You can like or not like Speaker Nancy Pelosi. There is plenty not to like, as well as plenty to like. This is her second time as speaker and she is clearly, at her ripe old age, making a lot of it.
She does not believe in impeachment, as she thinks that it would give President Trump an advantage. Perhaps it would. However, taking a speech that she gave and then slowing it down so it appears she is slurring her words is not cool. In fact, it is a downright lie. What if that was done to President Trump? The outrage would be – should be – amazing.
Pelosi spoke at a conference for the Center for American Progress. Known as a liberal group, the their website states: “The Center for American Progress is an independent nonpartisan policy institute that is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans, through bold, progressive ideas, as well as strong leadership and concerted action. Our aim is not just to change the conversation, but to change the country. As progressives, we believe America should be a land of boundless opportunity, where people can climb the ladder of economic mobility. We believe we owe it to future generations to protect the planet and promote peace and shared global prosperity. And we believe an effective government can earn the trust of the American people, champion the common good over narrow self-interest, and harness the strength of our diversity.”
Clearly, someone is tracking Speaker Pelosi or they would not have been able to get a video of her. But they did. Then they took the video and slowed it down to make her look drunk. The Washington Post reported:
The video of Pelosi’s onstage speech Wednesday at a Center for American Progress event, in which she said President Trump’s refusal to cooperate with congressional investigations was tantamount to a “cover-up,” was subtly edited to make her voice sound garbled and warped. It was then circulated widely across Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.
One version, posted by the conservative Facebook page Politics WatchDog, has been viewed more than 1.4 million times, been shared more than 32,000 times, and garnered 16,000 comments with users calling her “drunk” and “a babbling mess.”
Can you imagine the outrage if it had been President Trump’s speech that had been slowed down and made him appear drunk (even though reportedly he does not drink)?
We do know the president’s lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, had used Twitter to ask, “What is wrong with Nancy Pelosi?” The tweet was taken down when it was realized the tape had been altered. The Post had its staff look at the video and determined that the parts shown of Nancy Pelosi answering questions had been slowed down 75 percent!
This is not the first time video has been doctored. In November, the Washington Post put up a doctored video and its commentary:
The edited video looks authentic: Acosta appeared to swiftly chop down on the arm of an aide as he held onto a microphone while questioning President Trump. But in the original video, Acosta’s arm appears to move only as a response to a tussle for the microphone. His statement, “Pardon me, ma’am,” is not included in the video Sanders shared.
Critics said that video – which sped up the movement of Acosta’s arms in a way that dramatically changed the journalist’s response – was deceptively edited to score political points. That edited video was first shared by Paul Joseph Watson, known for his conspiracy-theory videos on the far-right website Infowars.
White House news photographers said, “We know that manipulating images is manipulating truth. It’s deceptive, dangerous and unethical.”
So now, because of the internet, videos are being doctored and shared. Where is the outrage about it? If a Democratic operative had done that to President Trump, the president would have gone after the editor and the websites that published it.
If you want, you can say Speaker Pelosi is a left-wing nutcase; but to alter a speech so she appears drunk is beyond the pale. Someone should be held accountable and punished for doing so. If no one is held accountable, then it will just continue with others. It has got to stop, as it is un-American. We don’t do things like that in a democracy. Let’s find out who did it and who put it on the internet … and go after them.
