Impeachment, Iowa, SOTU: Everything You Need To Know

What a week it’s been. First the Democrat’s Iowa caucus debacle, then the President’s moving State Of The Union Address- come on admit it, you weren’t able to stay dry eyed- and then the Senate’s impeachment acquittal of Trump. Heck and just imagine, all that was preceded by Sunday’s Super Bowl!

So what’s one to make of it all? Well there are two numbers that jump out at me and tell us a lot about what we need to know. 900 and 49. 900 represents the number of points the U.S. stock market- Dow Jones Industrial Average to be specific- has risen in value between the time of the Democrats negative news reporting in Iowa (Tuesday), and the day after the President’s State Of The Union speech (Wednesday).

The stock market is extremely news sensitive and hates both negative news and uncertainty. It loves stability and a business-friendly environment. Let that sink in for a moment. It observed the chaos, negative news and uncertainty surrounding the fiasco in Iowa and determined that what was bad for Democrats was good for the market . The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose roughly 400 points on Tuesday.

Then came Tuesday night and the President’s SOTU speech.

Here is our President honoring a 100 year old Tuskegee airman and his great grandson, radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh with advanced lung cancer, a wife and son of a military hero killed by terrorist Soleimani, awards a scholarship to a Philadelphia 4th grader, surprises a family by re-uniting them with their military dad back from deployment, and many more similar stories.

I have not spoken to anyone yet who said they weren’t teary eye during the President’s speech. But, of course I didn’t speak with Nancy Pelosi. She ends the evening, as we all know, by tearing up the pages of the speech in front of a national TV audience. How is the market digesting all of this? On Wednesday the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose another 483 points. In other words the U.S. stock market, for now, is forecasting a Trump re-election in 2020.

What about the number 49? 49% represents the President job approval rating in a recent Gallup Poll. It is Trump’s all-time high- his personal best- in the poll since being elected. Furthermore it is 4% higher than Barack Obama’s numbers at this same time in 2012 in the same poll. So amidst an ongoing impeachment hearing (now over) and all the media noise surrounding it, Donald Trump comes out with these results.

Democrats are noticing and they are concerned. So much so that CNN Contributor Van Jones issued a “wake up” call to his fellow Democrats about how Trump’s “real life” actions have positively impacted African Americans across America. Think about that one for a moment. Van Jones says ‘President Trump’s results and record for African American voters has been effective’, and that should worry Democrats.

As an American I’m concerned that he’s concerned that a racial demographic is succeeding. But expect more of the same from the President’s opponents. If he ignores a demographic he’s a racist, if he supports a demographic he’s pandering.

Here’s is President Trump’s response to his impeachment acquittal in the Senate earlier today.

So there you have it. Lot’s of media noise and distractions out there. It’s the world we now live in. I’ve tried to push away the clutter and give you the news you need to know. And to think the week is still not over.

By Rick Amato
Television Host of ‘Politics & Profits with Rick Amato’
AmatoTalk.com