This SOTU Shall Pass

“There’s a problem with the idea that Trump can simply rerun his 2024 campaign and expect the same result: Over the past two years, many of his most popular issues have turned into political liabilities.” The Atlantic with an overview of Trump’s Suddenly High-Stakes State of the Union. Of course, the media always obsesses over these speeches, even though they have little impact beyond the evening they’re delivered, and it’s hard to imagine a lot of undecided voters in swing states will be tuning in for what political insiders view as the Speech Super Bowl. It’s notable that the speech is getting a lot more coverage than the massive buildup of US military might in the Middle East. More than 150 additional aircraft just arrived, adding to the largest force of warships and aircraft in the region in decades. It’s rare for the military to create this much of a buildup just for show. It’s worth paying attention to what Trump says on this issue. But it’s probably not worth watching any of the speech in real time. Leave that to the fact checkers, for whom this really is the Super Bowl. I’m following the lead of the US women’s hockey team and declining to attend.