State of the Union shame/sham

The conversations following last week's State of the Union address are mostly about a shortened introduction, a hand unshaken and a shredded speech. Are you kidding me? I mean, how old are these people who want to be respected as leaders of our country?

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's display of ripping President Trump's speech at the conclusion of his State of the Union address was downright unprofessional and rude. The conspicuous fashion in which she did it lets us know it was meant to be witnessed and discussed. This, of course, came after her introduction of President Trump, in which she stated, simply, "Members of Congress, the President of the United States," rather than the traditional introduction in which she would have stated it was her "high privilege and distinct honor" to present the president. I guess it could have been worse. Some Trump detractors would have preferred she had said, "Y'all, here's 45!" So maybe we should be glad she managed to even say what she did.

But I'm not glad. I'm embarrassed and floored. These grown folks masquerading as statesmen and stateswomen at the State of the Union are more like silly kids. Actually, that's an insult to kids. I'm convinced we could take video footage of that night, show it to a class of third-graders and receive feedback from them that would include a phrase like, "Wow! They need to grow up!" Even 7- and 8-year-olds know how to act in public, especially on television.

According to the CNN website, "A Trump adviser told CNN's Jim Acosta that by apparently ignoring Pelosi the President missed an opportunity to heal a divided nation." I haven't heard Trump address the handshake -- or lack thereof -- himself, so was it a snub or did he not see her hand? I couldn't tell from my angle, but I wouldn't be surprised if he saw it and refused to shake it. In fact, I would actually be surprised if that is not the case. And I can just hear one of those third-graders saying, "Mommy, that's not nice!" The kid may not be old enough to artfully articulate just how childish all of this is, but he knows it when he sees it. And, no doubt, everyone everywhere is also seeing it -- and shaking their heads at the leaders who won't shake hands in the country that supposedly symbolizes exceptionalism. There's nothing exceptional about grown folks seated in positions of power engaging in playground posturing.

We may not have heard from Trump on his alleged snub, but Pelosi has acknowledged her willful act of defiance -- no denying she tore the speech, no pretense that she forgot what she was holding in her hand, no ignoring the question. Explaining her symbolic gesture, she said, "It was the courteous thing to do, considering the alternative." So what would have been the alternative -- jumping up and down on it after she ripped it? Maybe she meant she could have gotten up and walked out during the address but chose to pout through it instead.

The House speaker then had the nerve to suggest she was a traveler on a road called High, tweeting, "Democrats will never stop extending the hand of friendship to get the job done #ForThePeople." Hmmm. Was that the same hand that followed up its extension by ripping up the president's speech? Folks need to stop pretending they're all about doing the right thing.

Say what you will about the president's speech. Some liked it. Some did not. And, as usual, this is generally based on partisanship -- but we have got to do better than what we displayed Tuesday night. I say "we" as if I had anything to do with what transpired. So I'll backtrack and say, "They." They have to own their own mess -- the mess they made in the midst of a night that included people who deserve better than the takeaways to which the evening has been reduced: Kayla Mueller's parents recognized; a girl with a tremendous educational opportunity by way of a scholarship; a family reunited with their loved one who had been deployed; and, even if you're no Rush Limbaugh fan, an opportunity to wish him well as he faces advanced lung cancer. Instead, much of what is being talked about are incomplete introductions, hands left hanging and papers rendered ripped.

What a shame -- or maybe "sham" is a better description.

Adrienne Ross is owner of Adrienne Ross Communications and a former Southeast Missourian editorial board member.