BY DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY MARCH 2, 2017) — It came in like a lamb.

THE PLANET doesn’t speak of March. We refer to President Donald Trump‘s first address to the nation in the formal chambers of a joint session of Congress. The reviews were largely good. Many, even Trump’s opponents, agree that he looked, acted, and sounded “presidential” on Tuesday night, although no one knows precisely what that means.

Here’s one of the best columns of many we’ve come across, written by our colleague Sandy Fitzgerald. It addresses the speech based on Vice President Mike Pence‘s reactions. Of course, THE PLANET invites your take on the president’s speech.

——– 000 ——–

BY SANDY FITZGERALD

President Donald Trump struck a new note for many Americans with his first address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday with his message of unity, but Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday morning that the address reflected the president with “broad shoulders and a big heart” that he serves with every day. “

[He was] reaching out, focusing on the future,” Pence told MSNBC‘s “Morning Joe” program. “To see him get the reception that he got, not only in the chamber but also all over the country as of this morning, it gives me great confidence that the agenda that the president articulated last night is the right agenda for America.”

The agenda, he continued, is “resonating with the American people, and I couldn’t be more optimistic about the opportunity to move forward, our agenda, to repeal and replace Obamacare and trade deals and infrastructure and rebuilding our military.”

Pence said Trump was rewriting the speech Tuesday afternoon before he gave it, and show co-host Willie Geist reported hearing that Trump was still drafting the speech up until just before he gave it. Pence said that one of the great moments of the speech was when Trump, at the outset, acknowledged the great division on policies that is happening, while reminding Americans there are “things that unite us in this country, in the way we condemn acts of hatred and referring to the terrible acts of anti-Semitism. It was a wonderful moment of unity and I think it spoke about the heart of this man.”

He also reminded the show that Trump won 30 out of 50 states, including hundreds of counties that former President Barack Obama had won twice because the “American people heard his heart.”

Pence, though, did say that the Trump administration will continue to call out the media “when they play fast and loose with the facts.” “It’s pretty strong terminology [Trump uses],” said show co-host Mika Brzezinski. “I think you see some of the baseless and fabricated stories come out and it’s frustrating,” said Pence. “One of the reasons why president Donald Trump was elected is because he is a fighter.  The American people want a president who will fight for their future, who will fight for American jobs, fight to make America strong in the world again but he also willing to make his case and to challenge his detractors when unfair criticisms come his way.”

Pence, who booked appearances on most of the early morning news shows, stayed off of CNN, the network that has come under fire the most from the administration. However, according to CNN’s early morning tipsheet, the vice president was to make appearances on MSNBC, NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox News, along with appearances on the Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Michael Savage, and Sean Hannity‘s radio shows. He also had booked appearances for “The O’Reilly Factor” on Fox News and “For the Record with Greta” on MSNBC.

One of Trump’s main points Tuesday concerned Obamacare, and on Wednesday, Pence said Trump had made the case the the Affordable Care Act is a “failed policy” that needs to be repealed.

“But also you saw him do what great presidents do and that is he laid out the principles and the framework for replacing Obamacare, one item after another,” said Pence. The vice president told ABC News‘ “Good Morning America,” Wednesday morning that nobody will “fall through the cracks” when Republicans repeal and replace the healthcare law, and the repeal measure will be the number one priority of Congress.

“I think the president’s made it clear to Congress that particularly when it comes to the most vulnerable population … the Medicaid population, we don’t want anyone to fall through the cracks,” Pence said. “You heard him mention tax credits last night. What the president wants the Congress to do is to create a framework for people to be able to afford coverage.”

Trump also spoke of creating a national marketplace that will allow Americans to buy health insurance across state lines, said Pence, and the focus is on “lowering the cost of health insurance rather than mandating that people buy government-approved health insurance.”

——– 000 ——–

If Trump is coming across as “more presidential,” one can only guess the agita level among died (and dead) in the wool Democrats. It will be interesting, if not fun, to watch.

—————————————————————————

“Eloquent speech is not from lip to ear but rather from heart to heart.” — William Jennings Byran

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.

The views expressed in the comment section or opinions published within the text other than those of PLANET VALENTI are not those of PLANET VALENTI or endorsed in any way by PLANET VALENTI. This website reserves the right to remove any comment that violates its Rules of Conduct, and it is not liable for the consequences of any posted comment, written word, or information from any source other than PLANET VALENTI as provided in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and PLANET VALENTI’s terms of service. All users of the services of PLANET VALENTI agree to these conditions by virtue of this notice.