Quote Anyone watching was surely proud to be an American, to live in a country with people who are capable of such strength, courage, generosity and resolve.

Sullen Democrats sit out Trump’s offer of bipartisanship

By Matt Mackowiak

The Washington Times

January 31, 2018

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The reviews for the speech were uniformly encouraging for the president. Both CNN and CBS News found 70 percent or more of those who viewed the speech rated it positively.

Mr. Trump set out to achieve two things.

First, he detailed the successes of his first year in office — a strengthening economy, hundreds of billions of dollars in new investment from the tax reform bill, conservative judges being confirmed, a significant regulatory rollback, and the large-scale defeat of the Islamic State across the Middle East. This is a solid list. According to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, “2017 was the best year for conservatives in the 30 years that I’ve been here.”

Second, Mr. Trump laid out a bipartisan vision for 2018, on a variety of issues including: immigration, infrastructure, trade, and defense spending to prescription drug prices, paid maternity leave, and fighting opioid addiction. Mr. Trump and his White House team recognize that any successful legislation this year will require 60 votes in the Senate in 2018, which means at least nine Democrats must be on board. He opened the door to bipartisanship last night and provided clear direction to Congress.

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The speech was well-received by those who watched it, and apart from liberal partisans, the news coverage has been mostly positive.

Mr. Trump again showed that he can rise to the moment that a major speech requires, as he did in his first joint session address last year, as well as in important speeches in Saudi Arabia, Israel, Germany and recently at Davos. He offered a hand of bipartisanship to Democrats.

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Read the full op-ed here.