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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNancy Pelosi: "You always start with a feather, until you get to the sledgehammer."
As Trump prepared to cave on the shutdown, Pelosi revealed how she stands up to an obstinate president.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/01/nancy-pelosi-won-shutdown-trump.html
n other words, after shutting down part of the government for 35 days, Trump secured zero dollars for his proposed border wall. Pelosi and Schumer, who refused to negotiate on the wall, had won the standoff. The only spin that Trump could come up with, in announcing the deal at the White House, was that he had successfully impressed the importance of physical barriers upon congressional Democrats, dozens of whom had reached out to him saying they were ready to deal on the wall. That may or may not be true. But he had to say something to save whatever face he could.
Hes going to claim victory whatever the outcome is, Pelosi had said at the roundtable. She pointed to a centerpiece of flowers on the conference table. We could plant these flowers along the border, and [hed say], I got my wall.
It was Pelosi on Friday who actually got to claim credit for the victory. In another world, a Democratic leader might have grown antsy after a couple of weeks (or days) of the shutdown, delivered the president a chunk of his signature policy, and then watched, upon the next funding deadline, as the president chose to shut down the government again to get the next chunk. Instead, Pelosi trusted public opinion surveys that showed the president earning most of the blame for the shutdown, and waited for Republicans to break under the stress of an unsustainable position. It was a strategy born from experience, an experience that some House Democrats, in the days after the election, thought they didnt really need or wasnt worth the baggage.
Pelosi spent much of the shutdown waiting patiently for the presidents cave, but occasionally took to the offense. On Friday she explained how she thought through her plan to block Trump from delivering the State of the Union during a shutdown: You always start with a feather, until you get to the sledgehammer.
Autumn
(45,107 posts)OMGWTF
(3,959 posts)Autumn
(45,107 posts)I don't believe that will ever happen. Trump would resign and Pence would take over.
docgee
(870 posts)ananda
(28,866 posts)nt
Response to docgee (Reply #20)
Autumn This message was self-deleted by its author.
Autumn
(45,107 posts)barbtries
(28,799 posts)who knows? i could live with that, but she is undoubtedly the best person for the job she has right now.
dalton99a
(81,515 posts)Squinch
(50,955 posts)slate? That "may or may not be true?"
They should be ashamed of themselves and pilloried for that statement. I'm so sick of the press treating that imbecile with kid gloves.
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,349 posts)Without concrete evidence, we can't tell if any or "dozens" of Democrats reached out to Trumputin. It's almost a given that there are Democrats somewhere in the country who thought $5.7 billion would be a reasonable trade-off to get the government opened. For all we know, there could have been some playing the trumpet.
It is noteworthy that the press can't say they did. Consider how stressful this shutdown was, being the longest ever, and yet the press cannot report that "dozens of Democrats" reached out to Trump in support of his wall. The herd of cats who count stood firmly together.
That's remarkable.
Squinch
(50,955 posts)They couldn't have said something like, "This claim is highly unlikely and no congressional Democrats other than Manchin have expressed support for the wall." Instead they had to make it sound as if it was equally likely to be true as false.
Ridiculous.
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,349 posts)I thought it was generic, but it's right there in the article.
The author could reasonably have said, "There is no evidence that this is true", given Trump's history and observable facts regarding the Democrats in Congress.
barbtries
(28,799 posts)name names or call it for what it is, another bald faced lie trump pulled out of his ass.
NoMoreRepugs
(9,435 posts)The new standard of journalism in Faux News influenced America. No matter how dubious, it gets thrown against the wall to see if it sticks.
watoos
(7,142 posts)ginnyinWI
(17,276 posts)She did not crumble under pressure and give him even part of what he wanted. If she had, he'd have thought, aha! now I know how to get what I want! And shut down government again and again.
Thanks to Speaker Pelosi and her spine, he's learned another lesson.
Kitchari
(2,166 posts)From our capable and smart Madam Speaker
Crutchez_CuiBono
(7,725 posts)You too>>>
luvtheGWN
(1,336 posts)was supposed to have accompanied Mrs. Pelosi if she were to attain the Speakership?
Sounds like a bit of bias on the part of the Slate writer......
paleotn
(17,931 posts)A real Rethuglican bugaboo. The epitome of "evil" and fear in Rethuglican hearts. Right wing media types have made a whole industry out of tying various Democrats to Pelosi in order to damage them in the minds of the general populace of red state land.
MaryMagdaline
(6,855 posts)time for the dust heap
adding to your
emulatorloo
(44,131 posts)But shes post-menopausal and we need fresh blood <sarcasm>
MaryMagdaline
(6,855 posts)Lonestarblue
(10,011 posts)He is flummoxed by a smart woman who refuses to be intimidated by his tactics. She doesnt scream or throw tantrums the way he does; rather, she calmly and professionally states her points. Shes good at reading his mind (hes actually fairly predictable because hell always choose the most damaging option) and planning how to outmaneuver him. Now the Democrats just need to hold firm and never deliver money for his wall.
FakeNoose
(32,645 posts)She leads from strength and she's too smart to lower herself to his level or fall for his tactics.
That's why I love Nancy Pelosi, and why she's the leader we need in the House right now.
paleotn
(17,931 posts)Hopefully the naysayers are finally convinced of her abilities.
Nitram
(22,822 posts)Then all he's got left are his lame bluffs that everybody sees through by now.
Takket
(21,577 posts)That someone has stood up to him. Pelosi has been nothing less than heroic so far in her second Speaker stint.
stonecutter357
(12,697 posts)Bayard
(22,099 posts)With all the talk of tRump losing, caving, etc., I'm afraid it may hurt his ego bad enough to harden his resolve to declare an emergency.
But Pelosi rules! And looks damn good doing it.
Danascot
(4,690 posts)because hes all about revenge but I dont see another shut down or an emergency. He was stung too badly to risk another humiliating loss
plus the whole thing was a huge political disaster for the republicans.
I even think well be hearing a lot less about his stupid wall. Part of his precious base is furious at him for caving and failing to deliver on his promised wall. Whenever he mentions it, it will remind everyone of his failure and humiliation.
Hopefully a new series of indictments will keep him occupied in the foreseeable future.