Posted on 01/23/2019 8:51:39 AM PST by Kaslin
Last week was dominated with pettiness and silliness, as President Trump responded to Speaker Pelosi's cheap 'State of the Union' stunt with some retaliatory theater of his own. Pelosi hid behind the Secret Service and DHS to raise bogus "security concerns," only to insult those very public servants when they contradicted her unfounded sloppiness. Then Trump foraged about for a hammer with which to clobber Pelosi in return, settling on the abrupt cancelation of an overseas trip. But since that display of mutual childishness, the president has made two smart plays: First, he adopted a constructive tone and approach in putting a compromise deal on the table over the weekend, making Democrats' preemptive rejection look small and stubborn. Even the Washington Post editorial board is starting to question Pelosi's posture as this impasse enters its second month. Democrats may not have been able to sign onto the entirety of Trump's BRIDGE Act-for-barriers exchange (these likely poison pills, intentional or not, would have needed to be addressed regardless), but at least it was a real effort to move from 'no' to 'yes.'
Second, as Katie mentioned yesterday, Trump has decided to press ahead with next week's regularly-scheduled State of the Union address, essentially calling Pelosi's bluff. She's using the shutdown -- which she's taking zero realistic steps to end -- as a pretext to reschedule, but Trump is rightly pointing out that she extended the invitation for January 29th during the shutdown:
Nancy, I am still thinking about the State of the Union speech, there are so many options - including doing it as per your written offer (made during the Shutdown, security is no problem), and my written acceptance. While a contract is a contract, I’ll get back to you soon!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2019
That was Sunday. The White House forged ahead on Tuesday. Pelosi asked, Trump accepted, and now he's indicating that it's his intention to show up and give the speech as planned. This leaves Pelosi with two bad options: (1) Formally rescind the invitation and try to bar Trump from delivering the annual address inside the House chamber, as has become the longstanding tradition, or (2) back down, then devise some other method of undermining his message. The first route would represent an escalation of pettiness and an unusual breach of protocol -- neither of which may play terribly well with the public, especially against the backdrop of her staunch refusal to negotiate a compromise. The second route would look like a surrender, and would raise additional dilemmas about how to handle the resulting optics. Allahpundit sees pitfalls ahead:
If she attends she’ll be stuck sitting there silently with a camera trained on her while Trump blames her and Democrats for the shutdown. And it’ll be personally humiliating for her to have quasi-disinvited Trump from delivering the speech, had her bluff called, and then left with little choice but to dutifully attend and endure the speech anyway. So she probably won’t attend. But if she doesn’t, the empty chair in-frame over Trump’s shoulder while he makes his speech will reinforce all of the points he’s made about Democrats over the past month. They’re the ones who are being stubborn, not him. They hate him so much that they’ve let this become personal, illustrated by an unprecedented SOTU snub by the new Speaker. They’re so deep in the tank for illegals that they can’t stand to sit there and listen for an hour while he warns the country about the risks of crime from across the border. Bad optics either way...The likeliest scenario is that Democrats boycott the speech en masse, handing POTUS 72 solid hours of “Trump Derangement Syndrome” material about them in the aftermath.
AP also wonders whom the Democrats might hypothetically select to offer real-time counter-programming, assuming they wouldn't wait around for the typical post-SOTU response. A joint Pelosi/Schumer appearance didn't work out terribly well last time, and showing favoritism toward any of the 150 or so Congressional Democrats running for president would be an internal nightmare. Why not let AOC loose to rant about the 'immorality' of the existence of billionaires, inform voters that they're living in a hellish dystopia, and warn about the impending 2031 apocalypse? Perhaps she could offer additional commentary on her Democratic critics while she's at it. Come to think of it, maybe the Speaker is better off just grimacing her way through the presidential speech, for which she set the date and time earlier this month.
But what if Pelosi opts not to allow the requested SOTU walk-through, basically blocking Trump through bureaucratic and scheduling means? Does Trump take his motorcade down Pennsylvania Avenue, uninvited, and dare Pelosi to literally refuse him entry to the House chamber? Does she really want to risk that sort of ridiculous and totally unnecessary confrontation? I'll leave you with Mitch McConnell getting some extra mileage out of the WaPo editorial I linked above:
Senate to Vote this Week to Fund Border Security, GovernmentICYMI, The Washington Post Editorial board had this to say about Democrats’ outright refusal to negotiate. pic.twitter.com/nJ7XMjwEC9— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) January 22, 2019
she’s still pining for the fjords.
Trump’s resolve is wreaking havoc on his (and our) enemies. Exciting to see these repeated demonstrations of true leadership from him.
The “amateur” politician continually outmaneuvering the “professional” politicians.
That would be the worst thing they could do, it proves they will not work with Trump, that they will not negotiate to reopen government. It would only confirm that THEY are the problem, not the solution. Nope, they will have to take their medicine, sit thru it and scowl as Trump lands blow after blow on them.
Best possible outcome:
1. Pelosi declares Trump is still not invited.
2. President Trump calls the House into session for that date in accordance with his powers under Article 2, Section 3 of the Constitution: The President . . . “may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them”.
3. Democrats all boycott the session.
4. Republicans in Congress, instead of sitting still for a speech, use their session without democrats to pass all remaining funding bills in one vote, and they include $50B for the Wall. Then they listen to the speech.
5. Despite their nature, Republicans in the Senate pass the House bills with no changes, so POTUS can sign them into law.
6. President Trump builds the Wall.
I know it’s a fantasy and the GOPe would betray real Americans, but it’s a very pretty fantasy.
It's more likely he would have banned Trump.
They would and will. The Leftist revolution is well underway, and there will be assassinations AND executions aplently in the years just ahead.
The murderous scum from the south who are killing cops and civilians---children even---aren't unaware of the ongoing battle.
Only we are.
Make it so at the SOU.
Benson is openly gay
Has anyone seen RBG? Will she be there in the front row?
__________________________________________
They are scouring the internet for portable Life Support Machines now.
LOL. POTUS will come to the HOR to give the speech, and then liberal judges will come out of the wood works screaming he violated separation of powers. The House will start impeachment because POTUS gave the SOTU without Nancy’s permission. A novelist couldn’t create better satirical fiction...
The way I read article 2 Section 3, Sounds like constitution gives him some power over congress if he can just adjourn them at will...
he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper;
She’s gonna need a bigger Depends.
—
LOL!
Heh --- I like the cut of your jib!
Or President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Comacho.
She has reached a point in her life it’s time for her to be placed in a home.
Would be an interesting stand-off between Secret Service who can’t allow anyone to place a hand on the POTUS and the House Sergeant-At-Arms if she commands that Trump be physically presented from entering the room.
I bet she refuses to sit on the dais behind him and leaves an empty chair.
I wonder if the entire D caucus will boycott it?
It gets better by the minute.
Funny, I’m not tired of winning yet....
‘prevented’, obviously, not ‘presented’.
If Democrats are smart and live in the real world...the best and only thing they can do is to fire Nancy Pelosi as the House Speaker, and replace her with Democrat, Steny Hoyer, who has publicly stated he will welcome POTUS, Trump to the House Chamber to deliver his SOTU speech.
Action less than dumping Pelosi will give Trump a field day victory and a Pelosi gift to Trump that will keep giving its lunacy and madness, forever. I hope Pelosi hangs tough...what a show, as a major political party, Democrats, comes apart by the actions of its own hands!!! Go...Nancy, Nancy...throw POTUS, Trump from the House floor...do it, or shut up!!!
I bet she refuses to sit on the dais behind him and leaves an empty chair.
I wonder if the entire D caucus will boycott it?
more winning if they do ;)
Heh. No.
She purportedly voted (in the minority) in yesterday’s SCOTUS decision of transgenders in the military.
Brings a whole new meaning to “Out-of-sight, out-of-mind”.
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