Full text: Pelosi letter to Trump asking to reschedule State of the Union. edited

[elleng]

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/16/full-text-pelosi-letter-1104906

EDIT: Headlines being what they are, politico felt like saying the letter ASKS him to reschedule, while it does no such thing.

[jberryhill]

1. She's not "asking" shit here

I don't know why everyone is running with "asking".

She gives him two options:

"I suggest that we work together to determine another suitable date after government has re-opened for this address or for you to consider delivering your State of the Union address in writing to the Congress on January 29th."

There's no "asking" going on in this letter.

[electron_blue]

2. agreed! ain't no asking going on. just telling.

[Midnightwalk]

3. I don't like it

I’ll probably be proven wrong but would have preferred speaker Pelosi directly saying a televised lie filled spectacle would be improper while 800,000 federal workers are not getting paid and the government is shut down.

I expect we’ll hear from Kirstjen Nielsen over the next day or so saying that security can be provided with current funds.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. Pelosi is too classy to deliver an insult like that. What she did was much better

because she gave him no out, and at the same time put pressure on him to end the shutdown - because Trump craves more than anything the opportunity to be the center of attention; and delivering a speech that both glorifies himself and insults Democrats, before a captive audience of Congress members who he seems to think are his employees, is the biggest look-at-me-I'm-important spectacle of all. And she's depriving him of it. What better insult could there be?

[Midnightwalk]

6. Agree you don't want me messaging

Clearly she is much better. I read the letter before posting and agree that she is not asking, but she is citing lack of funds causing inability to plan. I think the response will be that this was a known evnt if not the exact timing and that planning has been underway for a long time.

I’ll be happy to be wrong. Speaker Pelosi can still decide to not allow it if their response is like i say. Agree she didn’t need to use my language, but it is kindnof fun to fantasize.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. I didn't see any "asking" in that letter. She *told* him, though carefully and politely,

that nobody had ever given a SOTU address during a government shutdown; that there were security concerns because of it; and that it should either be rescheduled or presented in writing per the Constitution. Since the address is by invitation from Congress via the Speaker, the invitation could also be rescinded. Obviously he can give a speech from the Oval Office or anywhere else, but it wouldn't be the SOTU address. But Pelosi didn't ask him. She told him.