President says US is ‘back’ and scolds Democrats: State of the Union analysis

How did the State of the Union play in Northeast Ohio? "Our nation is back," that was the topline message from President Donald Trump in his marathon and at times combative State of the Union speech Tuesday night. The speech clocked in at 108 minutes, which broke his previous record set last year when his speech before Congress came in at 100 minutes. Trump lavished praise on his administration and GOP lawmakers for their accomplishments of the last year. He also openly scolded Democrats who were at the speech for failing to show any support. Some Democrats skipped the speech for a separate "Peoples' State of the Union" protest. During the speech, the president chided the Supreme Court justices who were present. He's been openly critical of the 6-3 decision last week that went against him when the court ruled he exceeded his legal authority on tariffs. The speech at times also played like an awards ceremony with several guests being honored, including bestowing the Presidential Medal of Freedom on the USA men's hockey team goalie. The team won gold over Canada at the Olympics last weekend. Gold was also the message for voters and Americans too, as the midterm election cycle begins. The president described this as a new "golden age" for the United States. Today, we will drill down on the speech and the politics of this moment as the midterm election cycle gets underway. Guests: - Tom Sutton, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Political Science, formerly at Baldwin Wallace University - Rob Walgate, President, American Policy Roundtable -David Cohen, Ph.D., Professor of political science, Director of the Applied Politics Program, University of Akron -Stephanie Howse-Jones, Cleveland City Council Member, Ward 8