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Emil Guillermo: The grandmother vs. the motherf*****
Is it so bad for anyone to use the angry but inelegant phrase “impeach the motherf*****,” when the guy you are referring to has a salty vocabulary to match?
Everyone can certainly recall before the November 2016 election when Donald Trump boasted about his treatment of women by using a now patented Trumpian phrase, “grab them by the p***y.”
And Republicans still voted for the man. Now they’re outraged when they hear an expletive hurled at Mr. P****grabber?
This is how dishonest the political debate is these days in Washington, where it’s all fake outrage, all the time. The threshold level for coarse incivility has risen to a new level thanks to the Trump shock presidency.
So when Rashida Tlaib–one of the newly-minted diversity members of Congress, a Democrat from Michigan, one of the first Muslim women elected to the House–said the mf word this week, it was vulgar, sure. But she was also at the current level of political passion and tone set by the president.
Tlaib’s quote, in full context, is reportedly from a MoveOn.org reception. Tlaib said: “And when your son looks at you and says, ‘Momma, look you won. Bullies don’t win.’ And I said, ‘Baby, they don’t.’ Because we’re going to go in there, we’re go to impeach the motherf*****.”
Cheering ensued at the event. But it didn’t take long for House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy to lash back at Tlaib, defending Trump’s honor. (Coincidentally, Trump called McCarthy “Peter McCarthy” later in the day—perhaps an indication of their closeness? Take no offense Mr. Minority Leader. Trump called Philippine leader Duterte, Duarte). Not surprisingly, some senior Democrats also called Tlaib’s comment inappropriate.
But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was more even-handed. She excused Tlaib’s diction as a “generational” difference and then shined the light right back on Trump. “Words weigh a ton,” Pelosi told MSNBC. “But the president needs to know his words weigh a ton too.”
Indeed, how bad is a “m-f” bomb when every day Trump drops some kind of incredulous lie or misleading statement?
On Friday, the President sent a shocker after his meeting with Democrats when he said the shutdown of the government could go on for months, even years.
Years?
Of course, after he declares the border issue a “national emergency.”
Then Trump compounded things by saying most of the federal workers not getting their checks agree with him and would say, “Mr. President, keep going.”
No evidence provided. Just a feeling.
But I’d say those who will not get checks in January because of what is now undeniably the Trump Shutdown, would be more likely to refer to the president with that phrase handpicked by Tlaib.
THE NEW BLUE HOUSE IN DC
As a San Francisco native, I must confess.
I love Nancy Pelosi.
Demonizing Pelosi has been the only thing conservatives know to do. But it only goes so far.
On Thursday, the 78-year-old Pelosi assumed the role of Speaker for the second time in her illustrious career. For me, the image that lingers is her standing at the podium about to take her oath. She called on her grandchildren and all the children who were in the chambers to come join her. And there she was with white kids, black kids, brown kids, Asian kids.
It was the Speaker Grandmother showing how the country can be united by a woman who cares about governing for the present and the future.
Contrast that with the man who has no empathy, the current president, the Trumpster, who cares for no one and does nothing unless it furthers his wealth or political power.
Trump is the bad grandpa.
He’s the guy who tells a seven-year-old on Christmas that believing in Santa Claus at that age is “marginal.” He’s the dirty old grandpa who grabs women’s private parts and cheats on his wife with porn stars and playmates.
And did I mention you can’t believe anything he says?
If you saw Pelosi’s swearing-in with all the grandchildren, you’d have to admit this is the kind of thing America has been missing. Amid all the natural disasters, Trump has had the chance to be comforter-in-chief and show the side a good president must have if he’s to be “loved.”
Trump’s not interested in that. He shuts down the government over the funding of a racist wall, and really doesn’t care who he hurts.
Pelosi with the grandkids in the People’s House shows that there’s love in government, if only the president would get over himself and compromise.
How much longer will this go on?
Well, expect Trump to reach some reversal when Republicans begin to realize that a shutdown is a losing proposition. Sen. Lindsey Graham said that a Trump cave-in to the Democrats would be the end of his presidency. Trump would be a sucker to listen to that. Compromise is the only way to save the Trump presidency.
Trump hasn’t learned that yet and desperately tries to keep the conversation on his call for a border wall. It is, as he believes, A NATIONAL EMERGENCY, after all.
But that wall is just a proxy argument for turning back the demographic tide. His so-called base of support are whites who hate the idea that racial minorities are becoming the majority in America. The wall is a thinly- veiled racist symbol.
NEW ASIAN AMERICAN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
But it’s clear from the midterms and the arrival of all the women, LGBTQs, Latinos, and African Americans that trying to stop diversity in America isn’t going to happen.
Yet amid all the talk of the new Congress, the new Asian American members got left out of the mix.
T.J. Cox, the newly elected representative from the Central Valley of California (CA-21), has a Filipino mother, and a Chinese father. A Democrat representing parts of Fresno and Kern County, Cox actually had fewer votes on election night, but a late count earned him a victory.
Cox joins Bobby Scott, Democrat from the Virginia Hampton Roads area, who is African American and Filipino, as the Filipinos in the House. Maybe two-halves make a whole. It’s an example of Filipino diversity.
Two others will be honored by APAICS next Tuesday. Andrew Kim, a thirty-something former Obama national security guy, probably could lecture Trump about walls. The New Jersey Democrat beat a two term Republican incumbent to represent the growing Asian American community in New Jersey’s 3rd District.
And then there’s Michael San Nicolas, the At-Large Guam delegate. San Nicolas is interesting. He’s young, so he may have the time to finally fight for Guam’s right for either statehood or independence. After Puerto Rico’s experience with FEMA, all the territories have to be thinking of breaking the chains and lofty ideals like self-governance. Basically, Guam is where they were when the U.S. got them after the Spanish American War.
Guamanians are U.S. citizens but can’t vote for president–which I guess is one thing that can be said for Guam.
You can’t blame them for Trump.
Emil Guillermo is an independent journalist/commentator. Updates at www.amok.com. Follow Emil on Twitter, and like his Facebook page.
The views expressed in his blog do not necessarily represent AALDEF’s views or policies.
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