The Little President And The Large Speaker: Redefining "Big" And "Small"
In his role as Bully-in-chief, the electoral college President likes to assign his political opponents or anyone who criticizes him demeaning nicknames. Remember when his second favorite dictator's name was "Little Rocket Man"? Because of his over six feet tall height, Trump likes to call shorter men little. Usually he just adds that adjective to the man's name as in "Little Marco," "Lil Bob Corker" (because Bob is from the South, and he likes to ridicule southern accents, foolish southern Trump supporters), and "Little Adam Schiff." However, as several commentators have pointed out, Trump has not called his probably smallest opponent (Hillary was no giant either) "Little Nancy" or any other sneering nickname. Why? Maybe he understands that calling a woman little isn't as cruel and demeaning as calling her fat and ugly would be just as calling a man fat and ugly seems less demeaning to him than it would be to a woman. More likely, he doesn't want to draw attention to the fact that a little woman is kicking his ass. He's also probably somewhat intimidated by the slightly older, considerably more experienced, competent, and effective little woman. That might be why he thinks calling her Nancy is an insult. He really should call her Speaker Pelosi or at least Ms. Nancy in recognition of her superior strength and power. Although he would never admit it publicly, Trump probably knows that Little Nancy is much taller than he is, that she towers over him in the way she handles him, wields her power, and leads her caucus, just as 6'8" James Comey towered over him physically (which is probably one reason Trump couldn't stand Comey).
When I saw Nancy handling Trump in one of their White House meetings, it reminded me of a television show from my childhood--"Baby Huey." I think Huey was a chicken, but the premise of the comedy was that he was a giant baby, much larger than his mother. Of course, Trump acts like a large child, which is why the London folks trolled him with a big baby balloon and why "Lil Bob" called the White House an adult daycare center. Some of the Cabinet members like former Secretary of Defense Mattis have been described as the adults (unfortunately, the adults have left). But I don't think any of the Cabinet members, including my favorite Mattis, is more adult than Speaker Pelosi. She's not the oldest person in Washington, nor has she been there the longest, but she's been in a power position for a long time, and she knows exactly how to use that power. And, like a strong mother or an efficient daycare worker, she knows how to control a temperamental child. When Trump shut down the government, she knew what to do. She didn't surrender to his tantrum, which would just encourage him to throw another one. Instead she took away something that she knew he wanted--the State of the Union address. Of course, he ended the government shutdown so that he could have his moment in the spotlight, so he could play the big President, talking to a captive audience.
Since he's a bully, Trump didn't go down without a fight. He cancelled the previously secret Pelosi trip to Afghanistan, illustrating his smallness in multiple ways. First, he's petty and mean-spirited. People who feel that they must retaliate against anyone who they believe has hurt them are not strong and powerful. They're weak and small, especially when they punch down. And the President of the United States is always punching down since he is supposed to be the most powerful man in the world. Second, the fact that the tiny, elderly, female Speaker was heading to Afghanistan illustrated how cowardly the much larger, slightly younger Trump is since he has never been to that country where our soldiers are still fighting, and until recently, to any country where there's an ongoing war or dangerous terrorists rule. Third, it showed how small or narrow Trump's vision is in comparison to Speaker Pelosi's. Like most babies, Trump thinks only of himself. He didn't think about the effect on the soldiers of not having U.S. leaders (Pelosi was travelling with a congressional delegation) show up to evaluate the progress of the war, consult with the generals to see what equipment or other support is needed, and essentially to let them know that they are not forgotten. Pelosi knew that the State of the Union address is not essential to the well-being of the American people. It's a formality; in fact, as she pointed out, it could be delivered later or in writing. She also was more concerned about the government workers who were not able to pay their rent and even feed their families, as well as the government services that had been suspended, than Trump was, but then so was I, and so were most sane, mature (and even some not so mature) adults.
Pelosi's maturity, strength, and power are also illustrated in how she handles criticism and pressure. During the 2018 Democratic campaign to win the House, she quietly told the candidates in districts that were anti-Pelosi to run away from her and say whatever they had to say to be elected. After the House was won, she beat back an attempt to unseat her as Speaker. People, including some members of her caucus, were suggesting that she was too old, that she was too much of a target, that she was like Hillary, maybe worse. Pelosi quietly resisted those calls to step aside (as she did in 2016) and won. If she retaliated against the rebels by giving them bad committee assignments, she did it quietly and certainly didn't call them names or unleash a Twitter storm of invectives on them. Similarly, she has resisted the attempt to pressure her into considering impeachment. She explained her reasons in a recent interview, and I accepted her explanation. She's clearly a leader who knows how to lead.
In contrast, Little Donny is more a follower than a leader. He made a deal with Congress that included some compromises on the southern border wall and then, when Ann Coulter and a few other right-wing hotheads criticized him, backed down and rejected the deal. Right after Parkland, he boasted about what he was going to do to solve the gun violence problem (actually taking the side of my senior senator), taunted other Republicans as scared of the NRA, and then backed down because the NRA scared him. Most recently, he didn't immediately ground airplanes because his friend at Boeing told him not to but then changed his mind after the media attacked. And he's as addicted to flattery as he is fearful of and hurt by criticism. A five-year-old can play Trump. All she has to do is tell him how great a President he is, that he's the best ever, and he will give her whatever she wants, no matter how bad it might be for our country.
Back in the good old days when Obama was still in the White House, I used to enjoy trolling the Obama-hating bigots on Google+ until they all blocked me or just stopped responding. I would tell them that he was going to be a giant in history. "There will be schools and freeways named after him" (my state senator has already named a section of a freeway in the Glendale, CA area after the best President in my lifetime), I crowed. "There will be statues of him," I sneered. I can say the same about the first female Speaker of the House. Several years ago, I became incensed when I learned that Nancy Pelosi had never been on the cover of a major magazine. She's on the cover of the current ROLLING STONE with several other female representatives, but it doesn't matter how much publicity she receives now. Like Shirley Chisholm, who was probably not as well known as Martha Mitchell (google her) back in the seventies, she will be remembered in history books. And there will probably be a school named after her or maybe a building near the Capitol or a freeway in San Francisco. If it weren't for the Russians, Comey, voter suppression laws, and the electoral college, the famous-since-the-eighties Trump would have eventually disappeared from history just as the-famous-in-the-seventies Martha Mitchell has. Unfortunately, not only for him and his followers, but for all of us who are living through this horrible period, he will have a place in history now as the most corrupt, insane, and ineffective U.S. President ever.
However, I don't really want to wait for history. In my favorite karma dream, both Trump and his chief butt-kisser Pence are locked up (I don't care if it's in prison or an insane asylum), and Pelosi becomes our first woman President. My dream started as soon as she cancelled the State of the Union address, causing Trump to open the government. If it's not Pelosi in 2019, maybe it can be in 2020 until we win in November. She can start to clean up the mess Trump has made before the new Democrat takes over. That small, weak man needs to get out of the White House and let the large, powerful woman take over.
When I saw Nancy handling Trump in one of their White House meetings, it reminded me of a television show from my childhood--"Baby Huey." I think Huey was a chicken, but the premise of the comedy was that he was a giant baby, much larger than his mother. Of course, Trump acts like a large child, which is why the London folks trolled him with a big baby balloon and why "Lil Bob" called the White House an adult daycare center. Some of the Cabinet members like former Secretary of Defense Mattis have been described as the adults (unfortunately, the adults have left). But I don't think any of the Cabinet members, including my favorite Mattis, is more adult than Speaker Pelosi. She's not the oldest person in Washington, nor has she been there the longest, but she's been in a power position for a long time, and she knows exactly how to use that power. And, like a strong mother or an efficient daycare worker, she knows how to control a temperamental child. When Trump shut down the government, she knew what to do. She didn't surrender to his tantrum, which would just encourage him to throw another one. Instead she took away something that she knew he wanted--the State of the Union address. Of course, he ended the government shutdown so that he could have his moment in the spotlight, so he could play the big President, talking to a captive audience.
Since he's a bully, Trump didn't go down without a fight. He cancelled the previously secret Pelosi trip to Afghanistan, illustrating his smallness in multiple ways. First, he's petty and mean-spirited. People who feel that they must retaliate against anyone who they believe has hurt them are not strong and powerful. They're weak and small, especially when they punch down. And the President of the United States is always punching down since he is supposed to be the most powerful man in the world. Second, the fact that the tiny, elderly, female Speaker was heading to Afghanistan illustrated how cowardly the much larger, slightly younger Trump is since he has never been to that country where our soldiers are still fighting, and until recently, to any country where there's an ongoing war or dangerous terrorists rule. Third, it showed how small or narrow Trump's vision is in comparison to Speaker Pelosi's. Like most babies, Trump thinks only of himself. He didn't think about the effect on the soldiers of not having U.S. leaders (Pelosi was travelling with a congressional delegation) show up to evaluate the progress of the war, consult with the generals to see what equipment or other support is needed, and essentially to let them know that they are not forgotten. Pelosi knew that the State of the Union address is not essential to the well-being of the American people. It's a formality; in fact, as she pointed out, it could be delivered later or in writing. She also was more concerned about the government workers who were not able to pay their rent and even feed their families, as well as the government services that had been suspended, than Trump was, but then so was I, and so were most sane, mature (and even some not so mature) adults.
Pelosi's maturity, strength, and power are also illustrated in how she handles criticism and pressure. During the 2018 Democratic campaign to win the House, she quietly told the candidates in districts that were anti-Pelosi to run away from her and say whatever they had to say to be elected. After the House was won, she beat back an attempt to unseat her as Speaker. People, including some members of her caucus, were suggesting that she was too old, that she was too much of a target, that she was like Hillary, maybe worse. Pelosi quietly resisted those calls to step aside (as she did in 2016) and won. If she retaliated against the rebels by giving them bad committee assignments, she did it quietly and certainly didn't call them names or unleash a Twitter storm of invectives on them. Similarly, she has resisted the attempt to pressure her into considering impeachment. She explained her reasons in a recent interview, and I accepted her explanation. She's clearly a leader who knows how to lead.
In contrast, Little Donny is more a follower than a leader. He made a deal with Congress that included some compromises on the southern border wall and then, when Ann Coulter and a few other right-wing hotheads criticized him, backed down and rejected the deal. Right after Parkland, he boasted about what he was going to do to solve the gun violence problem (actually taking the side of my senior senator), taunted other Republicans as scared of the NRA, and then backed down because the NRA scared him. Most recently, he didn't immediately ground airplanes because his friend at Boeing told him not to but then changed his mind after the media attacked. And he's as addicted to flattery as he is fearful of and hurt by criticism. A five-year-old can play Trump. All she has to do is tell him how great a President he is, that he's the best ever, and he will give her whatever she wants, no matter how bad it might be for our country.
Back in the good old days when Obama was still in the White House, I used to enjoy trolling the Obama-hating bigots on Google+ until they all blocked me or just stopped responding. I would tell them that he was going to be a giant in history. "There will be schools and freeways named after him" (my state senator has already named a section of a freeway in the Glendale, CA area after the best President in my lifetime), I crowed. "There will be statues of him," I sneered. I can say the same about the first female Speaker of the House. Several years ago, I became incensed when I learned that Nancy Pelosi had never been on the cover of a major magazine. She's on the cover of the current ROLLING STONE with several other female representatives, but it doesn't matter how much publicity she receives now. Like Shirley Chisholm, who was probably not as well known as Martha Mitchell (google her) back in the seventies, she will be remembered in history books. And there will probably be a school named after her or maybe a building near the Capitol or a freeway in San Francisco. If it weren't for the Russians, Comey, voter suppression laws, and the electoral college, the famous-since-the-eighties Trump would have eventually disappeared from history just as the-famous-in-the-seventies Martha Mitchell has. Unfortunately, not only for him and his followers, but for all of us who are living through this horrible period, he will have a place in history now as the most corrupt, insane, and ineffective U.S. President ever.
However, I don't really want to wait for history. In my favorite karma dream, both Trump and his chief butt-kisser Pence are locked up (I don't care if it's in prison or an insane asylum), and Pelosi becomes our first woman President. My dream started as soon as she cancelled the State of the Union address, causing Trump to open the government. If it's not Pelosi in 2019, maybe it can be in 2020 until we win in November. She can start to clean up the mess Trump has made before the new Democrat takes over. That small, weak man needs to get out of the White House and let the large, powerful woman take over.
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