President Donald Trump might be uncharacteristically resigned to the fact that the annual State of the Union address has, thanks to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, been posted postponed until after the partial shutdown is over. But Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is not.
On Wednesday night and in an unusually subdued tone, Trump conceded to postponing the speech :
Following a high-stakes game of dare and double-dare, Trump conceded that “no venue that can compete with the history, tradition and importance of the House Chamber” and that he was not looking for an alternate option after Pelosi served notice earlier Wednesday that he won’t be allowed to deliver the address to a joint session of Congress next week.
[…]
“As the Shutdown was going on, Nancy Pelosi asked me to give the State of the Union Address. I agreed,” Trump tweeted. “She then changed her mind because of the Shutdown, suggesting a later date. This is her prerogative – I will do the Address when the Shutdown is over.”
In contrast, Graham posted a series of tweets Wednesday blasting Pelosi’s move as “absurd, petty, and shameful”:
The President – regardless of party – should have the opportunity to address the American people in the State of the Union address from the traditional venue of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The State of the Union is a tradition which has been carried out during times of war and peace, turmoil and tranquility.
It is an important piece of our history and government.
Speaker Pelosi’s decision to ignore this long-standing American tradition is absurd, petty, and shameful.
The judgement of history will NOT be kind.
He expanded on his statement in an interview with Fox News‘s Sean Hannity that night:
“Nancy Pelosi has become a nightmare for the Democratic party. She seems unreasonable, she seems to have a dislike for the president that is hurting the country and this idea of not letting the president speak is really overplaying your hands,” he said. “The harder Nancy Pelosi goes left and the more Trump goes to the middle, we’re going to get this thing solved.”
Outspoken Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to the Twitter machine to give Graham some grief about it:
According to @LindseyGrahamSC, the President failing to condemn neo-nazis, forcing thousands of federal workers to go to food pantries,& risking all their credit scores is whatever, but not letting the President march down the House Floor until we pay people first is “a new low.” https://t.co/mx9CthfxWD
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 24, 2019
Not to be outdone, Graham clapped back, teasing her about her doomsday prediction that the world would end in 12 years due to inaction over climate change:
Let’s bury the hatchet and enjoy the next 12 years because they are going to be our last, right? https://t.co/OKhAAcGKyr
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 24, 2019
Boom!
But he wasn’t done:
Even worse news, @AOC and her new socialist colleagues seem hell-bent on making sure that our last 12 years will be spent as Venezuelan socialists, not Americans.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 24, 2019
Perfect timing for that tweet, considering current events.
And lastly:
Question: Is it possible Rep. Ocasio-Cortez could be wrong about the demise of the planet in 12 years and the American people reject her socialist agenda in 2020?
Stay tuned!
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 24, 2019
Let’s hope so!
— Connect with Sister Toldjah on Twitter. —
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