Nancy Pelosi, What Are You Even Doing?

I have long been a supporter of Nancy Pelosi. I have regarded her as a savvy strategist and effective Speaker, and I have defended her when she faced misogynist and ageist and partisan and otherwise bad faith attacks, and I have also criticized her (for example) when she got shit wrong.

She is getting shit very wrong at the moment.

[Content Note: Video may autoplay at link] Today, she and Chuck Schumer are heading to the White House once again to discuss Donald Trump's infrastructure plan — a policy of corporate giveaways and privatization schemes that doesn't even deserve their time of day on its face, no less when a significant portion of the Democratic base and an increasing number of the Democratic Congressional caucus is calling for Pelosi to launch impeachment hearings.

Because, as my representative, Congresswoman Madeleine Dean, correctly put it, Donald Trump's actions demand it:

President Trump and his Administration have obstructed justice over and over again, leaving us no choice: we must open an impeachment inquiry into the President of the United States.

— Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (@RepDean) May 21, 2019

That is the only ethical conclusion.

I am not sympathetic to Pelosi's arguments that Democrats have to focus on their agenda and not get into a prolonged impeachment battle, because the top item on the Democrats' agenda in this moment should be standing in the way of fascism.

But I am even more hostile toward Pelosi's decision to head to the White House to discuss policy as if everything is normal. Fuck that.

Impeach. Now.