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After the State of the Union message delivered on March 4, 2025

President Donald Trump mocked Democrats who sat in front of him Tuesday night, needling them with a grin, “nothing I can say or do to make them happy.” Democrats mostly responded with silent protest — wearing pink, waving placards emblazoned with “FALSE” and “Save Medicaid.” More than a dozen walked out of his speech early, some revealing shirts that said “No Kings Live Here.”..

Democrats’ protest was “very silly, and unserious, but I can’t help but feel some level of empathy for them,” said a Democratic strategist granted anonymity to discuss the issue candidly. “I’m sure they feel like they have to do something, anything, [but] that wasn’t it.”

At best, the protest of Democratic members of Congress to, and during, the State of the Union Address was a dud, a flop, a bust (synonym* day!).

Thus, asked on Fox News about President Trump's State of the Union message to be delivered on February 24, 2026, Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman stated

I do plan to attend. And I hope that this year, they don't put up those silly paddles and all these kinds of weird protests. You don't have to agree, or agree with whatever you hear but like last year, it just made us look like, like children and you know, exactly, I can see you're referncing that. You know, it's like show up or not but to do that kind of thing, like have some dignity and just, you know, we can agree to disagree and not call people names and behave in such ways like that.

🚨 Senator Fetterman plans to attend the State of the Union and hopes his fellow Democrats "don't put up those silly paddles and all those kinds of weird protests."

"Last year, it made us look like children."

"Have some dignity... we can agree or disagree and not call people… pic.twitter.com/plpJmEOs75

— Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) February 14, 2026

It's an overworked cliche, but I'm going there anyway. Given this report from the inauguration on January 20, 2025 of Donald Trump, maybe Fetterman should sit this one out. It was then that

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman wore shorts and sneakers to the U.S. Capitol for the swearing-in ceremony of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance.

Despite chilling temperatures that moved the inauguration inside, Fetterman, 55, was seen sitting in the front row in the Capitol Rotunda as attendees took their seats before the ceremony began on Monday, Jan. 20.

The senator was also wearing a black hoodie to the event, where he joined guests such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos to watch Trump take office for his second term.

CBS reporter Scott MacFarlane shared a photo of Fetterman arriving at the Capitol on Monday, when temperatures were hovering in the 20s.

"Wind chill in the teens… as Sen John Fetterman (D-PA) arrives at Capitol in shorts," MacFarlane wrote on X.

There is nothing that says "dignity" better than an overweight, middle-aged man wearing shorts to a traditonal national ceremony like the swering in of an individual to the American presidency. Nor is there anything weird about that. No, nothing.

It's tempting to call Fetterman an imbecile but he's correct that Democrats writ large were not dignified and looked a little like children. He may or may not understand that Democrats were easily ridiculed precisely because most did not do what some were doing.  When a few members of the party- either party- do this while some do that, they are easily mocked or scorned* by the opposition and disparaged or dismissed* by traditional and mainstream* media. 

The party of serious and normal people must respond appropriately. That could mean sitting on their hands throughout the speech, though they may have to join Republicans in jumping up and applauding when Trump wraps himself (figuratively, hopefully) in the flag or religion. Perhaps they all need a placard with identical words. In any case, coordinate.

The Democratic Party is a coalition of whites, blacks, and other ethnic groups; men and women; stratight and un-straight persons; Christians, Jews, Muslims, and others; and- well, you get it. It's difficult to get all these individuals to do any one thing in unison. Nevertheless, they must do so because Donald Trump will tear them apart if they lack a coherent message. 

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