President Trump set out to deliver a State of the Union address that would unify the country. Unity, across political and racial lines, was the theme. But it was a unity that brought us together as Americans.
The address, the arguably greatest speech of his career, was both nationalistic and unifying. And that struck the Achilles heel of the left.
The left invariably demands that we unify around its values. President Trump called on Americans to unify around their values. And these are values that the vast majority of the country agrees with.
The polls from CBS and CNN make it clear that it worked. Strong majorities, 75 to 80 percent, approved of the State of the Union. Even significant numbers of Democrats were positively disposed toward it. This wouldn't have been quite so incredible under Bush, but in a political era when anything Trump says or does can be expected to garner 70 to 80 percent Democrat disapproval, it's quite amazing.
And majorities of independents were enthusiastic about the State of the Union.
Americans, from all walks of life, felt optimistic and uplifted by the speech.
Trump has often been criticized for being strong on the negative, but weak on the positive. He's been a very effective critic of the system, but he appeared to lack the positive vision of Rubio. But unearned positive messaging is hollow. The State of the Union showed that Trump could celebrate America. But that he would do so when the celebration had been earned.