Hook. Line. Sinker.

This would be embarrassing if only it weren’t so damn hysterical. Watching Donald Trump go up against Nancy Pelosi is like watching Don Knotts fight Muhammad Ali in his prime. It’s just no contest. And it’s exactly why we have a Speaker Pelosi, and not a Speaker Ocasio Cortez, or a Speaker Moulton, or a Speaker Bass, or any of the others. When it comes to political warfare, the Speaker is the ultimate Ninja.

It has already been leaked that His Lowness’ response to Pelosi’s comment this morning was done on the fly. Immediately after her “cover up” comment, Trump flew off the handle, the press was summoned to the Rose garden, the podium was hastily placed, and the visual poster was hurriedly printed out and tacked to the podium for the inevitable Trumper Tantrum. It was a set up, in other words.

But it ended up being a set up in response to an even more beautifully rafted set up. Don McGahn’s lawyer advised Jerry Nadler the day before that he would not be appearing at the hearing. The hearing was gaveled in anyway, thankfully free of chicken bucket props. Then the outrage and frustration, all understandable, over Trump’s continued obstruction of mandated Democratic oversight, and open talk of the necessity of moving immediately into an impeachment inquiry. Followed by the news that there would be a closed door meeting this morning at 9:30 an, 90 minutes before Pelosi was scheduled to sit down with Trump in the Oval Office.

Don’t get me wrong. The outrage over Trump’s tactics was real, understandable, and justified. In fact, I agree with it, if for no better reason than people will tune in more closely to televised impeachment hearings on every channel than they are to the 6 o’clock news. But the fact of the matter is that this mornings meeting could have been held at any time, especially if the meeting would run into a time crunch if Pelosi were to make her meeting with Trump on time. They could have held it last night, or had a closed door box lunch this afternoon, after the Oval Office meeting. But it was held specifically when it was for a reason, and the reason was for the use of the Nixonian phrase “cover up” to have a maximum effect at an occasion when the press would be present in force. And it worked.

Nancy Pelosi drives Donald Trump insane, and she always has. Trump is repelled by any strong woman who refuses to consider him as the Adonis of masculine perfection. The fact that she’s a “San Francisco librul” just adds fuel to the fire. I have always been convinced in my own mind that it was Pelosi’s public dressing down of Trump in front of the cameras, at the now infamous “shutdown summit,” when she scolded him to “Please don’t mistake my position of power in the Democratic led House” that yanked Trump’s crank hard enough to lead him to angrily boast to Chuck Schumer how proud he would be to shut down the government over his border wall, backing him into a corner that he couldn’t extract himself from. In what passes for Trump’s fevered mind, Pelosi is the ex wife that he can’t pay enough to go away.

There was one thing about Trump’s public diaper filling today that struck me. t has been put forward that Trump is doing everything in his power to get the Democrats to start impeachment hearings, so he can once again wrap himself in the ratty feather boa of victimhood, gin up the base, and Hoover more cash from the wallets of the suckers. Yet today he angrily stated that the Democrats must drop all of their investigations before anything could be done. With pressure building from within the Democratic caucus for actual impeachment hearings to begin, and with it suddenly starting to look like his financial records and taxes are going to get into House hands, and in a judicially expedited manner, the reality is hitting home. Public disclosure of his abject failure not only as a business mogul, but as a human being, would be disastrous for him. And the Trump administration defying a duly issued court order for compliance may well be the one bridge too far for Republicans in the Senate to stomach.Once again, Trump’s short sighted thinking, and his Guinness record book stupidity,have placed him on a plank over the piranha tank.

Here’s what the Democrats should do right now, immediately. Start passing bills like shit through a goose in the House. Pass a bill mandating full restoration of the voting rights act. Pass a bill allowing importation of FDA approved Canadian drugs to lower prescription drug prices. Pass a bill increasing funding for education including substantial teacher pay raises. Hell, come up with a dream $2 trillion infrastructure package and pass that. Just like the shutdown, Trump has once again claimed sole ownership for total legislative obstruction for as long as the Democrats keep investigating him. Make him and Yertl the McConnell eat it, whole, with Louisiana hot sauce. And then loudly proclaim to every TV camera and print reporter how much you’re getting done for the American people. Now, if only the Republican Senate and El Pendejo Presidente would get that stick out of their asses and get to work.  And keep right on with the investigations, the subpoenas, the court fights, and increase the impeachment talk. Trump responds to pressure the way a 4 year old responds to the corner. Let’s work this time out for all it’s worth. After all, 2020 is right around the corner.

Follow me on Twitter at @RealMurfster35