1982. He had one guest that year.  Trump  had 15 this year.
Such is the power and majesty of the State of the Union. In the hands of a savvy entertainer or pitchman â Reagan and  Trump  were both â the majesty of the occasion can easily make any political adversaries look small.
So whatever message the Democrats had in mind as they decided to protest by refusing to stand or clap for  Trump   it didnât have much of a chance against Trumpâs stagecraft. He seems to enjoy making smoke come out of his opponentsâ ears â like the professional wrestlers with whom he used to work in the WWE. Show public anger at  Trump ? Go ahead. He welcomes it.
Yet  ironically   Trump  actually showed surprisingly significant movement toward the Dems in his speech. Sure  he might reverse himself later  as he has in the past. Heâs already getting pressure from the right  for example  for his surprisingly progressive offer of a âpathway to citizenshipâ for immigrants brought here unlawfully as children. Conservative website Breitbart immediately branded him âAmnesty Don.â
After  [TGT] I am ready to send a version of Horowitzâs message to congressional Democrats. As I used to hear an old Chicago Democratic ward boss say: Donât get mad  get smart.
Donât just sit on your hands and pout while   [TGT] takes advantage of the one thing   [TGT]   knows how to do better than most of   [TGT]   fellow politicians do: video salesmanship.
I take no glee in making this critique. Iâm not a fan of Trumpâs politics   his  vulgarity   his  exaggerations and  his  outright falsehoods when  he  speaks. I donât like the way  he  deliberately drives wedges between racial  ethnic and gender identity groups and blows dog-whistle kisses to the intolerant right.
But consider the congressional Democrats who decided to sit silently and look visibly displeased throughout the speech  even when it touched on issues or developments of which they approved â such as a record dip in black unemployment. The Democrats are understandably displeased that   [TGT]   brags about that statistic as if it reflects a trend that started on  his  watch  when it actually began in 2011 under Obama.
But  ah  it is not the facts or ideas that make a difference in the political impact of major events. It is the optics. As long as  Trump  is seen by  his  supporters and persuadable moderates as reaching out to other races and standing up for America  the details donât matter. Itâs how people feel about you that counts. In  his  mastery of those âinstincts â as  Trump  likes to explain   he  comes closest to Ronald Reagan  the nationâs only other president to come from the entertainment industry.
Like Reagan  Trumpâs stagecraft at the State of the Union was outstanding  befitting a man who spent most of his adult life building his brand as a celebrity through celebrity gossip media and his own reality TV shows. More comfortable with ad libs to a rally crowd than with reading a teleprompter   Trump  filled the speech with callouts to guests in  his  audience who had poignant  tragic  heroic or uplifting stories to tell.
Reagan  in fact  was the first president to amplify the impact of the State of the Union address by calling out notable audience members in 1982. He had one guest that year.  Trump  had 15 this year.
Such is the power and majesty of the State of the Union. In the hands of a savvy entertainer or pitchman â Reagan and  Trump  were both â the majesty of the occasion can easily make any political adversaries look small.
So whatever message the Democrats had in mind as they decided to protest by refusing to stand or clap for  Trump   it didnât have much of a chance against Trumpâs stagecraft. He seems to enjoy making smoke come out of his opponentsâ ears â like the professional wrestlers with whom he used to work in the WWE. Show public anger at  Trump ? Go ahead. He welcomes it.
Yet  ironically   Trump  actually showed surprisingly significant movement toward the Dems in his speech. Sure  he might reverse himself later  as he has in the past. Heâs already getting pressure from the right  for example  for his surprisingly progressive offer of a âpathway to citizenshipâ for immigrants brought here unlawfully as children. Conservative website Breitbart immediately branded him âAmnesty Don.â