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Jonathan Turley: Fascism and refusing to be nice to fascists are both bad

On February 4, 2020

At 11:38 pm

In General

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GRIFTERS, THE, Eddie Jones, John Cusack, 1990

Trump was wrong not to shake the hand of the Speaker. Likewise, the Speaker was wrong in skipping the traditional words welcoming the President as a "distinct honor." The ripping up of the speech reduced the Speaker to the level of troll.— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) February 5, 2020

Pelosi's act dishonored the institution and destroyed even the pretense of civility and decorum in the House. If this is the Speaker's "drop the mike" moment, it is a disgrace that should never be celebrated or repeated. In a single act, she obliterated decades of tradition.— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) February 5, 2020

How about awarding the Medal of Freedom to Julius Streicher?

Oops I just obliterated decades of the tradition of pretending that Rush Limbaugh is something other than the scum of the earth.

. . . look at this attention whore:

This morning I will have a column in the Hill newspaper on my reaction to the disgraceful conduct of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and various Democratic members at the State of the Union address last night. As I tweeted during the address, her conduct tore up more than a speech, but decades of tradition and left any semblance of civility in tatters on the House floor. . . .
I believe that President Trump himself is worthy of criticism for not shaking the hand of Pelosi. I also did not approve of aspects of his speech, including bestowing the Medal of Freedom on Rush Limbaugh in the gallery like a reality show surprise scene. There was much to object to in the address, but presidents often make comments that enrage or irritate speakers. [Both sides!]
However, none of that excuses Pelosi. At that moment, she represents the House as an institution — both Republicans and Democrats. Instead, she decided to become little more than a partisan troll from an elevated position. The protests of the Democratic members also reached a new low for the House. Pelosi did not gavel out the protest. She seemed to join it.

It was the tradition of the House that a speaker must remain in stone-faced neutrality no matter what comes off that podium. The tradition ended last night with one of the more shameful and inglorious moments of the House in its history.
For those of us who truly love the House as an institution, it was one of the lowest moments to unfold on the floor. That is why I argue in the Hill that, if Pelosi does not apologize and agree to honor the principle of neutrality and civility at the State of the Union, she should resign as speaker.

Yes I realize I’m giving this dime store Dershowitz what he craves so don’t bother to point that out.