Over seven years ago, I wrote about my love for the State of the Union Address. I made it clear that while I don’t necessarily watch it for the policy, I do tune in for the tradition, formality, and importance of the speech. I think it is a crucial and distinguishing component of the American democratic system.

As you can imagine, I watched last night’s State of the Union in its entirety. Considering who gave the speech, it was anything but conventional. From a non-partisan viewpoint, I wanted to give a few thoughts on Tuesday evening’s address in the Capitol.

President Trump delivered te 2019 State of the Union Address.

Perhaps the first surprising aspect of the 2019 SOTU was that Donald Trump was delivering it. Over two years after his inauguration, he is still the President of the United States. After he won the election, I listened as countless people predicted he would have resigned or been removed from office by now. Well, President Trump still lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

I don’t think Donald Trump will ever resign the Presidency simply because he likes the State of the Union too much. Two years ago, during his State of the Union-ish “Joint Address to Congress,” I tweeted about how he genuinely seemed to be enjoying the moment. It was the exact same case last night. President Trump feeds off the pageantry of the SOTU and I think this gleefulness allows him to perform considerably well.

I noticed it two years ago and it was even more evident last night — President Trump loves the State of the Union.

Last evening was no exception. By all counts, President Trump brought his “A” game. I think the first key to his big night was his guest list. He brought in numerous special Americans who he recognized throughout his speech. He celebrated their accomplishments while weaving in his agenda. With individuals such as WWII veterans, a decorated astronaut, a Holocaust survivor, and a hero who ended a mass shooting all in attendance, the entire chamber–Republicans and Democrats alike–was constantly erupting in applause.

I believe President Trump’s tone was key to his success as well. Throughout the 82 minute address, he mostly spoke in a respectful, calm manner, something you don’t always see out of him. However, he changed his tune when he needed to. When addressing comments made by the Governor of Virginia and when stressing the importance of respecting life, he became serious and firm. It was powerful.

The President also won over the Democrats (for a second at least). He recognized the many women who won seats in Congress, noting that progress is being made. Spontaneously, the Democrat half of the chamber popped up and started celebrating. Not missing a beat, President Trump smiled and said “You weren’t supposed to do that.” Trump successfully created a special moment of bipartisanship celebration and unity, something no one expected to see. At that point, the 2019 State of the Union was officially a success for #45.

It wouldn’t be a President Trump speech if he didn’t go off script. Several times last night, including the moment I just recapped, Trump ditched the teleprompter to add some short commentary between sentences. This always humanizes him, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse, but last night it worked.

Don’t think I am giving President Trump a complete pass. Some of his transitions from one topic to the next were bad. Not enough practice? I don’t know, but at times it was awkward.

He also lacked energy at certain points during the address. I have noticed this in some of his other speeches as well. I guess it can happen when you are speaking for almost 90 minutes, but giving the most important speech of the year is never a time to show fatigue.

However, from an unbiased/independent standpoint, last night appeared to be a victory for President Trump. That is just my opinion. But my conclusion is also backed up by the American people. After the 2016 election, I stopped trusting polls, but I have seen that most networks released polling results giving the President a 76% approval rating. A number that high, regardless of the margin of error, indicates that the Commander-In-Chief had a good night.

I will look forward to the 2020 State of the Union Address. Let’s hope good things continue to happen for this country and that next year’s speech is one that all Americans can celebrate. Don’t Blink.

Hate to do it, but I have to ask this question: Should we just cancel Valentine’s Day this year?

Well, if you celebrate the holiday for the candy, you might be on board. A couple of oddities at candy factories in 2019 will have those with sweet tooths a little disappointed.

First, the candy almost synonymous with Valentine’s Day, Sweethearts, won’t be around this month. Necco, the candy maker responsible for the treat, shut its doors last year. People who couldn’t envision a February 14 without Sweethearts rushed online to purchase leftover batches of the candy from 2018. But only so much product remained.

Sweethearts won’t be around this Valentine’s Day.

Just as we were starting to cope with the Sweetheart shortage, more bad news came this weekend. Candy giant Hershey’s admitted to a very serious problem regarding one of its most popular offerings. Due to an equipment malfunction at the factory, Kisses have been produced for the last few months without the signature tip. Hard to envision, right? Supposedly the issue is now fixed but the corrected candy won’t be on the shelves for at least another month. That means a Valentine’s Day with tipless Kisses.

Sorry not sorry, you won’t find me taking the news that hard. When it comes to holidays, I think Valentine’s Day is at the bottom of the list when it comes to candy offerings. This might be unpopular for me to say, but I think Necco actually did us all a favor by going out of business. When its top holiday candy is described as “chalky” how can that be a good thing?

If your sole purpose for celebrating a holiday revolves around sweets, lacking a significant other on Valentine’s Day is probably the least of your worries. Sure, you can purchase yummy candy that is covered in red, pink, and white wrappers (such as M&Ms and Reese’s Cups) but V-Day simply lacks quality signature items unique to the holiday. It sure isn’t Easter.

I hope we can all manage this Valentine’s Day with the recent developments. After all, although the Kisses do look funny with no tips, I guarantee you that they still probably taste like chocolate. Don’t Blink.

Last night, for the first time in several years, we actually attended a Super Bowl party! Recently, we have opted to stay in and watch the big game in the comfort of our home, but we couldn’t refuse a generous invitation from our next door neighbors. So, surrounded by delicious food and great people, we watched the New England Patriots defeat the Los Angeles Rams in a fun and neighborly environment.

Tonight I will provide some brief commentary on Super Bowl LIII.

This year, I am happy that I can just review the game instead of an episode of “This Is Us” as well. Sorry, I had no interest staying up to watch “The World’s Best.” Did “America’s Got Talent” get cancelled or something?

Alright, let’s start with the football. I am never one to call a game “boring” just because it turns out to be a defensive contest. I actually love a low scoring game every now and then – as long as the game play is good. I thought the first half of Super Bowl LIII was solid. It was clean and hard hitting. However, I expected a little more out of the second half. Penalties plagued the final two quarters, halftime adjustments seemed non-existent, and execution was lackluster. Many times you can watch a championship game and note that the two best teams are out on the field. I didn’t get that feeling last night.

As for the commercials, I thought they were fine. It doesn’t matter how creative or funny they are, social media will always judge the current Super Bowl commercials as inferior to those of the previous year (Every. Single. Time.).

I thought the most powerful commercial of the evening was the Verizon first responder spot with San Diego Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn. I am literally tearing up right now just thinking about that part in the ad when the personnel who assisted in the accident identified themselves. The subsequent reaction from Coach Lynn did me in. It was so well done. The most creative/funny spot, in my opinion, was the Bud Light corn syrup gag. The shade they threw at Miller Lite and Coors Light was daring and hilarious. I don’t watch Game of Thrones so I can’t really comment on Bud Light’s other popular commercial. The odd/awkward ad that appealed to a goofy guy like me was the Burger King #EatLikeAndy commercial. It was just so retro and so different from all the other ads that I couldn’t help but give it two thumbs up!

Now for the halftime show. Although “Girls Like You” made my Top 5 Songs of 2018 list, I am not a big Maroon 5 fan. I believe the band’s older music to be especially bad. However, like the commercials, I find it annoying how people automatically discount the halftime show before the performance is even over. With that said, I didn’t get too excited about what I saw. It was just way too much Adam Levine for me. After a predictable performance last year from Justin Timberlake, I was looking for a surprise guest (besides Spongebob) or a surprise element that would have us talking today. It didn’t happen.

Overall, Super Bowl LIII was forgettable. That is not to say that everything sucked. The play was decent and the entertainment was average, but in order to stand out, there is a certain “WOW” factor that needs to be present. I kid you not, it won’t even take six months for me to forget about who played in this year’s game. But it’s all good, I guess that is why I write these posts. Don’t Blink.