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The “Liberated” Pelosi Should Now Step Down As Speaker

Below is my column in the Hill newspaper on the controversial conduct of Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the State of the Union this week. Pelosi broke with tradition on three points: changing the greeting for the President, making demonstrations of criticism from the Speaker’s chair, and ripping up the address in protest. I previously called upon Pelosi to apologize and commit to maintaining decades of tradition for the Speaker to be neutral in the State of the Union to represent the House as a whole — Republicans and Democrats. Pelosi yesterday however doubled down and declared her protests to be perfectly appropriate and liberating. Her declaration of being “liberated” is itself both confirmatory and chilling. She liberated herself from traditions of neutrality that extends back centuries to the English Parliament.

Now liberating from rules and tradition, Pelosi is free to convert the Speakership into a more partisan role at the SOTU, including the use of the position to mock, troll, or taunt a president addressing both houses. I have joined others in criticizing Trump’s failure to shake the hand of Pelosi and his highly inappropriate comments yesterday questioning Pelosi’s and Romney’s faith. However, that does not give Pelosi license to violate this important and unbroken tradition as Speaker at the State of the Union. Indeed, the silence of Democratic members in the face of Pelosi shattering decades of tradition is equally shocking. In remaining silent, Democrats of both houses have lost any moral high ground.

Here is the column:

The House has its share of infamies, great and small, real and symbolic, and has been the scene of personal infamies from brawls to canings. But the conduct of Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the State of the Union address this week will go down as a day of infamy for the chamber as an institution. It has long been a tradition for House speakers to remain stoic and neutral in listening to the address. However, Pelosi seemed to be intent on mocking President Trump from behind his back with sophomoric facial grimaces and head shaking, culminating in her ripping up a copy of his address.

Her drop the mic moment will have a lasting impact on the House. While many will celebrate her trolling of the president, she tore up something far more important than a speech. Pelosi has shredded decades of tradition, decorum and civility that the nation could use now more than ever. The House speaker is more than a political partisan, particularly when carrying out functions such as the State of the Union address. A president appears in the House as a guest of both chambers of Congress. The House speaker represents not her party or herself but the entirety of the chamber. At that moment, she must transcend her own political ambitions and loyalties.

Tensions for this address were high. The House impeachment managers sat as a group in front of the president as a reminder of the ongoing trial. That can be excused as a silent but pointed message from the Democrats. Trump hardly covered himself with glory by not shaking hands with Pelosi. I also strongly disliked elements of his address which bordered on “check under your seat” moments, and the awarding of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of Freedom inside the House gallery like a Mardi Gras bead toss. However, if Trump made the State of the Union look like Oprah, then Pelosi made it look like Jerry Springer.

What followed was an utter disgrace. First, Pelosi dropped the traditional greeting before the start of the address, “Members of Congress, I have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the president of the United States.” Instead, she simply announced, “Members of Congress, the president of the United States.” It was extremely petty and profoundly inappropriate. Putting aside the fact that this is not her tradition, but that of the House, it is no excuse to note that the president was impeached.

Such an indignity was not imposed on President Clinton during his own impeachment proceeding, and anyone respecting due process would note that Trump has been accused, not convicted, at this point in the constitutional process. Pelosi proceeded to repeatedly shake her head, mouth words to others, and visibly disagree with the address. It was like some distempered distracting performance art behind the president.

My revulsion over this has nothing to do with impeachment. Six years ago, I wrote a column denouncing Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito for mouthing the words “not true” when President Obama used his address to criticize the court for its decision in the Citizens United case. I considered his response to be a disgrace and wrote a column criticizing Chief Justice John Roberts for not publicly chastising Alito for breach of tradition. Instead, Roberts seemed to defend Alito in criticizing Obama for his “very troubling” language and saying that it was unfair to criticize the court when the justices, “according to the requirements of protocol,” have “to sit there expressionless.” That was not unfair. That was being judicious.

I also wrote a column denouncing Republican Representative Joe Wilson, who shouted “you lie!” at Obama during his State of the Union address in 2009. Wilson should have been severely sanctioned for that breach. When I wrote those columns, I had never imagined that a House speaker would engage in conduct far in excess of those controversies. After all, House speakers often have been required to sit through addresses they despised from presidents of the opposing party. The House speaker is third in line of succession to the presidency and the representative of the chamber as a whole. She is not some Sinead O’Connor ripping up a photograph of the pope on “Saturday Night Live” while shouting aloud “fight the real enemy!”

Pelosi, like her predecessors, is supposed to remain stone faced during the address even if the president leaves her personally enraged. Indeed, House speakers have been the authority who kept other members in silent deference and respect, if not to the president, then to the office. However, Pelosi appeared to goad the mob, like a high schooler making mad little faces behind the school principal at an assembly. It worked as members protested and interrupted Trump. Pelosi became another Democratic leader, little more than a twitching embodiment of this age of rage.

This is not to suggest that the House has always listened to its better angels. More than 180 years ago, a confrontation between Democratic Representative Jonathan Cilley and Whig Representative William Graves led to a duel over what Graves viewed as a slight on the House floor. In February 1838, the two decided to meet in Maryland for a duel with rifles, and Graves killed Cilley after both missed each other twice. In response, the House quickly pushed forward antidueling legislation in Congress.

Pelosi has demolished decades of tradition with this poorly considered moment. Of course, many will celebrate her conduct and be thrilled by the insult to Trump. However, even those of us who disagree with his policies should consider what Pelosi destroyed in her moment of rage. She shredded the pretense of governing with civility and dignity in the House. Notably, she did not wait to rip up her copy of the speech until after she left the House floor. Pelosi wanted to do it at the end of the speech, in front of the camera, with the president still in the chamber.

That act was more important to Pelosi than preserving the tradition of her office. In doing so, she forfeited the right to occupy that office. If Pelosi cannot maintain the dignity and neutrality of her office at the State of the Union, she should resign as the speaker of the House of Representatives.

Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law for George Washington University and served as the last lead counsel during a Senate impeachment trial. He testified as a witness expert in the House Judiciary Committee hearing during the impeachment inquiry of President Trump.

196 thoughts on “The “Liberated” Pelosi Should Now Step Down As Speaker”

  1. This is your second column in as many days about Speaker Pelosi. Why the obsession? You say her conduct in mocking Trump “will go down as a day of infamy”. I thought this phrase was reserved for Dec. 7, 1941. I guess not. Personally, the breaking point for me was when Trump presented the “Presidential Medal of Freedom” award to Rush Limbaugh. The award is given “for especially meritorious contributions to (1) the security or national interests of the US, or (2) world peace, or (3) cultural or other significant public or private endeavors” Typically, the award has been given for contributions in the arts, dance, film, theater, literature and music. Limbaugh doesn’t qualify under any of this criteria. Limbaugh is a racist and xenophobic radio commentator who has referred to President Obama as “more African in his roots than he is American”. Limbaugh has said slavery “had its merits for having built the South”. He has called Mexican immigrants as “stupid and unskilled”. No doubt Trump gave the award to Limbaugh only to firm up his white nationalist voting base. Now that was a moment that “will go down as a day of infamy”. But Speaker remained “neutral” so what are you complaining about? Had I been in the House chamber that is the moment I would have stood up, torn up my copy of Trump’s address and walked out. An avowed racist does not deserve the “Presidential Medal of Freedom”!

    1. And Biden got the medal of freedom from Obama for what? Plagarism? Sucking off the taxpayers for 45 years? Enriching himself and his family. give me a break. Get off your high horse. Limbaught deserved it as he represents freedom of speach and contributions to charity. You didnt see Obama donating his salary to charity and you rarely if ever hear of a democrat donating to chartity

    2. “Typically, the award has been given for contributions in the arts, dance, film, theater, literature and music”

      Seems as though you left out a few “categories” for which the medal is awarded, including Arts (Architecture, Dance, Film & theater, Literature. Music and Photography), Business and economics, Computing, Education, History, Humanitarian, Law (Attorneys and judges), Supreme Court justices, Media (Journalism, Radio and Television), Medicine, Military, Philanthropy, Philosophy, Politics and government (including Activism, Diplomacy, Environmentalism, Intelligence, Foreign statesmen and stateswomen, U.S. Cabinet members, U.S. first ladies, Members of the U.S. Congress, Presidents of the United Sta. tes, Vice Presidents of the United States and Other political figures), Religion, Science, Space exploration, and Sports

      The above list seems to me to be a bit more encompassing than “arts, dance, film, theater, literature and music,” doesn’t it?

      Barack Obama awarded 123 medals, the most ever.

    3. Who is the hater?
      Who is the racist?
      White Nationalist?
      Just because an American loves their country.
      Who calls out skin color?
      You did.
      Typical Democrat.
      Scourge of America!

    4. Pelosi is a sick, skanky, toxic swine who threatens democracy like the oozing sores of a bad STD. The sooner we are rid of this evil presence in our democracy, the better off the nation will be. And you’re a sick pick for defending her.

  4. Absurd XIX, I think it was also Hugh Sidey who JFK summoned into his office to chew him out about an article he wrote.
    In it, Sidey wrote that Bobby Kennedy was the second most powerful man in America ( which was true, but it irked JFK that Sidey put that in his article).
    He was furious, and called up Bobby and asked him ” how does it feel to be the second most powerful man in the government?”
    Sidey said Bobby hestitated for several seconds, then asked “Who’s Number One?”

      1. 81-86% is a B. Most people consider that pretty good. Yes, Elvis, a lot more can be said on the subject but he was making a point that had to be made within a short time frame and was already on the outer limits of time. You, however, have the opportunity to fill in what you feel was left out.

  7. Pelosi has already agreed to step down by 2022, so it won’t be long.

    Maybe Trump should “step down” for turning the SOTU address into a reality show, among other things, but time flies and he too will be gone by 2024, if not sooner.

    1. He was just stating FACTS and acknowledging those that have done great things for our country. If you don’t like it, you are free to go to another country. Please do.

      1. “If you don’t like it, you are free to go to another country. Please do.”

        Said like a perfect little authoritarian.

        What a joke of a comment.

    3. But when Obama did the “reality” with illegal aliens and other “victims” it was OK?

  8. Someone tell Nancy that the constitution isn’t stored there. She has the sads over coup FAIL. The kulak deplorable untermenschen out in flyover land are not represented by the high IQ urbane sophisticated Twitterati and don’t hate Trump or America.

    1. He currently works as a social worker for the San Francisco Unified School District. On social media, he expresses support for left-wing revolutions.

      What a peach. Of course he would never allow his personal convictions to influence the young minds in his care. {sarc off}

  10. If Rush Limbaugh qualifies for the Medal Of Freedom, then surely Howard Stern should get one.

    At analogical reasoning, you’re a failure. You’d get more respect if you didn’t say blatantly stupid things.

    The Medal of Freedom has been awarded to the likes of Gloria Steinem, Joseph Lowery, Maya Angelou, Harvey Milk, Joseph Biden, Ted Kennedy, Angela Merkel, and Mary Robinson. You want to claim it’s been debased, you’re late to the party.

  11. How sad it must be for Trump supporters to believe that scientists, scholars, historians, economists, and journalists have devoted their lives to deceiving you, while a reality tv star with decades of fraud and exhaustively documented lying is your only beacon of truth and honesty.

    1. Fishwings, Trump’s presidency has created an atmosphere that can be be distilled into this simple phrase: ‘The truth is a lie and lies are the truth”.

    2. “How sad it must be for Trump supporters ”

      Not sad at all when one looks at the economy and how much better the US is under his administration. That is something you can’t deal with.

        1. Also true of JFK, FDR, and a number of other presidents who were born into wealth.
          And there’s always been the nitpickers like Fishwings who will try to make that a black mark or some sort of disqualifier for a presidency.

          1. No, the point was he was born on third base and he told everybody, he hit a triple. Also, the numbers don’t lie, the last 3 years of Obama, job growth was higher that Trump’s first 3. Trump got a good hand dealt to him.

            1. Fishy — Trump is to be admired for what he did with the opportunities he was given. Most of us would rather see a POTUS who was a succesful businessman before he came into office, rather than a complete nobody, with nothing to show for his life but some part time law lecturing who learned the ropes through corrupt Chicago politics and who is now on his way to becoming a billionaire living lifestyles of the rich and famous BECAUSE of his short stint in “public service.”

              People like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and others, who BECOME filthy rich as politicians are disgusting to most hardworking Americans.

              PS And no, this is not Barack Obama’s economy.

                1. We are losing revenue at the Washingmachine Putz and we couldnt survive if not for the richest billionaire in the world for shaking down our employees and paying them less than Walmart workers. This is to say we do appreciate you visiting our website though because no one supports our lying POS rag as much as you do.

                  We thank you for your support

                2. Peter – Biden is doing the same and I am sure that Obama is stiffing us for his SS staff.

            2. No, the point was he was born on third base and he told everybody, he hit a triple.

              The one-liner was lame when the useless Jim Hightower came up with it a generation ago. You need to replace your lame one-liners on a more rapid cycle.

              While we’re at it, in Trump’s case, your lame one-liner is false. It was false when it was first deployed against George Bush the Elder

              1. Absurd XIX,
                I thought that Fishwings was plagiarizing Maddow, but it turns out that they were both plagiarizing Hightower.
                George H.B. Bush wasn’t born as a combat pilot who flew 60 missions in WWII. He signed up for the Navy immediately after graduation from high school, and became the youngest Navy pilot at the time he got his wings.
                It was just 6 months after Pearl Harbor that he turned 18 and joined up; he could have delayed serving in the war, possibly could have avoided it altogether.
                After WWII, he enrolled at Yale and became a star athlete. He wasn’t born on third base to make the baseball team; be earned his position as a starter ( first base) like everyone else.
                I wasn’t aware that Hightower was the first to use that “born on first base” stuff. I remember Ann Richard mouthing off at that same anti- Bush, pro Dukakis rally.
                I don’t think either Hightower or Richards managed to match Bush’s war record or his achievements as an athlete.
                He also had connections in the Northeast that would have guaranteed him a lucrative professional
                in the banking/investment industry, but instead he went out on his own, moved to Texas and built a successful career in the oil industry.
                Most people were not familiar with Bush’s biography until 1988, when he was about 65 and running for president. He was the type of guy who seemed to be embarrassed about bragging on his achievements, but I think in the 1988 campaign he decided to fight back against the “born with a silver spoon in his mouth”, “born on third base”, and the unfair “wimp” characterizations.
                Not being a native-born Texan and as someone who spoke in a low key manner, he wasn’t as likely as people like Ann Richards and Hightower to shoot
                his mouth off when they didn’t know what they were talking about at political rallies.

                1. You got it. Richards’ line was ‘Poor George. He can’t help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth’.

                  Hightower is a childless bachelor who has bounced between politics and political journalism for fifty-odd years. His career peak was his tour as the elected Commissioner of Agriculture in Texas. He was voted out of office in 1990. He spent no time in the military.

                  1. Bush 41 and Gerald Ford were probably the two best athletes of all of the presidents.
                    Ford was a star football player and had offers from pro teams. Instead, he went to law school at Yale and ended up in the top 25% of his class.
                    His stumbles, captured on camera, were likely due to old football injuries. The comedians and the press had a field day with that, and created an inaccurate image of him as a clumsy guy.

            3. Lol. Obama job growth recovery slowest in history. Too funny. Remember Obama told everyone to get used to 1% growth? He said this little growth was the New America. Lol. Kiss off leftists

            4. No, the point was that Fishwings was singling out Trump as someone born into a wealthy family, when in fact that has been true of a number of presidents.
              It was and it is no secret that Fred Trump had extensive real estate holdings ( although of a different type than what Donald Trump developed).

            5. Wages were falling in the last months of the Obama administration (per BLS)

        2. Trump is a remarkable guy and has done some remarkable things. It is true his dad had money but that money isn’t key to his success. I guess Fishwings, you have developed a low opinion of yourself and perhaps that feeling is justified. It sounds like you feel that a rich father would have made you successful. A lot of rich trust fund babies lose their money.

        3. And the community organizer Hope and Change redistribution of wealth guy owns a 12.5 million dollar mansion in Martha’s vineyard. Dreams of my father?

    3. How sad it must be for Trump supporters to believe that scientists, scholars, historians, economists, and journalists have devoted their lives to deceiving you…

      What’s sad is that you would believe no one in those careers are Trump supporters.

      What supporters of this President actually believe is deception is an inherent human condition. We don’t laze about waiting to be told what to think. We take information and then we endeavor to determine it’s truth, by objective, provable facts. We also don’t dwell on the inconsequential political misrepresentations uttered by every politician.

      You have been abysmally wrong on nearly everything you post. Normal people, those that actually have use of both halves of their brain, will self-correct. You haven’t adjusted once. As long as you continue to live your life under self-incurred tutelage [Kant}, you and your cohorts will remain unenlightened and ill-equipped for our civil society.

      1. “we endeavor to determine it’s truth, by objective, provable facts” Really? Truth isn’t truth under your impeached President. Alternative facts are also the norm under your impeached President. Trump calls himself the chosen one, a very stable genius, and you accept that? You don’t have to wait to be told what to think, because you don’t.

        1. Trump calls himself the chosen one, a very stable genius, and you accept that?

          Once again: We also don’t dwell on the inconsequential political misrepresentations uttered by every politician. The keyword is inconsequential. As in not important, not significant, irrelevant.

        2. i absolutely believe he is a very stable genius. i will say why.

          before he was president, i thought he was just clever
          now i can see he is not only supremely cunning, but a genius, absolutely.

          as for stability, obvious. then again a lot of politicians are really stable.

          I can barely make a speech to a roomful of 50 people without sweating profusely and not sleeping the night before.
          guys like trump who can weather the slings and arrows, or guys like Obama, same thing, they’re different from average schmucks like me. definitely the guy is highly stable. super resistant to OJT stress.

          when you look at American presidents, they are all pretty much super stable, I am not aware of any exceptions.

          they are almost of them, good fibbers, too. Trump is in good company with all which came before him in that way also

          1. when you look at American presidents, they are all pretty much super stable, I am not aware of any exceptions.

            You’re not giving it much thought. See Henry Kissinger’s precis of how to deal with Richard Nixon. Go back to your office, let him cool off, and then he’ll recall you and countermand whatever crazy thing he told you to do. Kissinger by one account thought the Watergate imbroglio was the issue of staff members who executed his instructions without waiting for the revisions.

            Or think about Lyndon Johnson chasing Hugh Sidey around a desk bellowing: “you’re nothing but a goddamn whore for the Republican Party!”.

            Or think about Kennedy bedding down Mimi Alford and then passing her on to his aide Dave Powers.

        3. Trump was acquitted and those that think your way are generally those that believe an innocent person is guilty until he proves himself innocent. That demonstrates a lack of knowledge about the laws of the nation you live in. Doesn’t say much for your education.

    4. How sad it must be for Trump supporters to believe that scientists, scholars, historians, economists, and journalists have devoted their lives to deceiving you, while a reality tv star with decades of fraud and exhaustively documented lying is your only beacon of truth and honesty.

      Instead of being a snotty ignoramus, you might just review who has been awarded the Medal. They’re sorted into categories. This isn’t that difficult.

    5. Still the best President. More jobs, more income, lower taxes, lower crime, less wars, more GDP. The list goes on. It is a shame that so many continue to be brainwashed by the main stream media – which is part of the DNC.

  12. Can’t say I agree she should step down. I will agree to it being a bit on the childish side. I feel for her, she IS actually dealing with a child. Inundation in such ecospheres can lead to a breakdown no matter how girded one may be going in.

    Look at Trump at a prayer breakfast and in the East Room yesterday. That’s what she’s dealing with. I’ll forgive her a bit of frustration.

        1. You never grabbed me that way but you did grab Jim by the ass and then Dick and then Harry

      2. Trump loses the popular vote by 5 million this time around. He could still pull off an electoral college win.

            1. I think these odds are from January, and they show Mayor Buttigag’s odds declining (from a 1-in-6 odds to 1-9 odds).

            2. Curious what a Klobuchar/Pete ticket would do. Prosecutor/soldier vs. financial criminal/draft dodger theme.

        2. Trump loses the popular vote by 5 million this time
          __________________________________________
          Might be even more than that but he will definitely win the electoral college and maybe by an even bigger margin than last time.

          The Democrats seem to be working overtime to get Trump elected. Iowa is probably going to Trump now that they have screwed things up badly there. Getting more people to vote against trump in CA and NY is not going to hurt trump.

          1. But chipping away at that PA, MI, WI 80 grand is where it all comes down. Oddly enough, a ticket with Klobuchar gets there.

        4. Yes, Elvis….the popular vote is easy to rig…not so, the electoral college. Which is why the Dims want to get rid of it.

  13. Important and informative Update on Coranavirus by Dr Anthony Fauci, MD, Director of the NIH’s National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases

  14. Two ways to go. both good choices. The phony party meaning Socialists aka Democrats can eject her from the Speakers chair and also from the House of Representatives the first female Adam Clayton Powell. Except she would probably take that hug chest of money made selling seats on committees and committee chairs. And the 40 SF Billionaires might vote her right back into office

    The Reps both parties could eject her as another choice BUT

    The best choice is a modified keep her as a Rep but with no committee assignments and no floor time for speeches. Keep her seat and give her Chair of some committee to ensure she keeps helping world rid itself of another cell of the socialist party.. the DNC.

    1. Pelosi has failed. I am sure they would like to replace her with Kamala Harris who got a ton of money from California billionaires. Kamala did not do very well for POTUS but she will not be disappearing from the scene. In 10 years she may be where Pelosi is today

      1. Mr. Kurtz,
        I don’t see Sen. Harris stepping down to become the House Speaker, and she would not be my first choice anyway.
        I’d like to see Rep. Mad Max Waters replace Pelosi; it’d be worth it just for the sheer entertainment value.

  15. Turley Admits Farce Was Trump’s, But Singles-Out Pelosi

    From The Column:

    “I also strongly disliked elements of his address which bordered on “check under your seat” moments, and the awarding of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of Freedom inside the House gallery like a Mardi Gras bead toss”.
    ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

    The Presidential Medal Of Freedom is intended for Americans who made great contributions to this country. People who fought heroically for great causes, sacrificed for common good, or enriched the nation with innovations to technology or the arts. But Rush Limbaugh has been a force of destruction!

    Rush Limbaugh, more than any one individual, is responsible for the dangerously polarized state of America today. For decades Limbaugh has used racist and sexist humor as staples of his program while promoting reams of false information. If there was a medal for undermining the very fabric of America, Limbaugh would be most-deserving.

    If Rush Limbaugh qualifies for the Medal Of Freedom, then surely Howard Stern should get one. Limbaugh, like Stern, began his career as a so-called “Shock Jock”. And that’s all Limbaugh ever was; a ‘Shock Jock” fighting the Culture Wars. A large segment of this country hates Limbaugh with a passion. His cancer announcement was actually hailed with glee on my Facebook stream; which speaks volumes for Limbaugh’s legacy.

    And one should note that Limbaugh has gone on record as belittling studies linking tobacco and cancer. The effects of Second-Hand Smoke has been a target of Limbaugh’s. Limbaugh led the charge against Obamacare which has been a god-send to cancer patients. Therefore it’s not surprising that a large segment of the nation is actually delighted by Limbaugh’s diagnosis. That’s a sad commentary on his life’s ‘contribution’.

    Regarding Obamacare one must note that Trump uttered the most colossal of lies during his address. Trump claimed he’s fighting for pre-existing health condition coverage when just the opposite is true. Trump has been trying to destroy Obamacare since Day # 1 of his presidency. Pre-existing coverage is written into law only ‘because’ of Obamacare! Trump’s blatant lie on this issue alone justified Pelosi’s ripping of the script.

    Since the impeachment began, Professor Turley has clearly cast his lot with Trump. He is as partisan as any Republican senator. And this is the second day in a row where Turely has singled-out Pelosi while ignoring Trump. Does Turley have nothing to write about Trump’s unhinged speech yesterday? For an hour Trump went on issuing not-so-subtle threats to everyone he perceives as an enemy. It was a shocking performance for a sitting president and doesn’t bode well for the country.

    1. Rush Limbaugh does not even come close to racist. I don’t know what planet you are on. Perhaps you have never known some real racists. Trust me I have and they consider Rush to be the very sort who stands in the way of resolving race relations with extreme systematic violence.

      I could give you a reading syllabus to prove my point. Oh, I’ll just give you one. Fascism by Roger Griffin. I have recommended him before. He’s perhaps the only academic alive worth reading on the topic and he understands it a thousand times better than the garden variety loser associate prof teaching poli sci.

      Or you could see how the nazi regime marginalized conservatives in Germany after the seizure of power. The thinking was essentially the same, that conservatives will sap and dissipate the mass social energy necessary to make a deep and radical change from existing trends.

      But you don’t really believe half the stuff you say, you’re just following the game-book of criticizing everything that Trump does, regardless.

      Of course you guys are used to calling everybody to the left of Biden a racist anyhow and it seems they called Biden a racist plenty of times too. Racist is a word that is so overly used in America it’s become practically meaningless.

      1. Kurtz if one just casually looks around one will note that this is not a racist country though some racism exists. If we want to continue to reduce racism we have deal with people like Peter whose actions and beliefs are a major cause of the residual racism that exists in this country.

    2. Oh puhleeze… the medals are given routinely to actors all the time… what do they contribute in terms of sacrifice or innovative technology? Just get over it. There are many of these recipients that I could not begin to understand how they received them, but it’s the president’s prerogative to given them to whom he chooses.

      1. New Yorker Highlight’s Limbaugh’s Racist Legacy

        More social fictions from you. Always an education.

      2. I read it. boring, tepid stuff. If he was going to qualify as a real racist, instead of just a conservative, he would have had to try a lot harder than that.

        if you are laboring under the common presumption in your circles that conservatives are just covert racists, then you are not understanding the word racist in any meaningful way. this is a question more of terminology and perspective rather than Rush’s own particulars however

        people are so befuddled about what constitutes a healthy ethnocentrism which is a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a deep seated irrational race-hatred. the more educated a person is the more befuddled they are.

        the most unfair and unreasonable implicit assumption of American liberals is that a white person can’t have any level of natural ethnocentrism at all, without it being “bad.” Ie, racist.
        ‘
        For my part, I am ethnocentric, to a degree. The degree matters. it is a matter of moderation. Some heat bakes bread, too much burns it. white people can have a healthy level of respect for their ancestors and their own kind just as much as blacks or mexicans or chinese.

        and in America, most white people are so distant from the European nationalities which made up their mixed ancestry, that we can’t realistically call ourselves Italians or Irish or Germans. We are mostly stuck with just being white.

        And that is relentlessly punished, scorned and insulted by the ivory tower of academia, hollywood, and the mass media.

        So there are excessive reactions at the edges. Rush was nowhere near the edges. He was a typical white conservative. He barely even registers as ethnocentric let alone racist. If you are operating according to the normal standards of people on the street and not the rarefied atmospheres where speech codes dominate like government agencies, press rooms, HR operations, licensed lawyers, and the heavily censored halls of academia.

        Now in those locked-down, censored venues, if a white person says anythign at all about race, which departs from the approved script, they are immediately labelled and punished as a racist. The absolute unfairness of this to average every day white people of being constantly bullied with this slander is a force of social resentment which the PC apparatchiks simply can’t fathom. Ensconced as they are in the privileged position of being the censors!

      3. Those aren’t examples of racism, but you can interpret them the way you will.

        The fact of the matter is, that in my book, you are not a racist if you proudly have African Americans take your golden microphone and lead your trusted loyal audience of 20 million people for 3 hours a day for a week in your absence…no racist allows a black person to take charge of his audience, period….

        …nor are you likely a racist if you have an African American marry you.

        If you don’t know who these are, you….and the New Yorker, are ill informed, or use an unworkable definition of racism that applies probably to yourself and every other American.

        2. Just like I thought, you don’t listen to him. You have to cite a 15 year old Snopes article that itself says ‘questionably’ racist… which many are clearly NOT racist…..and it says they are even sure he said them, and Snopes isn’t the judge of what is racist anyway. Context and satire and humor are intermixed, like comedians.

          But most of all…you actually ignored my standard for showing he is not a racist…what is likely in his heart, and for that and your misguided judgment of someone you don’t listen to but insist on judging…by a standard you couldn’t even meet I’m betting… is fascinating in this day and age.

          We disagree.

      5. Peter – that article is weak sauce. Obama gave it to Tom Hanks and Bobby DeNiro, Biden and himself.

    4. “The Presidential Medal Of Freedom is intended for Americans who made great contributions to this country. ”

      Peter, Rush Limbaugh made great contributions to this country. We know you would prefer to award the Medal to the politicians that caused the filth, needles and human manure in the streets of San Francisco.That is your idea of a Medal winner.

    5. 24,180,000,000

      24,180,000,000 Americans and foreigners have deliberately tuned in their radios and listened to Rush Limbaugh discuss American politics and the State of the Union over the past 32 years.

      This calculation is based on the Wiki figure of 15.5 million weekly listeners.

      – Wiki

      1. ….I think you have three extras zeros in there….still a large number though.

        1. 15.5 million listeners per week for 32 years per Wiki.

          I was wrong.

          It should have been 25,792,000,000.

          Would you like to make a retraction?

    6. I don’t remember you criticizing Obama for giving the same medal to a convicted sex offender…

  16. Pelosi is being led around by the nose by AOC and her communist comrades. She is not a strong woman. She is a scared, intimidated woman. She is pathetic and as immature as they are.

    1. S.E.Clemons,
      That’s another reason why I just recommended that Rep. Mad Max Waters replace Pelosi.
      She’s more representative of the “new face” of the Democratic Party.

  17. “It wasn’t just any copy of the State of the Union Address. It was the copy — the original — and we have over two centuries of custom and tradition and of course, the Constitution that calls for the State of the Union Address,”When the president delivers the copies to those top legal officers — those two top legislative officers in that co-equal branch of government — those are the official documents of the House, and if you tear those up, you’ve violated a specific statute in the criminal code.”“That document was more than just unique—it was the original, autographed address officially and ceremonially filed and deposited with the House, and thus was the only one of its kind. To understand its distinctive nature, one must understand the features of the document and the circumstances by which it was presented.”“She shredded the pretense of governing with civility and dignity in the House. Notably, she did not wait to rip up her copy of the speech until after she left the House floor. Pelosi wanted to do it at the end of the speech, in front of the camera, with the president still in the chamber.”

  18. Just curious: Is it all of Trump’s policies you disagree with? I know he’s Pro Life; he’s for bringing back the thousands of manufacturers who fled stifling taxes and regulations under previous administrations; he’s for freedom of religion and preserving our national landmarks and statues of figures in history; he’s for second chances for nonviolent offenders in prison; he’s for fair trade and free speech; he’s for the second amendment crucial for those in rural communities with no close law enforcers. There are so many I can’t list them all which are in line with most Americans….not the loud, aggressive progressives. If you disagree with the policies I’ve mentioned I would love to hear your rationale.

    2. Trump is a johnny come lately to pro life. He’s a strong supporter now, but he wasnt for most of his life.

      Trump is a political moderate in his policies.

      Actually Trump is about like where the Democrats were before LBJ took a hard turn to the left with the great society welfare plan. And gave the blank check to the war powers in Vietnam.

      They don’t like Trump not because of his extreme policies, they dislike him because of his very popular moderate policies.

      Policing national borders = moderate, reasonable stance embraced by both parties up until recently
      Peace over war = at times embraced by one party or the other, which was not totally behold to the military at the time
      fair trade over free trade = a left departure from the free trade ideology championed among right wingers under the influence of Von mises and Friedman, in the 80s and 90s. a bipartisan moderate pro American trade and industrial poliicy is exactly the sort of moderate policy that BOTH parties strayed away from. The Democrat free traders are now called “neoliberals.”

  19. This is hilarious. Pelosi simply tore up a speech while Trump constantly spews hateful, obscene tweets to anyone who dares criticize something he’s said or done. Have you called on him to resign for disgracing his office and erasing years of tradition and dignity that presidents had previously maintained? No, I didn’t think so…

    1. If your brain has reached its limited capacity to understand the difference between an official copy of The State of The Union Address destined for the annals of US history and a tweet or sedition and bad manners then it’s clear nothing said here is going to enlighten you. Especially if it contains more than 140 characters.

      1. Dawn, what do you expect from those that have been force fed ignorance? Ignorance. Ignorance is OK but what is not OK is when they don’t search for the truth.

    2. Grow a spine, libtard. We finally have a president who doesn’t cowtow to the leftists in the media or Congress. Mitt Romney is your man it seems.

      1. “Grow a spine, libtard.”

        …says more about Susan Elizabeth Clemons than anyone else. none of it good.

    3. “Hateful” and “Obscene” is how partisan Democrats understand vigorous opposition to their various schemes.

    4. Mr. Turley said outside the chambers is fair game basically. But inside the chambers where he was invited, was the point. You analogy might be better if you compared how she was treated when a guest at the White House. Maybe Trump did make faces at her and mocked her behind her back, I don’t know, maybe he did tear up her stuff while she was there, I don’t know, but I hadn’t heard it.

  20. This wasn’t her first break with civility in the last few decades but this was certainly egregious – as was allowing HOR/Schiff/Nadler to ignore ALL American jurisprudence. She has encouraged the hateful rhetoric and actions by many in her caucus.

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