The left & the right had conflicting views (no surprise here) to the President's SOTU last night. They also differed dramatically on the same points. Just a show? Racist or diverse? Lies or truths? Divisive or inclusive? Economic accomplishments?

Let's review those criticisms and accolades:

Reality TV show vs touching & poignant moments of emphasis. - The left was all over the reality TV elements of the SOTU. Pointing out that some of the special moments did not connect to anything in his speech. Specifically pointing out the Tuskegee airman and the military man returning home to surprise his family in the balcony as emotional show pieces. - The right celebrating the inclusive nature of those moments and how they presented an accurate picture of who Trump is, his fearlessness, his showmanship and they emphasized important points such as killing of Solemani, military respect and Space Force. - I for one, don't like the 'show' that the SOTU has become over the past 40 years. The occasional pointing out of someone in the gallery is nice, if it connects to a policy or goal. But, having one after the other, no matter how special, gets to look like a TV ad vs a SOTU. i like my SOTU to be boring, fact based and visionary. Racist. - The left sent this criticism at Trump and Rush Limbaugh. Nothing new here, and they are both still wrong! - Trump focused on many minorities throughout his speech. Unemployment, jobs, participation - all diverse accomplishments. The left called it pandering, The right said it was proof he was not racist. - The racism label is one of the standard narratives of the left. They have successfully, though inaccurately, labeled Republicans as racist and they use the label over and over again every day. It is a false narrative, but it is there 'big stick' in the fight they believe. And, when facts contradict the narrative, they feel they must double down and not give in to reality and pick a new narrative, for fear that all would be lost. The racist narrative is incorrect, overused and needs to be immediately, consistently and loudly rejected. Lies. The thing to remember about facts today is that no matter who spouts them, you only get at best, half the data on the subject. The half you get is what looks best for the source. So it is with SOTU facts. Trump is a serial exaggerator. That does not make him any more a liar than any other President, especially Barack Obama. Trump give facts, that are not wrong, but the media & the left decry them as lies because they don't like the data or the success. The left then gives counter facts that also are not wrong. They are both targeting portions of the timeline or the data collection that works best for their argument. That leaves the rest of us to try to figure out what the total truth is. It would be nice if we had a responsible media that would do that, but, sadly, we don't. The left decried Trump's accomplishments with primarily these three points. I'll include some perspective on each to provide you with a more complete picture. - jobs vs obama Certainly raw numbers reveal positive job creation throughout Obama's Presidency. Coming from the bottom, it is easier to create new. Creating new on top of new, requires effort. That's where Trump is. Besides, can you really believe that everyone is not better off now than they were in 2009-16? During this timeframe, Obama said manufacturing jobs were gone forever. Clearly they are back. During this timeframe, Obama said <2% growth is the new economic normal. Yet, >2% growth on top of his recession growth is happening with regularity. Jobs created under Obama were largely government jobs, from Obamacare & construction (spike & decline cycle). Unemployment remained high under Obama. Job participation consistently lower under Obama. - blue collar boom The booming economy is benefitting white collar and blue collar workers alike. “As a society, we are taught that college is the only path to success,” says TPPF’s Erin Valdez. “However, career and technical education has the potential to offer students pathways into a range of professions that are high-growth and high-wage. That’s what the current blue collar boom is showing us.” - Ohio manufacturing jobs Plants closed. Plants opened. Jobs lost. Jobs created. GM representatives said they plan to spend $175 million to open a new plant in Brookville, Ohio. The Ohio plant that closed was in Lordstown. GM said the new plant will be environmentally friendly. WBKO has yet to hear what UAW members make of the announcement. GM invests in 4 plants as it prepares to close 5 others Look at the backflips being done by the 'Fact Checkers', here The Washington Post, to discredit or minimize good news. This is an utterly embarrassing review. Divisive or inclusive. - There was divisiveness in the SOTU. It came from both sides. Pelosi, based on her words since 2016, her impeachment charade, and her dramatic tearing up of the speech. Trump, for reasons the right support, did not shake her hand at the outset of the speech. I think he should have shaken her hand. It would have been his olive branch, even though he, and we, know it means nothing to her and her caucus. - His speech was full of statements reaching out to the other side and to Congress. After the fact, they criticize him for it. - Trump never once used the subject or the words impeachment, Iowa or Democrats. - If you are looking for a unifying statement, how about this: But as in 2016, the Trump argument is not primarily about numbers. “The Republican Party,” he now likes to say, “is the party of the American worker, the American family and the American dream.” Bragging. - The left was turned off by Trump listing ad nausem his administration's accomplishments, so far. Of course they are turned off, there is nothing they have to counter with. Even Democrat Congressmen have realized they need to stop wishing for economic collapse in order to get rid of Trump and last night went out of their way to say, we support the strong economy. But, they continue to attack his accomplishments by calling them lies or only benefiting the rich. This, like racism, is overused, inaccurate and weak. Each thing he said can and has been validated. - remember, "it ain't braggin' if you can do it". - granted, I particularly dislike his use of the words "I" and "my". I disliked it when Obama did it. I dislike it now. Not sure who said it more. But, it doesn't change the results. It is style. Given the alternative, I love the substance. And, then there is Pelosi.

- The Speaker of the House does not have to invite the President into Congress for the SOTU. But, she did. - President did not shake her hand, nor did he shake Pence's hand. (Divisive.) - Pelosi chose not to announce the President in the usual manner. (Divisive.) - Pelosi tore up the speech very publicly and dramatically after the speech. (Divisive.) - Is that criminal? The net is this was a political speech. There were elements of a vision for America, but it was a political speech. It is easier to present a vision on top of positive results. That is what Trump is trying to do. But, the opposition cannot allow any results to be attributed to his leadership or his vision. Every SOTU in the past 30 years has been exactly that, a political speech. It is a shame that we have come to this. When you have two diametrically opposed political ideologies, which Trump has smoked out of the shadows now into perfect clarity, then the constant struggle for message control is natural and unfortunately necessary. Substance of this administration so far is overwhelmingly inclusive. Substance over style, always.