Editor, OBSERVER:

President Donald Trump walked in strong, clear, disciplined, not tired, not wandering, to deliver his State of The Union Address. The opening statistics were overwhelming, rapid fire, border, inflation, energy, jobs. There was a rhythm to his speech and he was commanding as the President of the United States.

But that’s not the story. Although that’s big news, the story was the Democrats.

You don’t have to love everything the president said. You don’t have to love every word he said or how he said it. You don’t have to agree with every policy. This was a massive strategic mistake for them.

For them to sit every single time and not stand for things that are obvious and easy is such a missed opportunity. They could have stood for the U.S. Hockey Team. They could have stood for the veterans. They could have stood for protecting citizens. They could have stood for lowering drug prices. They could have stood for banning congressional insider trading, but they chose not to. And when you refuse to stand for things that are broadly popular, emotionally resonate themes, you don’t look principled. You don’t even look partisan. You look anti-American.

The Democratic party did more to damage its own image than any attack any other politician could have ever done. They did the brand damage themselves.

RICHARD LANCASTER,

Westfield