Nancy Pelosi is playing a very sly game of multi-dimensional chess while others are playing in one dimension. Pelosi is jumping from her caucus to Trump, keeping both off guard, then back again, then jumping to the country and back again to her caucus or to Trump.
In 2016 I suggested, if I may say, that the Democrats attack Trump from multiple different angles with multiple different antagonists--simultaneously. Warren here, HRC there. Obama over there.
I argued that it would short-circuit Trump. Trump cannot fail to rise to the bait. He doesn't have it in him. He says he learned this from Roy Cohn. The counterpunch must always be harder than the punch. Not counterpunching was not an option.
A person only has two fists. If you surround Trump, a pack of jackals tormenting a cornered a lion, one nipping him on the flank, another on the tail, simultaneously, the lion will respond to each--he knows no other way! The lion will whiplash himself back and forth and back again. Nancy Pelosi has Trump jumping to this level of the chess board, then back down again to that one. Up again, down again. It is exhausting for both man and lion and ultimately futile.
Nancy Pelosi had the epiphanic insight into crushing the counter puncher: not a one punch knockout. Jabs. A jab here. A jab there. A jab does not do devastating damage. A jab just stings your opponent, throws him a little off balance, keeps him "honest." The jab conserves energy and goads the counter puncher into responding to each with disproportionate force, expending energy. Agility. Jab and dodge. Go into a corner and cover up if necessary, weather the counter puncher's impotent rage, his wild, futile blows. You don't have to trade punches with him! Not trading punches shows him he isn't hurting you. Not responding to Trump is the response. "That the best you got?" Taunt him! Yes! Goad him into yet wilder more frantic roundhouses that glance when they land at all. Let him punch himself out. Trump will continue doing it! Even as he becomes frantic and exhausted and his reflexes slow by milliseconds and his punches dull by grams; then his reflexes slow by half-seconds, the force of his punches by ounces; then by seconds and pounds. Then! then. Then, one of the jackals can do real damage, the lion will focus on that one and expose his vitals to the others. Then! one of Nancy Pelosi's jabs draws Trump's blood; Pelosi sees it: the cowardly lyin' is wounded. Now a flurry of Pelosi's jabs wobbles Trump.
That is what Pelosi has been doing as one person to Trump and to her caucus this week. She is adroitly avoiding the blows from her caucus, is blunting them in fact, and is simultaneously attacking Trump from different angles--everything simultaneously: the courts hammer Trump from one angle, she defuses her caucus with accusations of impeachable offenses, strengthening her hand which simultaneously goads Trump into frantic, ineffective counter punches. Trump's counter punches hit air this week. Those weaken him. They strengthen her. Trump is on the defensive, he is being cornered, he was frantic this week and we all saw the effect of it all, Trump weakened: Pelosi's jabs cut.
One woman. One woman has figured this all out. Nancy Pelosi is the Grand Master of multi-dimensional political chess.
