screengrab from https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1092982660761374722

President Trump SOTU AddressAlthough President Trump’s State of the Union Address is well behind us, it’s still having some reverberations. Last Thursday, the Wall Street Journal published an article entitled, “The Longest Day for Trump’s Adversaries.”
The article dissected the entire speech, delving into some nuances that will take some time to play out. I would highly recommend this article for its in depth analysis. One part of it jumped out at me. On the issue of immigration, Trump’s words were nuanced, but also effective in setting the state for a refutation of the leftist meme that, “We are a nation of immigrants.” From the article:

“He appealed for a closer reading of the country’s terms and conditions, as if to insist that this is not exactly “a nation of immigrants,” and still less a nation of illegal immigrants. It is a nation of citizens who are former aliens or descendants of immigrants—who came to America legally and learned the language of the country, in which the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Gettysburg Address and Emancipation Proclamation are written. It is a nation of immigrants who have been expected to embrace American civic responsibility as a condition of American freedom.”

I would submit to you that this is another great way to push back on the leftists and their control of the terms of the discussion, whether it be on immigration, abortion or anywhere else they’ve managed to distort the language and thereby destroy our culture and institutions. As his cabinet appointees, lesser staff members and other surrogates go about their daily duties, they will be, nay already are, helping him redefine the terms of the debate, or as the Wall Street journal put it, the “terms and conditions,” of this great big thing we call, “These United States of America.” We need to do the same as we go about engaging with the leftists.

Mike Ford is a retired Infantry Officer who writes on Military, Foreign Affairs, Political and Economic matters.

You can find his other Red State work here.

He is also (reluctantly) on Twitter: @MikeFor10394583