Last week, Nancy Pelosi, who is once again the most powerful Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, claimed that “a wall is an immorality.” Is she right? In my opinion, absolutely not.
A wall, or a barrier, or whatever you want to call it, is a common sense means of securing our border, which is far too porous. Millions and millions of people have illegally crossed this woefully inadequately secured border over the years. President Trump has promised to do something about it. Democrats in Congress are trying to stop him.
In my opinion, calling a wall “an immorality” is absurd, but Nancy Pelosi has said a lot of things over the years which are quite preposterous. Since she’s once again Speaker of the House, I thought it might be worth the time to review some other doozies that she’s said over the years. To be more than fair, lets limit it to just since she became Speaker the first time. Here goes.
Back in 2009, when Democrats had taken over the House, and were trying to pass Barack Obama’s Stimulus Package, Pelosi claimed that “every month that we do not have an economic recovery package, 500 million Americans lose their jobs.” (There were only 300 million Americans alive at the time.)
Pelosi’s perhaps most infamous quote came the next year, in 2010, when Democrats were trying to pass Obamacare. She claimed “we have to pass the bill to find out what’s in it.” This one will go down in the annals of “dumbest things politicians have ever said”, along with “read my lips no new taxes,” “it depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is, and “strategery.”
In 2012, Nancy Pelosi on “Meet the Press” claimed that under Obamacare “everybody will have lower rates.” Well that obviously didn’t happen, but the next year she tried to explain it away by saying “I don’t remember saying that everybody in the country will have a lower premium.” Come on, Nancy. Lower rates – lower premiums – same thing. Either way, you were wrong.
Then 2013, when Republicans controlled the House and were trying to cut spending, Nancy Pelosi said “the cupboard is bare – there is no more cuts to make.” First of all, I’m sure she meant “there ARE no more” not “there IS no more” but even if she’d said it right, she was wrong. We’ve hardly scratched the surface when it comes to places in the budget where there’s room to cut.
That same year, 2013, she doubled down, saying to Fox News’s Chris Wallace “it’s almost a false argument to say we have a spending problem.” What? Of course we have a spending problem. And to suggest otherwise amounts to whistling past a graveyard.
In 2017, after Republicans in the House and Senate passed substantial tax cuts, and President Trump signed the legislation into law, Nancy Pelosi pooh-poohed the cuts, calling over $2,000 for the average family “crumbs” and “pathetic.” Now that might be crumbs to somebody like Pelosi who’s worth over $40 million. But to a lot of middle class families in the congressional district I represent, it’s welcome relief. That’s not to say I wouldn’t like to go back and cut taxes, especially on middle class folks, even further in the near future.
And finally, just last year, in 2018, in the same vein as criticizing President Trump for wanting to enhance security at our southern border, Pelosi criticized Trump for criticizing the vicious criminal gang, MS-13. This is a Mexican drug gang that routinely terrorizes, tortures, murders, even beheads innocent victims, and President Trump singled them out as an example of the type of people he wants to keep out with the wall. President Trump elaborated saying “you wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. They aren’t people. These are animals.” Holier-than-thou Nancy called President Trump’s comments “inhumane” and went on to say “we’re all God’s children. Does he not believe in the spark of divinity, the dignity and worth of every person?” Nancy, pleeeease! President Trump believes that the government has a responsibility to protect the American people from such murderous thugs. And so do I.
So count me as supporting President Trump’s determination to shore up security at our southern border. And against Nancy Pelosi’s efforts to thwart the President. That’s not to say there isn’t a common sense compromise to be found, that funds the wall at a higher level than Democrats presently are willing to support, but lower than the President is currently seeking. And that’s where I think we’ll end up – eventually.
