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

Miles Archer

(18,837 posts)
Sat Jan 26, 2019, 10:45 AM Jan 2019

Nancy Pelosi: "You always start with a feather, until you get to the sledgehammer."

The Pelosi Method

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.

“He’s 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 [he’d 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 didn’t really need or wasn’t worth the baggage.

Pelosi spent much of the shutdown waiting patiently for the president’s 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.”
32 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Nancy Pelosi: "You always start with a feather, until you get to the sledgehammer." (Original Post) Miles Archer Jan 2019 OP
This woman should have run for president. Autumn Jan 2019 #1
She may well be our next president once Mueller is done. I would LOVE that! OMGWTF Jan 2019 #16
I don't see any path to impeaching him and Pence at the same time. Autumn Jan 2019 #18
Why can't you just let us have our fantasies? docgee Jan 2019 #20
Yep! Madame President rings so beautifully. ananda Jan 2019 #21
This message was self-deleted by its author Autumn Jan 2019 #22
If I'm in the mood for fantasy I tune into the syfy channel on Netflix. Autumn Jan 2019 #23
she may be president yet. barbtries Jan 2019 #29
Kick dalton99a Jan 2019 #2
It "may or may not be true" that dozens of Democrats told idiot boy they wanted a wall? Really, Squinch Jan 2019 #3
no evidence Hermit-The-Prog Jan 2019 #24
He said "Congressional Democrats." It didn't happen. You know it, I know it, they know it. Squinch Jan 2019 #25
oops! It did include "congressional" Hermit-The-Prog Jan 2019 #28
exactly. barbtries Jan 2019 #30
"That may or may not be true".... NoMoreRepugs Jan 2019 #4
It isn't just Fox News watoos Jan 2019 #17
She did our country a huge favor! ginnyinWI Jan 2019 #5
Love these insights Kitchari Jan 2019 #6
Thanks forwhat you did for the USA Mrs. Speaker. Crutchez_CuiBono Jan 2019 #7
Just curious: What sort of "baggage" luvtheGWN Jan 2019 #8
She's been used as a right wing punching bag for years. paleotn Jan 2019 #11
She's an old woman who saved Social Security MaryMagdaline Jan 2019 #12
And got the ACA's Public Option passed in the House emulatorloo Jan 2019 #15
indeed! MaryMagdaline Jan 2019 #26
She's a fabulous leader and exactly the right person to deal with Trump. Lonestarblue Jan 2019 #9
Exactly this! FakeNoose Jan 2019 #14
The iron speaker. paleotn Jan 2019 #10
Perfect! Trump always starts with the sledgehammer with nothing in reserve, Nitram Jan 2019 #13
This is literally the first time in drumpfs entire life Takket Jan 2019 #19
K&R stonecutter357 Jan 2019 #27
One thing that concerns me..... Bayard Jan 2019 #31
I can see him looking for a way to exact revenge Danascot Jan 2019 #32

Autumn

(45,106 posts)
18. I don't see any path to impeaching him and Pence at the same time.
Sat Jan 26, 2019, 12:59 PM
Jan 2019

I don't believe that will ever happen. Trump would resign and Pence would take over.

Response to docgee (Reply #20)

barbtries

(28,798 posts)
29. she may be president yet.
Sat Jan 26, 2019, 03:16 PM
Jan 2019

who knows? i could live with that, but she is undoubtedly the best person for the job she has right now.

Squinch

(50,955 posts)
3. It "may or may not be true" that dozens of Democrats told idiot boy they wanted a wall? Really,
Sat Jan 26, 2019, 10:58 AM
Jan 2019

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)
24. no evidence
Sat Jan 26, 2019, 01:55 PM
Jan 2019

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)
25. He said "Congressional Democrats." It didn't happen. You know it, I know it, they know it.
Sat Jan 26, 2019, 01:59 PM
Jan 2019

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)
28. oops! It did include "congressional"
Sat Jan 26, 2019, 02:16 PM
Jan 2019

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

(28,798 posts)
30. exactly.
Sat Jan 26, 2019, 03:16 PM
Jan 2019

name names or call it for what it is, another bald faced lie trump pulled out of his ass.

NoMoreRepugs

(9,435 posts)
4. "That may or may not be true"....
Sat Jan 26, 2019, 11:08 AM
Jan 2019

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.

ginnyinWI

(17,276 posts)
5. She did our country a huge favor!
Sat Jan 26, 2019, 11:16 AM
Jan 2019

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.

luvtheGWN

(1,336 posts)
8. Just curious: What sort of "baggage"
Sat Jan 26, 2019, 11:44 AM
Jan 2019

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)
11. She's been used as a right wing punching bag for years.
Sat Jan 26, 2019, 12:04 PM
Jan 2019

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.

emulatorloo

(44,131 posts)
15. And got the ACA's Public Option passed in the House
Sat Jan 26, 2019, 12:48 PM
Jan 2019

But she’s post-menopausal and we need “fresh blood” <sarcasm>

Lonestarblue

(10,011 posts)
9. She's a fabulous leader and exactly the right person to deal with Trump.
Sat Jan 26, 2019, 11:49 AM
Jan 2019

He is flummoxed by a smart woman who refuses to be intimidated by his tactics. She doesn’t scream or throw tantrums the way he does; rather, she calmly and professionally states her points. She’s good at reading his mind (he’s actually fairly predictable because he’ll 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)
14. Exactly this!
Sat Jan 26, 2019, 12:31 PM
Jan 2019

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.



Nitram

(22,813 posts)
13. Perfect! Trump always starts with the sledgehammer with nothing in reserve,
Sat Jan 26, 2019, 12:24 PM
Jan 2019

Then all he's got left are his lame bluffs that everybody sees through by now.

Takket

(21,576 posts)
19. This is literally the first time in drumpfs entire life
Sat Jan 26, 2019, 01:01 PM
Jan 2019

That someone has stood up to him. Pelosi has been nothing less than heroic so far in her second Speaker stint.

Bayard

(22,099 posts)
31. One thing that concerns me.....
Sat Jan 26, 2019, 04:35 PM
Jan 2019

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)
32. I can see him looking for a way to exact revenge
Sun Jan 27, 2019, 11:09 AM
Jan 2019

because he’s all about revenge but I don’t 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 we’ll 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.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Nancy Pelosi: "You always...