Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently participated in a debate at the Oxford Union, where she discussed the topic of populism in the United States and its impact on democracy. It didn’t go well for the former Speaker of the House who’s not used to being challenged.
During the debate, Pelosi described herself as a devout Catholic and mentioned that some Americans, who are struggling to find answers, often disagree with the Democratic Party’s views, especially on issues related to guns, gays, and God. She expressed concern over the current state of American populism, suggesting it has taken on an ethno-nationalist character.
On the other side of the debate was Winston Marshall, a musician formerly associated with the band Mumford and Sons and now a podcast host. Marshall spoke against the notion, “This House Believes Populism is a Threat to Democracy.” He challenged the negative perspective associated with the term “populist,” which he feels has been misused by the elite to disparage ordinary people. Marshall argued that the term has evolved negatively, especially in political contexts, to include labels like “racist” and “bigot.”
“If anything, Obama argued that he was the populist. If anything, Obama argued that Bernie was the populist,” Marshall said. “Something curious happens. If you watch Obama’s speeches after that point, more and more recently, he uses the word ‘populist’ interchangeably with ‘strong man,’ ‘authoritarian.’ The word changes meaning. It becomes a negative, a pejorative, a slur.”
“Elites use it to show their contempt for ordinary people,” Marshall added.
The debate also touched on recent violent events, such as the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, and the attacks on the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, during June 2020. Marshall used these examples to argue that all political movements could lead to violence and insurrection, not just populism.
Highlighting the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, which he believed to be “a dark day for America, indeed,” Marshall said: “I’m sure Congresswoman Pelosi will agree that the entire month of June 2020, when the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, was under siege and under insurrection by radical progressives, those, too, were dark days for America.”
Marshall was surprised by Pelosi’s position, pointing out that traditionally, the left has opposed elite and establishment perspectives. He argued that today’s “globalist left” has become the new establishment.
“Today, particularly in America, the globalist left have become the establishment,” he continued. “I suppose for Mrs. Pelosi to have taken this side of the argument, she’d be arguing herself out of a job.”
“Now, don’t get me wrong, we need elites. If President Biden has shown us anything, we need someone to run the countries,” Marshall said. “When the president has severe dementia, it’s not just America that crumbles, the whole world burns.”
Then Marshall set Pelosi up by saying that Trump should have accepted the results of the 2020 election, but he didn’t stop there.
“So should Hillary in 2016, so should Brussels and Westminster in 2016, and so, too, should Congresswoman Pelosi instead of saying the 2016 election was, quote, ‘hijacked,'” Marshall said.
“It was,” Pelosi said, drawing laughter from the spectators.
“That doesn’t mean we don’t accept the results of it,” she added.
Boom, folks, he got her.
We cued up the moment above so you can watch Pelosi get almost laughed out of the room and there are subtitles so you can understand what she she’s saying.
“Mainstream media elites are part of a class who don’t just disdain populism, they disdain the people. If Democrats had put half their energy in delivering for the people, Trump wouldn’t even have a chance in 2024 … you’ve had power for four years. From the fabricated Steele Dossier, to trying to take him off the ballot in both Maine and Colorado, the Democrats are the anti-Democrat party,” he said.
This is outstanding. Nancy Pelosi waltzes into Oxford Union Debate and gets a populist spanking from Winston Marshall.
Nancy interrupts several times.pic.twitter.com/4JoXYKBbXe
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) May 11, 2024
