Fox News’s Brit Hume: ‘Longest, Most Boisterous. Most Partisan… ‘

It was everything the American public has come to expect from President Donald Trump, ever striving to surpass pretty well anything and everything done before, always needing to pump more dopamine through the system, never backing up, never contemplative, and – as we continue through a second term, ever freer from any guardrails that history and the “American way” would otherwise temper. So it’s not like Donald Trump actually surprised anyone last night. One thing about him; He is not really subtle, nor does he try to hide much. Thus it was that when the cameras turned away from the Capitol and onto the usual talking heads, some rained praise on Trump for, well – being more Trump. Fox’s Brit Hume led off with what sounded like damnation until he found a groove and let us know that up is down in all this.

It has never been clearer that fully half of the country has decided that separating itself from the other half is a “good thing” and – perhaps, the “goal,” the only thing. Hume never seems to consider the possibility that presidents used to use speeches such as this to persuade “all Americans” to unify and join in his platform and goals as something everyone wanted, or would at least benefit nearly everyone. That is precisely “why” they come before a joint session of Congress. Used to be, anyway. As Hume said:

This was the most boisterous, the longest, the most partisan speech I’ve ever heard a president give in this kind of setting. And I go back about maybe 50 years on this. I also think it may have been the most effective.

Well, that’s the thing, isn’t it? No one asked for “the longest” – of that we can be near certain. But setting length aside as nothing more than petty sniping, speeches such as this are rarely rated on the level of “boisterousness.” No – historically, the “great” speeches surpassed the others by moving the country – as one – forward. Speeches like this were to persuade and uplift, all to further an administration’s agenda. Hume goes on:

If you ever doubted that Donald Trump is the colossus, the political colossus of our time and our nation, this night and this speech should’ve put that to rest. The Democrats seem to be falling into trap after trap as he recognized people and celebrated the people he pointed to in the gallery and their stories in the Democrats sat glumly on their hands through all of that… This was pretty powerful stuff, politically speaking, as powerful as I think I’ve heard.”

Well, he is a colossus – though, that’s not necessarily an inherent “good.” No one has ever been more politically polarizing, if that’s the measure. Generally, however, the measure as to what is “politically powerful” is usually whether or not it garners momentum and unity going forward to pursue what the president wants. Think about Reagan and his “Reagan Democrats.” It was morning in America. No real Democrat liked what Reagan was doing but no real adult can deny that he uplifted the “mood” and the country’s expectations. It can be argued that it was that mood that won the Cold War – not insignificant. Look at George W. Bush coming out of 9-11 and his speeches. We didn’t have one significant instance of anti-Islamic violence. Christians consoled Muslims at mosques. Obama managed to capture a national zeitgeist with “Hope and change” – for a short period. Going further back one thinks about FDR – was his speech during the throes of the Great Depression delivered to a partisan crowd or to rally the country? And why should we ask for less?

Though it will not be popular in the comments, there’s little doubt that Democrats were left to sit on their hands. No opposing party ever looks good in such a situation – none. As for the signs and interruptions, in my opinion, it all just managed to make it worse and feed the “boisterousness” of the moment. Trump supporters love a reaction, the more intense the better. I would have preferred it if Democrats had just sat there with stone-faced seriousness while looking resolute, nothing more. The speech would have sapped in such a context. Alas, well – that’s not where we are.

But Hume looks to be over the top about a speech that was over the top – until such time as the next one, which will surpass this one, because that’s the only real measure at this point. They always want more, demand greater intensity, more anger, more divide, ever further. This is the age of social media, not refined wisdom. Trump’s real appeal is that he hates all opponents as much as his voters do. That is the real secret sauce in the MAGA movement. He reminds them of themselves. Never more so than last night.

Presidents used to give speeches that left citizens wanting to be better selves. Ask not what your country can do for you…

God Bless: I can be reached at [email protected] and on twitter-X at @JasonMiciak, and follow now on Bluesky. 

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