‘Such Hypocrites!’: Former Gov. Jan Brewer slams media response to Pelosi finger-wagging

Brewer was photographed poking her finger in President Barack Obama’s face when he visited Arizona in January 2012. She claimed that after giving him a written invitation to inspect the crisis on the Arizona border, the two engaged in a heated discussion about a passage in her book, Scorpions for Breakfast, which depicted Obama as condescending and dismissive.

Brewer took flak for her finger-pointing from both the media and the public, who accused her of disrespecting the presidency. More than 12,000 letters flooded her office in the ensuing days, most of which condemned her, calling her “trashy” and “tasteless.” Likening the act to belching at the president, a writer for the Washington Post scolded her, “If a thing is frowned upon in general, it’s even worse to do it to the president in particular.”

By contrast, Pelosi has met with adulation and gratitude from liberals after President Trump tweeted an image of her standing up during a meeting and wagging her finger at him. Evidently thinking it made her look bad, Trump dubbed the image, “Nervous Nancy’s unhinged meltdown!” Trump alleges that Democratic leadership stormed out of the meeting, while they claim Trump had a “meltdown” and treated the speaker disrespectfully.

Opponents of the president interpreted the image differently, claiming it depicted a “powerful woman standing up to the president.” South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg summarized much of the liberal response when he tweeted, “Thank you, Madam Speaker, for literally standing up for our country.”