Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHow Nancy Pelosi's Tactics Affirm the Trumpian Style of Politics
...The prevailing wisdom in the Democratic Party seems to be that good opposition politics is a very slow walk to impeachment, as performed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She has said that she is opposed to impeachment because it is divisive, and because Trump is just not worth it, and has reportedly said, behind closed doors, that impeachment is what Trump wants, because he expects to be exonerated by the Senate. Pelosi, the wisdom has it, is building a case for impeachment both in congressional inquiries and in her public feud with Trump: she provokes him in some waymost recently, by saying that he is engaged in a coverup, or by hoping aloud that someone close to Trump would stage an intervention for the good of the countryand he responds by performing Trump. In each case, as Politico put it, Trump handed Pelosi a huge gift, a priceless moment that helped unify the Democratic Caucus behind her at a crucial time.
...Still, the premise of the argument that Trump is digging his own grave by doing more Trump is that the amount of Trump we have observed since January, 2017, is not yet enough to take action. Pelosis coverup comment, which set Trump off on Wednesday, implies that something remaining to be uncovered can make a difference to our understanding of this Presidencythat the known facts are not enough to make Trumps continued Presidency inconceivable. Similarly, the idea that continued congressional hearings on Special Counsel Robert Muellers findings are necessary to build a case for impeachment suggests that a hundred and eighty-two pages documenting the Presidents efforts to obstruct the investigation are not enough. The purpose of these congressional hearings is not to systematize the evidencethat can be done in the course of impeachment proceedingsbut to give human faces and voices to the Mueller report, and to goad Trump into obstructing oversight in plain view. The pragmatics are creating political momentum that might make it more difficult for Senate Republicans to resist impeachment. But the logic is that the public must be shown how unfit Trump is to be President. As though the public hasnt seen enoughas though, indeed, what the public has seen so far is a Presidency that we can live with.
Worse, Pelosis tactics, apparently designed to expose Trumps unfitness, affirm the Trumpian style of politics: vulgar, cruel, and value-free. Pelosi has become Trumps personal troll. She played the part during the State of the Union address, when she applauded Trump the way one might applaud a lying, cheating, attention-hogging teen-ager: arms straight, head cocked, her entire being projecting insincerity. She played the part after she taunted the President following his tantrum, suggesting that he suffered from a lack of confidence, and again, on Thursday, with her intervention comments. Most of the mainstream media have followed with horse-race-style coverage, calling each step of the feud for Pelosi.
In a world where trolling is politics, Pelosi is winning. Politico praises her for being so good at infuriating Trump. CNN delights in Trump taking Nancy Pelosis bait. The Trumpification of American politics is being perpetrated by bipartisan consensus. Pelosi, and an apparent majority of Democratic Washington, seem to think this is preferable to an attempt at impeachment that is likely to be thwarted by Senate Republicans. Failure, in other words, is unacceptable, but thisthe flagrant dysfunction, the trivialization of all that used to be politics, the spectacle of daily national shameis acceptable. Trump will be gone someday, but the possibilities that Trumpism has created will remain.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/how-nancy-pelosis-tactics-affirm-the-trumpian-style-of-politics
...Still, the premise of the argument that Trump is digging his own grave by doing more Trump is that the amount of Trump we have observed since January, 2017, is not yet enough to take action. Pelosis coverup comment, which set Trump off on Wednesday, implies that something remaining to be uncovered can make a difference to our understanding of this Presidencythat the known facts are not enough to make Trumps continued Presidency inconceivable. Similarly, the idea that continued congressional hearings on Special Counsel Robert Muellers findings are necessary to build a case for impeachment suggests that a hundred and eighty-two pages documenting the Presidents efforts to obstruct the investigation are not enough. The purpose of these congressional hearings is not to systematize the evidencethat can be done in the course of impeachment proceedingsbut to give human faces and voices to the Mueller report, and to goad Trump into obstructing oversight in plain view. The pragmatics are creating political momentum that might make it more difficult for Senate Republicans to resist impeachment. But the logic is that the public must be shown how unfit Trump is to be President. As though the public hasnt seen enoughas though, indeed, what the public has seen so far is a Presidency that we can live with.
Worse, Pelosis tactics, apparently designed to expose Trumps unfitness, affirm the Trumpian style of politics: vulgar, cruel, and value-free. Pelosi has become Trumps personal troll. She played the part during the State of the Union address, when she applauded Trump the way one might applaud a lying, cheating, attention-hogging teen-ager: arms straight, head cocked, her entire being projecting insincerity. She played the part after she taunted the President following his tantrum, suggesting that he suffered from a lack of confidence, and again, on Thursday, with her intervention comments. Most of the mainstream media have followed with horse-race-style coverage, calling each step of the feud for Pelosi.
In a world where trolling is politics, Pelosi is winning. Politico praises her for being so good at infuriating Trump. CNN delights in Trump taking Nancy Pelosis bait. The Trumpification of American politics is being perpetrated by bipartisan consensus. Pelosi, and an apparent majority of Democratic Washington, seem to think this is preferable to an attempt at impeachment that is likely to be thwarted by Senate Republicans. Failure, in other words, is unacceptable, but thisthe flagrant dysfunction, the trivialization of all that used to be politics, the spectacle of daily national shameis acceptable. Trump will be gone someday, but the possibilities that Trumpism has created will remain.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/how-nancy-pelosis-tactics-affirm-the-trumpian-style-of-politics
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
4 replies, 1065 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (3)
ReplyReply to this post
4 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
How Nancy Pelosi's Tactics Affirm the Trumpian Style of Politics (Original Post)
BeyondGeography
May 2019
OP
hlthe2b
(102,579 posts)1. Too much and she will risk this. The article's author clearly does not distinguish between dealing
with a 'normal' human and a malignant narcissist. Arguably there is a big difference. I'd like to hear from knowledgable psychiatrists on this tactic and its consequences...
BeyondGeography
(39,399 posts)2. Not an easy situation but what did we "win" last week?
Trump followed up his supposed schooling by Pelosi by retweeting that doctored video and his crowd went wild. Then he tweets from Japan that leaders there agree with him that Democrats want to see America fail. Advantage Pelosi?
hlthe2b
(102,579 posts)3. and what evidence is there that he would not have done that regardless?
BeyondGeography
(39,399 posts)4. None, per the column we're never going to out-troll him