Nancy Pelosi’s display of emotions show she’s human and Donald Trump is winning – Jim Duffy

After a copy of Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech is torn up by Nancy Pelosi, Jim Duffy, a self-confessed ‘emotional person’, has some advice for the US House Speaker on how to control hers.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tears up her copy of Donald Trump's State of the Union address after his speech to a joint session of Congress (Picture: Alex Brandon/AP)

Well if you can’t remove a sitting President through articles of impeachment, at least you can rip up his State of the Union speech right? Knowing that she had no chance of winning the impeachment debate in the Senate the next day, Nancy Pelosi was most certainly not in the best of moods as President Trump turned up to tell everyone how amazing he is.

As is customary at the beginning of the ceremony, Pelosi extended her hand to the President. But, he was having none of that and it looked like he blatantly snubbed her. Reg rag to a bull...

As the President then pontificated on how America was topping the charts across the globe, one could feel the emotion brewing within Pelosi. As commentators on the CNN news channel later suggested that Trump was lying through his teeth about “his” achievements throughout his address, it was clear that Pelosi felt the same way.

So, what does she do at the end as the President lapped up his applause from his lapdogs? She dramatically tears up the speech in sheer disdain. Oh how she cannot hide her contempt for Trump and the fact that he keeps on beating her. Even she, a seasoned politician with many years under her belt, cannot cope with the emotions that we human beings are blessed with.

Exercise works for me

Emotions are indeed a blessing and curse at the same time. They do set us aside from other mammals, but I’m not sure for good or bad.

It all starts in the limbic part of the brain, which is responsible for emotions. The limbic system is a complex set of structures that lies on both sides of the thalamus. It is responsible for three key functions as we go about our daily business. These are emotion, memory and arousal. It seems that stimulating different parts of the limbic system can trigger emotional behaviour, such as aggression. It is said that “emotional” people, and I am one of these creatures, can calm their limbic system using meditation, music, prayer and exercise. And If I think about it, exercise is the one that works for me. But, what about poor old Nancy?

Of course, she probably had the shredgate episode planned for weeks. At least that is what the conspiracy theorists are suggesting. They say she was manipulative in that she knew that the whole world would see her actions as she stood behind the most powerful man in the world.

It was choreographed and clinically orchestrated, say others in the media. I’m not so sure, you know. I actually think she would have jumped over the table and shoved it down his throat if she could have.

Why? Because she cannot stomach the man, the myth and the way he governs. It is all shrouded in emotion.

Crying at sad movies

I guess if we look back at many episodes in our lives that we regret, emotions played a big part. Arguments, heated discussions, fights and fallouts all blinded by emotion as the rational part of our brain is overcome by the limbic part. It happens everyday in schools, offices, public transport, pubs and most definitely behind the wheel of a car. In short, anywhere where human beings come into contact.

While I do not dwell on the past, there have been many instances where the emotional side of my brain has taken over and the actions have fallen short of good behaviour. But even as I grow old, I still get emotional. Good emotions as well as bad. I cry a lot quicker at sad movies nowadays. I well up when I see beautiful acts of kindness. I get cross when drivers in front of me plod along at slow speeds, while chatting to the person in the seat next to them. You’ve seen it right? They actually converse and turn heads chatting to each each. I can feel my emotions stirring now just thinking about it.

And it this memory function combined with arousal that makes emotion so hard to compartmentalise and stifle. I remember my old sergeant in the police told me to act like a swan. He told us to look elegant on the outside while our wee legs under the water where “going like the clappers”. Very good advice, especially to cops, but putting it into practice, when you are being spat at by a drunken yob is not so easy. And this is why I don’t feel we should be giving Pelosi a hard time.

Old school

Every bone in her body is seething with loathing for Donald Trump. In her eyes what he has done for the politics of division and how he treats his opponents is not what she is used to. Remember, she was in Obama’s company for years, so she knows what it’s like to do politics with a gentleman. Unfortunately, Trump, as she views him through that lens, falls far short of the mark. Boil all this up with how she and her teammates in the Democratic party are nowhere near where they need to be to beat him in the next election in November this year and one can see why Pelosi is about to blow.

First and foremost, Pelosi is a human being. She is old school also. She likes manners and while she is up there with the best of them in debate, she likes common courtesy from her opponents. But, in this President, none of these qualities are present for her and it just keeps getting worse with her visible frustration getting more tangible by the day. However I have some advice for Nancy.

Go for a long walk, soak in a hot bath, listen to some music and have glass of wine. Sending yourself to an early grave because of this guy is not worth all that emotion.

God bless America...