On Tuesday, February 4, President Trump presented the annual State of the Union Address and throughout his speech he touched on various topics. The night began with Trump declining to shake Nancy Pelosi’s, member of the House of Representatives, hand, and throughout the evening it was evident that she wasn’t too pleased with what Trump had to say. Pelosi seemed visibly unsettled while Trump discussed his expansion of Social Security and Medicare as she started biting her lips and shuffling papers. As Trump finished presenting his speech, Pelosi was quick to tear up the President’s speech right behind his back. Many questioned whether this was an impulsive decision or if this had been built up anger from the past years of Trump being in office. Some saw this action of ripping this speech as inappropriate; however, Pelosi saw no problem with what she did. The reasoning behind tearing the speech in half was solely because she believed it was a collection of false statements and that it was necessary to get the attention of the people to have similar views on Trump as she does.
1. Do you think Pelosi ripping the speech is justified?
2. What message do you believe Pelosi is trying to send?
3. Do you think the media is giving this action too much attention?
I do believe that it was justified for Pelosi to rip up Trump's speech after he had finished presenting it although it probably was not the most professional approach to the point she is trying to make. Yes, it could be an effective way to boldly and quickly let the public know her feelings about what was just said, but it could also backfire as people may she her statement as childish and unprofessional. In my opinion, I support Pelosi's actions and the way she chose to express her feelings about the speech. I am not surprised that the media is giving this a lot of attention because it was a bold move. Of course many republicans will be angry about what she had done, but also some democrats may disapprove of her actions. On the other hand, there are many people who support ripping up the speech and believe it is a strong statement that had to be made.
ReplyDeleteI think Pelosi can do whatever she wants. If she wants to rip up a speech, whether it be justified or disrespectful, she can do it. However, I think she has to consider the effects her actions have on herself and the Democratic party. She is one of the main representatives of the Democratic party. If conservatives see this action, which can be seen as disrespectful, it will reinforce the idea that the Democratic party is against them.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that Pelosi was justified in ripping up Trump's speech on television, because it is important to expose the lies of the current administration. Throughout his entire presidency, Trump has exhibited immature and controversial behavior that is often unprecedented and inappropriate. Despite this, people continue to support him and applaud him as a leader. Pelosi is completely within her right to throw some his own behavior back at him, and visually prove his statements are not true. Some may view her actions as petty, but it is very hypocritical to condemn Pelosi for her behavior and not condemn Trump for his. I agree with Morgan in that her ripping the speech is bold, but I think she did what she felt was necessary to gain the public's attention and send the message that Trump should not continue to act the way he does without consequences. The media has given her lots of attention, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because more exposure could help further spread her message to the public, as longs as the the media doesn’t try to paint her as the enemy.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that Pelosi was justified to rip up Trump’s speech. I think that she wanted to make it clear what her stance was on the various policies Trump discussed. He also didn’t show her any respect by refusing to shake her hand. President Trump’s inability to work with other people emphasizes why he is failing as a leader. It is normal for everyone to have differing opinions on certain things; however, Trump is simply unable to establish a professional, mature relationship. I think that Pelosi’s action was a strong and necessary statement to emphasize to citizens what she thought of the speech. I think that the media is giving Pelosi’s actions a lot of attention because it was so unexpected and slightly inappropriate (not that I disagree with what she did) since it is disrespecting the president (disregarding his poor, controversial beliefs). It was bold for her to clearly show what she thought of his speech. As we are living in a divided government, it is expected that there will be people who agree or disagree with Pelosi.
ReplyDeleteTo answer the third question, I believe that the media's attention on the symbolic ripping of a speech is ultimately harming the goal Pelosi had in the first place. Now, it is far easier for Republicans to criticize Democrats for not being respectful or willing to work with the other side, as well as handling situations with childish actions. While many anti-Trump supporters agree with Pelosi's action, the media has begun to obsess over the act itself rather than the reasons why it may have been justified. Ultimately, the drama of ripping the speech has closed other more important conversations on Trump's state of the union, leaving only a massive debate over the morality, presentation, and justification of Pelosi ripping the speech.
ReplyDeleteI think it's pretty obvious what Pelosi was trying to say by ripping the speech... She did not agree with anything President Trump said last Tuesday. Although Pelosi had the freedom to do something like this, I believe it was wrong to do it. Trump is known as an attacker, Pelosi being a constant target, and by doing something clearly to attack him, she basically lowered herself to his level. With the elections coming up, the Democratic Party needs to present a professionalism and prove to the nation that Trump needs to be out of office as soon as possible. With actions like these, however, the Democratic Party is putting itself into a really bad spot.
ReplyDeleteWhile Pelosi is technically allowed to rip up the speech as an act of protest, I personally believe it is a bit unprofessional and callous for her to do so. Rather than such a display of outrage, maybe it is possible that she could have expressed her dissatisfaction in another way. I agree with Sydney in that this act can be detrimental to the Democrats as critics now have something to latch onto as the media has definitely placed a lot of attention on this. However, there is also the fact that Trump deliberately refused to shake Pelosi's hand, another unprofessional act that can shed negative light on the President.
ReplyDeletePelosi's actions definitely seem justified in the face of what she sees as false statements and pent up frustration from having to work around Trump in office. If her intent was to receive more media attention and essentially steal the spotlight from Trump's speech, she definitely did it. Personally, I believe if she simply left his disrespect of not shaking her hand as it was, that would have received the same amount of attention, but it would have portrayed her, and the democratic party, as the civil and sportsmanlike ones, rather than impulsive and rude. The media seems to be jumping on any opportunity to portray anyone in government badly, whether it be Trump or Pelosi, but I don't think that's anything new.
ReplyDeleteI agree with previous comments stating that she was justified in ripping the speech to portray a message. However, it did provide an opportunity for media outlets and other people to have a reason to further criticize her and the Democratic Party for the more bold act. Although it did lead to more criticism of the Democratic Party, I feel like her reacting to her belief that Trump's speech was false and to his previous action of refusing to shake her hand was better than her taking no action at all. I think she was trying to shine light on the fact that not everything Trump said is necessarily true; just because he is the president that does not mean he is always correct or truthful.
ReplyDeletePelosi's action was within her right of free speech—there is nothing "illegal" about it (to coin Trump's term). However, I do not think that it was a wise gesture because it added to the already counterproductive amounts of polarization in Congress. I believe that Democrats ultimately need to win the hearts of Republicans in Congress and beyond (instead of fueling the sentiments of fellow Democrats) if they want to achieve their maximum potential. I agree with Cindy that if Pelosi did not rip up Trump's speech after he refused to shake her hand, she (and the Democrats) would have held the higher ground in a moral standpoint.
ReplyDeleteUltimately, it was Pelosi's decision, she followed through with it, and stands by her actions. Throughout the entire state of the union, there were only a few moments where she applauded was President Trump stated ... In my opinion, I think she, herself was justified in her actions - but I don't think it was the right time to do what she did. It is obvious that she tore the speech (on television) in order to openly convey her reaction and anger; however, this has only caused more issues. There are possibly more people against Pelosi, or taking sides (in terms of President Trump and Speaker Pelosi). Also, in terms of whether or not the media is giving the issue too much attention, this is exactly what Pelosi desired. All of the attention was turned to her, immediately after the State of the Union - even more than what was actually said in the President's speech.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kai in that she had every right to exercise her 1st amendment right to freedom of speech. I personally thought it was really cool that she ripped up his speech because it was her way of fighting for what she believed in and doing so is always worth it. As for the people who think it was inappropriate for her to do that, it was extremely inappropriate for Trump to solicit aid from a foreign country to interfere in our presidential elections for his own personal benefit, but the Senate set a precedent that that is okay. Pelosi's minor expression of anger in my opinion does not even begin to compare to what Trump has done and said on Twitter in the past 3 years, and she has every right to express her opinion, no matter how honest, and regardless of whether or not people agree with her.
ReplyDeleteAlbeit disrespectful, what Pelosi did was not illegal and somewhat justified given high tensions from the handshake "misunderstanding" and Trump firing insults at previous Democratic administrations. She has a right to expression, and as stated, I agree that she was looking to gather support for those who share a similar opinion to her. However, I do think it was rather radical, and the press has the right to express themselves as well in the form of attention. This essentially magnified the effect of her action, whether it be good or bad.
ReplyDeleteThis was an outstanding move on part of Nancy Pelosi. She managed to change the media narrative from being about Trump's speech to being about her. Republicans have known how to get the media to talk about them and their issues for years, and I think that it is exciting that democrats are finally also starting to do this. On whether the media should be giving Pelosi this much attention, I would say probably not. The media should focus on substance, and the substance that night was the State of the Union.
ReplyDeleteYes, I believe Nancy Pelosi was completely justified in ripping the state of the union speech in half as a form of protest against Trump. Conservatives are mad about Nancy ripping up a piece of paper but don’t care when ICE rips a Mexican child away from their parents. This just demonstrates the different standards conservatives hold democrats to compared to republicans. Trump can say or do anything and they don’t care but as soon as a democrat does something slightly disrespectful they lose their minds. Makes you think. She’s peacefully protesting against Trump, and she has the right to do so. I believe the media is undoubtedly giving this action way too much attention.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that her actions were justified as Trump disrespected her by refusing to shake her hand at the beginning of the State of the Union address. However, I can understand that someone might see her action as rash and inappropriate and can reflect badly on the Democratic party as a whole. In response to the 3rd question, I think the media is giving this an unfair amount of attention as they dont spotlight Trump's refusal to shake her hand as much.
ReplyDeleteAs others above have mentioned, I definitely believe that Pelosi's actions to tear the speech in half was justified as President Trump refused to shake her hand per custom at each State of the Union Speech. Continuing, Pelosi had the full right to tear the speech in order to emphasize her disatisfaction and disagreement with Trump's statements. On the other hand, it is understandable that one would think that Pelosi ripping the speech was a little excessive and definitely used the media to her advantage hence placing the Democratic party in a bad/rash light in the face of others.
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ReplyDeleteI definitely don't believe the media gave this situation TOO much attention, as it is such as symbolic and defiant move per se. I don't think Pelosi put as much thought into the act as we dig into it, I believe it was just a gesture to address the statements of Trump as folly, and/or to maybe make headlines and prove that they are not happy with the situation. I essentially just stated the obvious which is why I wouldn't deepen that aspect too much. I do believe it is justified, and as Justin said, she can essentially do whatever she wants, but be careful on ruining reputation with brash acts. Despite the situation, it's still a professional platform in which I don't think anymore actions such as this can be held appropriate or justified in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think that Pelosi's actions were 100% justified. This might be slightly more provocative of a move than we would expect from Pelosi, but it was in no way undignified or without class, at least compared to the gross misconduct of the president and many of his goons in the Senate. Republicans lost their right to criticize others regarding class the moment Trump took office. In the article's video, Pelosi describes Trump's speech as a "manifesto of mistruth." As per usual, his speech was riddled with ludicrous claims and outright lies. Specifically infuriating was his "ironclad" promise to protect patients with pre-existing health conditions, when this is a blatant lie (his administration is currently trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act). By ripping the speech, Pelosi was perhaps sending the message that she, rightfully so, does not respect nor condone the lies spewed by the president. The media has given this so much attention because the purpose of the media is to stir the pot. This is unfortunate because it distracts us from what is important here; we should be more focused on the contents of Trump's speech, rather than Pelosi's reaction to it.
ReplyDeleteThis is simple to answer, no her ripping the speech wasn't justified, and she wants all the media attention so the media is showing not enough attention to her blatant behavior
ReplyDeleteWhile Pelosi is justified in being dissatisfied with Trump’s presidency, I would say that ripping Trump’s speech might be taking it a little too far. Although Trump’s speech was littered with factual inaccuracies that Pelosi has every right to try and expose, there are much better ways to do so than making a move that could be considered as being entirely politically motivated. As a result of Pelosi’s actions, the media has only been discussing the validity of her actions, diverting focus away from the issues that truly matter, which is the state of Trump’s presidency and his plans for the future of America.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think Pelosi’s action was not inappropriate. It was evident that she was not happy with what Trump had to say and the first interaction they had that night when he refused to shake her hand. Tensions between the two have run high, and I think her ripping a copy of the speech was definitely her trying to express her anger to those watching. My biggest concern with this is how it could affect decision-making in the future. Even though Trump’s term is coming to an end, for the remaining time, interaction among Democrats and Republicans within Congress. Considering Pelosi’s position as Speaker of the House, I wonder how her leadership position will affect discussions and interactions with those in the Senate and the Republican Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell.
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