Democratic leaders in Congress are not ready to go toe-to-toe with President Trump over NFL national anthem protests, if House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s comments this week are any indication.
The California Democrat was given a chance during a town hall event to weigh in on the league’s new policy regarding shows of protest during the national anthem.
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She punted.
CNN’s Chris Cuomo said to her, “It will be football season during the election season. OK? And on Sundays, you’re going to have an issue that certainly Republican candidates are going to seize on every week.”
He added, “Now, we just had a rule change by the NFL today. When the anthem comes on, you stand. If you do not want to stand, stay in the locker room. If you come out onto the field and you kneel, or you in other ways protest, you will be fined. Are you OK with this rule change by the NFL?”
The congresswoman responded, saying, “I would be more OK with it if they had consulted with the players. … I love the national anthem. I mentioned earlier … that I’m from Baltimore. That’s where it was written during the War of 1812. So I’m very possessive of it. Sometimes people say maybe we should change the national anthem. Nope, I’m from Baltimore. I love the national anthem, and I love the flag. Our homes are all decorated with flags. It’s such a beautiful thing. And I love the First Amendment. And I’ll just leave it at that. I love the First Amendment,” she added.
[Related: NFL player Doug Baldwin says Trump is ‘an idiot, plain and simple’]
That is what a professional-strength nonanswer looks like.
The NFL decided this week on a solution to the issue of players kneeling during the national anthem in protest of acts of police brutality in communities that are predominantly minority. “The 32 member clubs of the National Football League have reaffirmed their strong commitment to work alongside our players to strengthen our communities and advance social justice,” NFL Commissioned Roger Goodell said in a statement.
It continued, outlining policy changes that are expected to take effect in the current season. Players who are on the field during the performance of the anthem will be required to “stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem,” Goodell’s statement explained, adding that clubs will be fined based on whether their players are in violation of the rule.
As a compromise, however, players will have the option to remain in the locker room during the anthem. So, if a player wants to protest, they may do so in the privacy of their locker room or “in a similar location off the field” until the completion of the anthem.
The interesting thing here is: The Trump administration has gone hard on this culture war issue, siding against the kneeling players. Vice President Mike Pence even characterized the rules change this week as “winning.”
Democratic leadership, on the other hand, doesn’t appear to have decided yet where to come down on the matter.
