In a move that reeks of desperation, Nancy Pelosi has sent a letter to President Trump suggesting that he either deliver his State of the Union report in writing or that the date for the speech be postponed until after the government shutdown has ended. It's a rather strange move. It indicates that Pelosi doesn't want to give Trump the State of the Union platform from which he can push for border security and point out the Democrats' intransigence on funding the government. If Pelosi really believes that Trump's position is untenable, why isn't she doing all she can to get him to present that position to the public, so that they can then reject it? It makes no sense.
Remember, Pelosi herself issued the invitation for Trump to give the SOTU address just ten days ago. At that point, the partial shutdown was already in its third week. If the shutdown makes it so difficult for the SOTU to go ahead, why did Pelosi issue the invitation to Trump? This also raises the question of who now has the power to postpone or cancel the SOTU speech.
Let's assume that Pelosi can rescind her invitation to Trump and does so. What happens next?
1. You can be sure that Trump will not let Pelosi call the shots on this. He will do something other than just acquiesce to Pelosi's demand.
2. If Pelosi makes the House chamber unavailable to the President, he could always deliver his speech in the Senate chamber. It's not as large as the House, but it could still accommodate a large group. The GOP in the Senate could easily extend the invitation. There wouldn't be much change from the usual venue.
3. Alternatively, Trump could rent out a large auditorium or stage in some part of the country other than DC and give the State of the Union to a huge friendly crowd. He could tell Pelosi that he will send her a copy of the speech and suggest that other congressmen and senators can watch the show on TV. This would really be a kick in the backside for the Democrats. They wouldn't even be there to sit quietly as Trump spoke.
4. There have been suggestions that Trump deliver the speech to a room filled with families who have lost loved ones to drugs or to criminal acts by illegal aliens. It would be hard for the Democrats to criticize these people without seeming even more hard-hearted than usual.
5. It is possible that the mainstream media would decide not to cover the speech, but that seems truly unlikely. It would still be an important speech by the President, and the news considerations pretty much require that it be carried.
The one thing that you can be sure of is that Trump will take the chaos that Pelosi is seeking to cause and turn it to his advantage.
Remember, Pelosi herself issued the invitation for Trump to give the SOTU address just ten days ago. At that point, the partial shutdown was already in its third week. If the shutdown makes it so difficult for the SOTU to go ahead, why did Pelosi issue the invitation to Trump? This also raises the question of who now has the power to postpone or cancel the SOTU speech.
Let's assume that Pelosi can rescind her invitation to Trump and does so. What happens next?
1. You can be sure that Trump will not let Pelosi call the shots on this. He will do something other than just acquiesce to Pelosi's demand.
2. If Pelosi makes the House chamber unavailable to the President, he could always deliver his speech in the Senate chamber. It's not as large as the House, but it could still accommodate a large group. The GOP in the Senate could easily extend the invitation. There wouldn't be much change from the usual venue.
3. Alternatively, Trump could rent out a large auditorium or stage in some part of the country other than DC and give the State of the Union to a huge friendly crowd. He could tell Pelosi that he will send her a copy of the speech and suggest that other congressmen and senators can watch the show on TV. This would really be a kick in the backside for the Democrats. They wouldn't even be there to sit quietly as Trump spoke.
4. There have been suggestions that Trump deliver the speech to a room filled with families who have lost loved ones to drugs or to criminal acts by illegal aliens. It would be hard for the Democrats to criticize these people without seeming even more hard-hearted than usual.
5. It is possible that the mainstream media would decide not to cover the speech, but that seems truly unlikely. It would still be an important speech by the President, and the news considerations pretty much require that it be carried.
The one thing that you can be sure of is that Trump will take the chaos that Pelosi is seeking to cause and turn it to his advantage.
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