Berl Falbaum
In the aftermath of the horrific attack on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, I think it is appropriate to revisit what, in my view, was truly a remarkable moment during the January 6 insurrection.
Regrettably, it received very little attention, so let’s rewind our cellphone videos.
As the House speaker, along with colleagues, was seeking safety at a secret location, she was filmed, with mask under her nose, making a call to Vice President Mike Pence.
She discussed her hope that lawmakers would be able to return to work and certify the election that very same day. It was important to certify the election as quickly as possible, she said.
Then, Pelosi added:
“I worry about you being in that Capitol building...don’t let anybody know where you are. Oh, my goodness, where are you? God bless you. But are you in a very safe (rest inaudible) …
Here is the House speaker, a Democrat, calling the Republican vice president, partner to the president who, it is safe to conclude, she despises and who, Pelosi said during the insurrection, she would like to punch out.
She made the call while rioters chanted “Hang Mike Pence” and “Where’s Nancy?” Meanwhile the president never checked on the status of Pence but, worse, a few months later defended the rioters, stating Pence deserved the threats because he would not take an unconstitutional action to overturn the election. Trump said the threat was only “common sense.”
Pelosi’s call, as I said, was remarkable, all the more remarkable, because she did so on instinct. There were no meetings with staff on how to interact with Pence, no strategy sessions, no carefully worded press releases, no hesitation, no weighing of the pros-cons of such a call.
In 32 words, with absolutely no reflection on “politics,” she displayed her humanity, her concern for human life even for bitter political opponents.
It was heartfelt, but, regrettably, lost in the riot during which five died and more than 100 police officers were injured, some severely.
Compare that to the reaction of some Republicans to the attack on Pelosi’s husband by an intruder to their home in San Francisco. Pelosi, 82, suffered a fractured skull (among other injuries) and while doctors expect him to recover completely, it may take a long time.
A few, such as Pence and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, condemned the attack. Pence said he was “outraged,” McConnell said he was “horrified and disgusted” while House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said, “What happened to Paul Pelosi is wrong.” (It was more than “wrong.”)
But most remained silent, which is shameful, but preferable to reactions from the former president, his son, and others of their ilk.
Donald Trump waited several days before addressing the attack. When he finally spoke, he labeled it a “terrible thing” but equated it to street crime in San Francisco and Chicago, both Democratic cities.
Let us not forget that Trump urged his supporters to beat the “crap” out of opponents and he would pay the legal fees. And, he is principally responsible for the January 6 insurrection, refusing to act for more than three hours to stop the mayhem.
He has lost no time citing unproven conspiracy theories, stating during a recent interview that glass at the Pelosi home was broken from the inside.
"The glass it seems was broken from the inside to the out, so it wasn't a break-in, it was a break-out," Trump said. "I don't know — you hear the same things I do."
Trump added, "I'm not a fan of Nancy Pelosi, but what's going on there is very sad... The whole thing is crazy. I mean, if there is even a little bit of truth to what is being said, it's crazy."
Other Republicans throughout the country similarly blamed the failure of Democrats to address what they claimed was the rising crime rate in the nation. (Most reports show violent crimes decreasing in 2021 from the previous year).
Trump’s son, Don Jr., not to be outdone, tweeted a photo of a hammer lying on underwear with the caption, “Paul Pelosi Halloween costume.” The photo referred to an ugly, unproven conspiracy theory.
Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Republican Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins, and right-wing commentator Dinesh D’Souza mocked the attack, suggesting, without evidence, that it was part of an elaborate cover up.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, offered with black humor: “Speaker Pelosi’s husband, they had a break in last night in their house and he was assaulted, there’s no room for violence anywhere, but we’re going to send her back to be with him in California.”
Of course, there was more, much more. Worth noting — sadly: The new owner of Twitter, Elon Musk, linked a post from a website called the Santa Monica Observer that claimed the attacker was a male sex worker who had a dispute with Pelosi, who was drunk. Musk added: “There is a tiny possibility there might be more to this story than meets the eye." He later deleted his post.
So if, like me, you are totally depressed about the state of our politics, read the text of Pelosi’s phone call to Pence a few times.
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Berl Falbaum is a veteran journalist and author of 12 books.
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