It was an odd title for a psychological horror movie: ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ referred to a young FBI trainee haunted by innocent lambs being slaughtered at her family farm. We witnessed another horror movie of sorts on Tuesday when Democrats remained silent even when reminded of the slaughter of an innocent young woman.
Midway through the State of the Union speech, President Trump focused on the awful story of Iryna Zarutska, who was slashed and murdered in Charlotte by a man who had been arrested more than a dozen times. As the president recounted the young woman’s terror and demanded justice, the camera focused on Iryna’s weeping, grief-stricken mother Anna. Republicans applauded the promise of justice while Democrats sat in silence, prompting Trump to pose a piercing question to that side of the chamber: ‘How do you not stand?’
That may have been the most disgraceful moment of the evening, but there were others. Most Democrats refused to even applaud politely when the president raised issue after issue that most Americans support, among them decreasing crime, lower inflation, fewer fentanyl deaths, and a stronger military. Of course, the most telling moment came when President Trump posed the challenge heard ‘round the world: ‘If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support: The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.’ Republicans leapt to their feet, Democrats sat on their hands. The president denounced his political opponents, saying they should be absolutely ashamed. It was a dagger that struck at the heart of the far left, which always seems to take the side of illegal alien criminals.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tried to minimize the damage inflicted by his party’s embarrassing moment of silence by blaming ICE. ‘It was legitimate and right,’ he declared, ‘not to stand.’ Rep. Ilhan Omar, who screamed at the president and called him a murderer, rushed to friendly CNN and defended her slander. She expressed no regret, saying the president was ‘responsible for killing two American citizens.’ Next to her at the speech was the always-charming Rashid Tlaib, who proudly wore a pin reading ‘F*** ICE.’ When a chant of ‘USA, USA’ broke out, Tlaib substituted her own lyrics: ‘KKK, KKK.’ Absolutely disgusting.
There was another rally in Washington on Tuesday, something called the ‘People’s State of the Union,’ co-hosted by Katie Phang and Joy Reid, both of whom were too radical even for the network formerly known as MSNBC. They were joined by Trump-hating Senators Chris Murphy, Adam Schiff, and Chris Van Hollen, who notoriously visited illegal immigrant Kilmar Abrego-Garcia in El Salvador. One wonders whether, had a Democratic president been giving the SOTU, Abrego-Garcia might have been an honored guest.
Movie fans had to wait a decade for a sequel to ‘The Silence of the Lambs, but there will be another State of the Union next year around this time. Nancy Pelosi will be retired and counting her money in San Francisco, but Rep. Al Green may be back for his annual get-thrown-out-of-the-chamber spectacle. The overriding question is whether Democrats will be in the majority next time around. That depends in no small part on how Americans react to Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech … and to the Democrats’ conspicuous silence.
