If I have seen one singular, raw consistency in the world of politics, it is that my friends who have always disliked Donald Trump will always dislike Donald Trump. At the same time, those who have embraced our President and his views have mostly held course, even in more eyebrow-raising-moments. With such vitriol one-sidedness from far too many Americans, it becomes quite the challenge to truly engage in any rational political discourse. Yet, here I am once again. For those who have forged their brains to rail against anything our President does or says, my thoughts on the State of the Union won’t be to your liking.

Let me share this one thought before we dive in – If you are an elected official and are sitting live in the Capitol watching the President give the SOTU, I’ve got a simple thought to share with you – STAY OFF YOU’RE PHONE! Are you crazy? Anyway…

Last month I wrote about my struggles with voting for our President, even to the point of stating I regretted casting my vote for him. Yes, my decision to share that statement was based upon his words and views of immigrants, and I still stand by what I said at that time. I truly did regret casting my vote for President Donald Trump.

But not today, especially not after carefully critiquing the true State of the Union under President Trump. No moment more cemented this position, than Representative Joe Kennedy’s fear-mongering intro in the Democratic Response to the SOTU. In just the time it took for me to cook my veggie omelet this morning, Representative Kennedy was able to drive me away from any positive narrative he would try to later build. Sure, catch phrases like “Politicians can be cheered for the promises they make. America is judged for the promises we keep” can cause us to stop and consider what we just heard from the POTUS, but how in the world could we not immediately not be hurled back in time to all the previous administration failed to do? In a strange, almost peculiar way, the Democratic Response pointed their heavy finger far more at former President’s Obama and Clinton, than it ever did at President Donald Trump. From healthcare to our military to the scandals at Planned Parenthood, Rep Kennedy had me more proud of our President at the end of his response than before he uttered a single word. Tactically speaking, this was not the Dems strongest moment. At minimum, it brought more breathlessness from their base, driving them to only garner votes out of dependency on the Democratic Party to somehow save them, something they apparently didn’t do in the previous administration. At worst, Rep Kennedy forged the Republicans sitting in front of their television into a united front, one that is unwilling to budge. Fear-induced rhetoric does that to folks. We all are smarter enough to understand this is a manipulative ploy, and one that ends more political careers than it launches. And the whole lip gloss thing…

As the President began to address his popcorn munching, flavored seltzer water drinking nation, I couldn’t help but think of every closed-minded person who opposes every utterance out of our President’s mouth. I couldn’t help but wonder why so many have devolved into such a toxic narrative around our President, while I adamantly refused to do the same under the previous administration’s eight disastrous years. Even though I have quite vocally stated my issues at times with President Donald Trump, I went into this moment with an open mind. Thankfully, I was not disappointed.

For over an hour last night our President became the greatest storyteller in the world, bringing us into the lives of real people who are making our country great once more. I cheered loudly for Staff Sgt. Justin Peck, choked back tears for the parents whose daughters were killed by members of MS13, and wanted all of my children to possess great courage, the kind of courage shown by Agent CJ Martinez. I met a welder named Corey Adams, who we all now know “is a great welder’, as the President shared. In fact, that moment revelaed about who President Donald Trump is than maybe any moment before. Our President adamantly wanted to let everyone know this young man from Ohio is a great welder, and paused his address to compliment this young man. It wasn’t scripted. It was completely genuine. Next was the incredible story of Ji Seong –ho, who inspired all of us to believe in the greatness of one person who is willing to endure, and then takes his tragic suffering and leverages all of his experiences to fight for others. These were the stories of the State of the Union, and our President was right to share them with us, especially since the media is so silent about the greatness in America today. What seemed the most remarkable last night was the President’s raw humanity in sharing these stories with us, and how truly moved he was by the people he spoke of.

Our country has made great strides this year, so let us not forget where we’ve been and where we are headed. The economic, military, immigration, and social policies of President Trump have begun to right the wrongs of a country that for far too long has been over-regulated, over-taxed, and under-funded. The optimism poured from the President’s heart to ours, and I’m so grateful for how he is beginning to lead our country. Most importantly, evil organizations like Planned Parenthood, genocidal maniacs like dictator like Kim Jon-un, and the most vile of gangs, such as MS13, have never been more terrified of their futures, and rightly so! I believe we can all agree on this truth – President Trump believes America is great and becoming greater by the minute. This particular brand of optimism is exactly what our country needs right now, not more palatable sound bites.

In closing, with confidence I can state after carefully dissecting the State of the Union, and reviewing his first year’s results, I am once again proud of my President and proud to have cast my vote for him. He is becoming a great President, and sure, he isn’t perfect, but neither am I. And neither are you.