This is the leadership we need right now
At the end of Donald Trump’s State of the Union address last night, Speaker Nancy Pelosi was seen slowly and deliberately tearing up her copy of his speech. When asked why she did so, the Speaker responded: “Because it was the courteous thing to do,” adding that it was “the courteous thing to do considering the alternative.” I can only assume the alternative would have been wadding it up and throwing it at him.
Before his speech on Tuesday, Trump (acting like a petulant child) ignored Pelosi’s outstretched hand, refusing even the simplest gesture of civility. I’m certain Pelosi had little desire to shake the hand of the man she impeached for betraying his oath of office, but (unlike Trump), Nancy Pelosi upholds the dignity of her office.
In his speech Tuesday night, Trump did what he always does – he made things up, he twisted facts to suit his needs and he flat out lied. Pelosi could have abandoned all sense of decorum like Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC) did during President Obama’s 2009 joint address to the house and senate and yelled out, “You lie!”, but she would never disgrace her office or this country by doing so. Instead, without words or drama, she simply tore it up.
Trump’s supporters are (of course) outraged with Pelosi for committing what they see as another attack on their beloved ruler (the first being his justifiable impeachment). They echo Trump’s mantra that no other president has ever been subjected to such disrespect (their memories as short as a list of Trump’s actual accomplishments). Some of Pelosi’s detractors on the left have called it a fruitless gesture.
While it’s true that Pelosi’s actions will not change the Senate vote to acquit, nor will it convince the GOP to hold Trump more accountable for his actions, quiet acts of defiance rarely have instantaneous measurable results. Nancy Pelosi wasn’t trying to do that; rather she was conveying simply and with a great deal of class and restraint that she will never sit idly by while Trump lies to congress and the American people. She will continue to challenge him, she will continue to hold him accountable for his actions. That is what a leader does, and make no mistake, Nancy Pelosi is a great leader.
