# SOTU ~ Your unvarnished responses here **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [March 5, 2025, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144 "2025-03-05T02:22:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144/61 "2025-03-05T05:03:16Z")
Maybe Justice really is blind then. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144/62 "2025-03-05T05:13:38Z")
> **[Matt Binder (@mattbinder.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/mattbinder.bsky.social/post/3ljm4sbkvw42a)** > > "as a cold war kid, i'm happy that Ronald Reagan was in office" - Elissa Slotkin, the official Democratic response to Trump > > oh hell yeah baby that's the winning message!!! > > my god we are cooked Primary your local Democrat next year. It’s the only way they’re going to get the message that this milquetoast shit isn’t going to save democracy. (Unless your local Democrat is Al Green.) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144/63 "2025-03-05T05:16:02Z")
I think we should focus on the real problem, described in this thread: [Is "Murc's Law" real?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-murcs-law-real/1014974) ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144/64 "2025-03-05T06:28:19Z")
> [@Coriolanus](#): > > Greenland is going to have elections because the leader of the free world could not give one fuck about Denmark’s sovereignty. We-e-elll… President Zelenskyy has other things on his plate, but he’s likely in favor of Danish sovereignty, on the whole. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144/65 "2025-03-05T07:30:50Z")
I could be mus-remembering the moment, yet he turned and looking off to his left, then turned his head back rightwards to the camera and there was a look of malevolence on his face - especially how his eyes seemed squinty - and he said something regarding Greenland, “No matter what happens, we’re taking it”. This is after guaranteeing Greenland they would have elections with the full support of the United States. It’s certainly not an intelligent thing to essentially say out loud what would better have not been said. Did Putin tell the Russian news in 2013 that he’s going to just take Crimea - will not be running that as a question by Ukraine. Then you have your sham elections that show 89% support, Of course Putin took Crimea to lock up control of the port of Sevastopol which was very much being thought of by Obama et al “Wouldn’t it be good to take Sevastopol and deprive Russia of one of their most important ports?” Obama and such knew that Crimea historically is where Empires have gone to die. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144/66 "2025-03-05T10:31:33Z")
I did not watch either. I would have thrown something at the television; ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144/67 "2025-03-05T16:37:18Z")
Every time the Orange One speaks I wish there was some way to have him connected to a foolproof device that would alert us to every time he lies. The only problem with this idea is that he probably believes most of the shit he spews. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144/68 "2025-03-05T17:08:21Z")
If I may offer a defense of Elissa Slotkin’s Dem response: number one, it’s a thankless job. She’s trying to get through to an audience who just watched an hour-plus of hardcore Republican MAGA propaganda. Truth be told, I’ve kept a similar Reagan argument in my back pocket when talking with trump-lovers, that I consider Reagan by comparison to have been a decent leader (OK, a bit of a fib on my part) who would be spinning in his grave if he knew what the trump administration was up to. If you have any chance at all of getting through to hardcore trumpers, it’s not by telling them everything they believe is stupid, it’s by finding some common ground and working from there to change their minds. I’ve seen her campaign commercials from the days she ran as a Representative in a neighboring district, to her recent Senate race-- she’s always sold herself as a non-ideological centrist- someone who values country over party. She joined the CIA after 9/11 to help protect our country against unfriendly powers, working with Democrats and Republicans in the process. I believe her to be, at the very least, someone who got into government work and politics for all the right reasons. Here’s a more sympathetic opinion of Slotkin’s performance: > **[Where Elissa Slotkin won me over in the Democratic response to Trump's address](https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/trump-speech-elissa-slotkin-democrat-response-congress-address-rcna194823)** > > As muddled as their message can be at times, Democrats still share a common vision for the bare minimum of what this country deserves. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144/69 "2025-03-05T17:18:48Z")
I didn’t watch it because I wanted to sleep last night. The sound of his voice enrages me, and I was sure it would be the same old poor me, everything is rigged, Biden sucks, nobody’s ever seen anything like it, I’m your savior bullshit. Looking at the op-eds this morning, it appears that I was right. I’ll probably look at the late-night comments later. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144/70 "2025-03-05T17:23:54Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > Every time the Orange One speaks I wish there was some way to have him connected to a foolproof device that would alert us to every time he lies. There is just such a device. It’s called a “microphone”. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144/71 "2025-03-05T18:31:48Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > We-e-elll… President Zelenskyy has other things on his plate, but he’s likely in favor of Danish sovereignty, on the whole In NATO there’s the famous Article 5 but is there anything for when one NATO member invades another? They probably figured it would never come up. Of course if his nibs pulls the US out of NATO the question becomes moot. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2025, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144/72 "2025-03-05T18:47:34Z")
When you actually don’t care if he lies, as long as he grabs power while pissing off the other side, a microphone is just another tool. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2025, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144/73 "2025-03-06T12:02:48Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > There is just such a device. It’s called a “microphone”. Ba dum…_tish!_ ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2025, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144/74 "2025-03-06T12:31:02Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > a microphone is just another tool. Then again, so is Rump. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2025, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144/75 "2025-03-06T13:35:46Z")
Magas are now saying that Democrats are evil for not standing up and cheering for Cancer Kid. Maybe that is why Trump included him? ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2025, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144/76 "2025-03-06T13:58:40Z")
…while trying to cut funds for cancer research. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2025, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144/77 "2025-03-06T14:16:42Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](#): > > “…the African country Lasotu - which nobody has ever heard of”. Did he mean Lesotho? > [@dougrb](#): > > $8 million saved from making mice transgender. NOT on my bingo card. Did he mean transGENIC? Or animal trials for gender affirming care? Not sure what else that could refer to. > [@MagicEyes](#): > > And he just called immigrants dirty and disgusting. 😒 How much flack did Biden catch from supposed allies of the Democrats for using the term “Illegal Aliens” at his own SOTU? For example: > **[Biden Once Appeared To Support Immigrants. The SOTU Demonstrated He No Longer...](https://www.clasp.org/blog/biden-once-appeared-to-support-immigrants-the-sotu-demonstrated-he-no-longer-seems-to/)** > > President Biden’s State of the Union address makes it clear that he has decided to continue down the path of enforcing harmful and failed immigration policies rather than strengthen our country by supporting and welcoming immigrants as he promised in... _When_ will our side learn that _when you rev up the circular firing squad over stupid bullshit like that_, what you end up with is Trump talking about “_savage_ illegal aliens” in power instead? [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Mission_Accomplished_banner_on_the_USS_Abraham_Lincoln_%28CVN-72%29_%281%29.jpg/440px-Mission_Accomplished_banner_on_the_USS_Abraham_Lincoln_%28CVN-72%29_%281%29.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Mission_Accomplished_banner_on_the_USS_Abraham_Lincoln_%28CVN-72%29_%281%29.jpg/440px-Mission_Accomplished_banner_on_the_USS_Abraham_Lincoln_%28CVN-72%29_%281%29.jpg) > [@Smapti](#): > > Primary your local Democrat next year. > > It’s the only way they’re going to get the message that this milquetoast shit isn’t going to save democracy. I don’t think Matt Binder, whoever he is, is being fair there. I’ve seen this “Slotkin loooooves Reagan!” narrative floating around, and I’m sorry, but if you buy it, you didn’t listen to Slotkin’s speech. Literally _all_ she said about Reagan is: 1. Trump took the term “peace through strength” from Reagan 2. Reagan certainly wouldn’t view forcing Zelensky to capitulate to Putin as “strength” 3. Trump would have done a worse job during the Cold War than Reagan did I find it difficult to take issue with _any_ of those statements. I thought Slotkin’s response was fantastic. Much better than Bernie’s, which sounded exactly like every campaign speech Bernie ever made. I certainly appreciate his consistency, I guess, but surely there’s something more topical to say now, after Trump’s speech, than his usual billionaire speech. > [@solost](#): > > If you have any chance at all of getting through to hardcore trumpers, it’s not by telling them everything they believe is stupid, it’s by finding some common ground and working from there to change their minds. I don’t think anyone is reaching the hardcore Trumpers, but that’s not really the point. Trump won every swing state and the popular vote. He won _a lot more_ than just hardcore Trumpers. And I think her message was perfect for reaching out to people who are not hardcore Trumpers but who are skeptical of Democrats and ended up either voting Trump or not voting at all. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2025, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144/78 "2025-03-06T14:27:27Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Magas are now saying that Democrats are evil for not standing up and cheering for Cancer Kid. Maybe that is why Trump included him? Not just for the cancer kid, but for all the other people that were paraded out for various reasons, like the killed first responder’s family and I forget who else. To my mind, another Republican ploy. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2025, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144/79 "2025-03-06T14:32:23Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > > [@solost](#): > > > > If you have any chance at all of getting through to hardcore trumpers… > > I don’t think anyone is reaching the hardcore Trumpers, but that’s not really the point. Trump won every swing state and the popular vote. He won _a lot more_ than just hardcore Trumpers. And I think her message was perfect for reaching out to people who are not hardcore Trumpers but who are skeptical of Democrats and ended up either voting Trump or not voting at all. Yeah, I didn’t really mean the hardcore trumpers, I meant Mr. and Mrs. Fox News-watching citizen who have been brainwashed into thinking that trump knows what he’s doing. I was going to edit my post to make it more accurate, but missed the edit window. You’re right, the real hardcore trumpers are pretty much unreachable. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2025, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144/80 "2025-03-06T14:37:36Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Yeah, I didn’t really mean the hardcore trumpers, I meant Mr. and Mrs. Fox News-watching citizen who have been brainwashed into thinking that trump knows what he’s doing. I was going to edit my post to make it more accurate, but missed the edit window. You’re right, the real hardcore trumpers are pretty much unreachable And to be clear, _this is not hypothetical_. This is a _proven, winning strategy_. Slotkin is one of a number of Democratic senators who won state-wide elections that Kamala lost by appealing to these voters. My hope is that the Democratic party understands this, and that this is why they are having her (a freshman senator) give the response. I hope that Tim Walz’ recent idea to go to town halls that Republicans don’t show up to and talk to the voters himself instead is a fantastic way to appeal to the same group. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sotu-your-unvarnished-responses-here/1015144.md?page=5)