Five Democrats Now Boycotting Trump’s SOTU Address Tonight; Reps. Green, Cohen, Blumenauer, Johnson and Wilson

The Hill reports:

Five House Democrats are boycotting President Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday night on the eve of the expected Senate vote to acquit him in his impeachment trial.

All five Democrats — Reps. Al Green (Texas), Steve Cohen (Tenn.), Earl Blumenauer (Ore.), Hank Johnson (Ga.) and Frederica Wilson (Fla.) — have also opted against attending Trump's past annual addresses to Congress in recent years as an expression of protest against his presidency.Green, one of the first and most ardent backers of impeaching Trump, said Tuesday that he will not be going this year either.

"Because of an impeached, reckless, ruthless, lawless, shameless, corrupt, & unapologetically bigoted president - who is still engaging in a coverup, the state of the House, the state of the Senate, and the #StateOfTheUnion are divided," Green tweeted. "I will NOT attend #SOTU2020."

At least six House Democrats boycotted Trump's State of the Union address last year. In addition to the five who are not going on Tuesday, Georgia Democratic Rep. John Lewis did not attend last year either. He has not said whether he will attend this year's address.

"During normal times, I would consider it my duty to attend and hear the President’s agenda for the upcoming year. Unfortunately, these are not normal times," Johnson tweeted on Monday.

That came after 14 Democrats skipped the address in 2018, which came shortly after Trump caused a firestorm for describing African nations as "s---hole countries." Many Democrats also wanted to make a point amid their frustrations after Trump's first full year in office.

It will be the third year in a row that Blumenauer, Cohen and Wilson have skipped Trump's State of the Union addresses. Green — along with Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), another longtime impeachment supporter — also did not attend Trump's joint address to Congress in 2017, which came shortly after his inauguration and therefore technically was not a State of the Union speech.

More than 60 Democrats also boycotted Trump's inauguration, but most still attended the joint address a little over a month later.

Hannity has reported at least three will skip:

At least three House Democrats confirmed their decision to boycott President Trump’s State of the Union Address Tuesday night as the Impeachment trial in the United States Senate comes to a close.

“A third House Democrat announced plans on Monday to boycott President Trump‘s Tuesday State of the Union address, which will take place a day before the Senate is expected to acquit the president in his impeachment trial,” reports The Hill. “Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), who also skipped Trump’s previous State of the Union addresses, said that he will not be attending the speech on Tuesday.”

“I have chosen not to dignify Trump’s parade of lies about health care, his persistent exaggeration, and his personal attacks with my attendance at this year’s State of the Union Address. His appalling performances each day continue to justify that decision, and I have no doubt tomorrow night will be more of the same — even possibly worse,” Blumenauer said in a statement.

The other two Democrats include Representatives Steven Cohen and Frederica Wilson.

Here's more from the NY Post:

It’s shaping up as a pretty awesome week if your name is Donald J. Trump.

Monday night brings the Iowa caucuses, which now seem likely to deliver a big win for Bernie Sanders — which would set him up for an even bigger win in New Hampshire next week, and trigger the Democratic establishment into both panic over the collapse of Joe Biden and venomous fury as it tries to take take Bernie down before he runs away with the nomination.

Even more mixed results out of Iowa raise the prospect of a long nomination fight, and maybe even a brokered convention — results that would leave the nominee’s coffers empty as the fall campaign begins.

And on Tuesday night, President Trump delivers his State of the Union Address, where he’ll quite rightly be able to declare the nation is strong — with solid economic growth and jobs for all who want them and a Dow more than 50 percent higher than when he won the White House.

Not to mention a new North American trade agreement just as candidate Trump promised, China desperate to end the trade war and America’s NATO allies paying much more of their fair share for collective defense … among other clear policy successes that his critics once claimed to be impossible.

Then comes Wednesday’s Senate vote to reject the House’s articles of impeachment — with several Democratic senators poised to join the Republican majority in a humiliating defeat for House Democrats.

The opposition party is reduced to pretending that Minority Leader Chuck Schumer scored a win by delaying the final Senate vote until after Trump’s big national-TV moment on Tuesday. Hah! As if this president would let that mere formality stop him from rubbing the reality of defeat in his critics’ faces.

According to the White House website, these will be the special guests:

Below are the special guests who will join President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tonight for the President’s third State of the Union.

From brave military families to hardworking local leaders, this year’s guests come from many walks of life. Each one represents the very best of America and people the world over.

Meet the special guests for President Trump’s State of the Union:

Stephanie and Janiyah Davis from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Janiyah is a 4th grade student from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She loves art and math, but for too long she has been assigned to low-performing schools. Her mom, Stephanie, is a hardworking single mother who tried to apply for a tax credit scholarship. But due to Pennsylvania’s governor recently vetoing school choice legislation, Janiyah remained among the estimated 50,000 students on a waitlist.

 

Kelli and Gage Hake from Stillwater, Oklahoma: Kelli Hake was at home with her 1-year-old son, Gage, when she learned that her husband, Army Staff Sergeant Christopher Hake, had been killed while serving his second tour of duty in Iraq. While on patrol, Staff Sergeant Hake’s fighting vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb supplied by Iranian terrorist leader Qasem Soleimani. Kelli and Gage directly suffered from Soleimani’s campaign to kill and maim U.S. service members. Last month, President Trump ordered the killing of Soleimani while he was once again trying to initiate attacks on American service members.

 

Jody Jones from Farmersville, California: On December 17, 2018, Jody’s brother, Rocky Jones, was shot and killed by an illegal immigrant in Tulare County, California. The criminal alien who committed this brutal murder had previously been arrested for violent crimes and had twice been deported. The criminal alien was arrested in December 2018 for the sixth time, but because of California’s sanctuary state policy, he was released from jail. A few days later, he went on a 24-hour “reign of terror,” injuring several people, robbing a gas station, leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase, and killing 51-year old Rocky, who was known as a kind and gentle soul. Rocky leaves behind a precious daughter and 4 brothers.

 

Paul Morrow from Montgomery, Alabama: Paul is a United States Army veteran. After leaving the military, Morrow started a successful contracting business and today is building a new concrete plant in an Opportunity Zone in Montgomery, Alabama. This new plant will help support several brand new F-35 jets that are stationed in the region.

 

Deputy Chief Raul Ortiz from Del Rio, Texas: Deputy Chief Ortiz has helped protect America’s homeland for nearly three decades. Prior to joining U.S. Border Patrol in 1991, Ortiz served in the United States Army. In 2019, he became Chief Patrol Agent of the Del Rio Sector, which made him responsible for all Border Patrol operations in 41 Texas counties—including 210 miles of border between the United States and Mexico. Recently, Ortiz was promoted to Deputy Chief of U.S. Border Patrol, the second in command for more than 20,000 agents and professional staff. His awards include the Superior Civilian Service Medal, among the Department of Defense’s highest civilian honors.

 

Tony Rankins from Cincinnati, Ohio: After serving in the United States Army in Afghanistan, Tony Rankins suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and became addicted to drugs. He lost his job and his family, served several prison sentences, and ended up living out of his car. A company called “R Investments” helped train Tony in carpentry, painting, brick work, and other construction trades. Today, he works in an Opportunity Zone in Cincinnati, Ohio, and his new job has helped him overcome drug addiction and reunite with his family.

 

Robin and Ellie Schneider from Kansas City, Missouri: Ellie was born at just 21 weeks and six days. She is one of the youngest babies to survive in the United States. With the help of an incredible medical team—and the prayers of her parents and their community—Ellie kept beating the odds, exceeding milestones, and fighting for life. Today, Ellie is a happy, healthy 2-year-old girl who brings endless joy to her mother, Robin, and her entire family.

 

Ivan Simonovis from Caracas, Venezuela: Ivan was the Chief of Police in Venezuela’s capital city and esteemed as the nation’s top cop. He was imprisoned in 2004 for protecting protesters and was held in captivity for nearly 15 years by the Chavez and Maduro regimes. He escaped from Venezuela in 2019 and was brought to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where immigration agents welcomed him to the United States.

And from Fox News:

The confluence of the State of the Union speech by President Trump and the failed impeachment efforts of the left gives us a clear vision of where America is today.

President Trump’s speech will be optimistic. He will assuredly tout the remarkable achievements of his administration. Two legacy building trade agreements, the USMCA and phase one of the U.S.- China trade pact, destroyed the naysayers’ claims that both were impossible.

The President has nominated and had confirmed more than 180 federal court judges, including Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Our economy is robust. We have historic low unemployment rates in many demographics. Manufacturing jobs are coming back. Scarcity in the labor force has helped raise real wages, particularly in entry-level positions that require little previous education or training. Retirement plans are strengthening on the back of a resurgent market. In short, the foundation of long-term economic growth has been laid by the policies of the Trump administration, which has produced optimism in consumers and businesses.

The military has been rebuilt, and American prestige around the world is back.

The United States has once again become the shining city on the hill. Americans can feel confident in our path forward, whereas three years ago, cynicism and pessimism gripped the country.

President Trump’s speech Tuesday is a clear juxtaposition with the left’s cynical attack on America’s institutions, our president, and our heritage evidenced in their impeachment efforts.

America really is at a crossroads. We can embrace our past, acknowledge our shortcomings, and rally for the future of prosperity and peace, that has been our destiny, or we can choose the Socialists’ view that America is fatally flawed, and we must surrender what we are to their demoralizing theme.

Democrats have allowed a small, but vocal, group of their extreme base to seize control of their party. They have become a relentless group of evangelizing apostles of Marxism, Critical Race Theory, and Globalism, that refuse to advance this great nation. Instead, they want us to become another failed example of corporatist philosophy that leaves everyone impoverished, economically and spiritually.

President Trump’s accomplishments over the past three years have renewed our faith in the mission of the American republic.