Tipsheet

Reports: House Dems Give Pelosi Standing Ovation for Ripping Up Her Copy of Trump's SOTU

In a startling resistance theater tantrum, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi famously tore up her copy of President Trump's State of the Union Address (which did not mention impeachment) upon its completion, while the president was still standing at the dais.  The move drew instant outrage from Trump supporters, and a fair amount of media criticism, as a thousand lefty online memes blossomed.  Asked why she engaged in the controversial act, Pelosi said it was the most "courteous" reaction she could think of, gratuitously adding a claim that didn't seem especially well thought-through:


I am not among those who are furious at Pelosi over this.  Sure, it was petty and disrespectful.  After these last few months in particular, her reputation as a brilliant manager of optics who gets under the president's skin without debasing herself has well and truly expired.  Granted, Trump supporters are in no position to lecture anyone on decorum and manners, but few can beat the president at his own 'fight ugly' game.  I also don't subscribe to the "she disrespected the troops!" line that quickly emerged on the Right; that's almost certainly not what was on her mind when she did what she did.  She basically just looked ridiculous, small and angry -- even more so when she shamelessly postured as a genuine seeker of bipartisanship literally minutes after ripping apart her manuscript of the president's remarks to the nation.  Sure, Trump appeared to have snubbed her handshake.  She also failed to introduce him with the typical honorifics.  Her unceremonious disposal of the document was simply the latest in a line of mutual nasty gestures.  But it sounds like her caucus loved it:

“He shredded the truth, so I shredded his speech,” Pelosi told House Democrats during a closed-door caucus meeting, according to sources in the room. Like she did the night before, she called his 90-minute address “a manifesto of mistruths."  “You are supposed to talk about the state of the union,” Pelosi continued, “not the state of your alleged mind.” Democrats, expressing support for Pelosi’s gesture, erupted in a standing ovation, lawmakers said. “She ripped it from top to bottom,” said Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), speaking metaphorically of Pelosi laying into Trump’s speech.

Meanwhile, voters appear to be having a rather different reaction:


One wonders how normal people watching at home may have felt as Democrats stubbornly refused to applaud unambiguously great news about the US economy:


Some wouldn't clap for anything, evidently:


As for Democrats sour-faced spin on the economy, I'll leave you with some thoughts on the president's effective speech and some relevant stats:


The entire Gallup poll contains mounds of welcome news for Team Trump.