FOR DEMOCRATS, WHAT IS TO BE DONE? Five years ago, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), then the speaker of the House, created one of the most appalling moments in our recent politics. It was Feb. 4, 2020, the night of what would turn out to be the final State of the Union address of President Donald Trump‘s first term. The appalling moment was when Pelosi theatrically ripped up her copy of Trump’s speech in front of lawmakers, the nation, and the world.
Going into the speech, Democrats were beside themselves with frustration. For years, they had sought to tie Trump to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin — does that sound familiar? — and hoped to impeach and remove the president on charges of colluding with Russia. But then, Trump-Russia special counsel Robert Mueller, after years of investigating, admitted he was not able to establish that collusion ever occurred. Democrats turned on a dime and impeached Trump anyway, not over Russia, but Ukraine. (If you don’t remember the “perfect phone call,” you can look it up.)
