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Mike Pompeo's Attempt To Meme Shame Pelosi On Twitter Backfires Spectacularly

In the heat of the moment, it can be difficult to rein in some reactions, but it's always best to give your head the time it needs to catch up to your heart. You see it on social media plenty, people posting angry replies that they didn't think through and subsequently finding themselves in hot water for it.

It's unlikely that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will see many repercussions for his poorly thought-out reaction on Twitter, but nevertheless, it's not a great look for a senior cabinet member.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stole the spotlight from President Trump's 70-minute State of the Union address when she tore up her copy of the speech on camera.

Obviously displeased with the speech, Pelosi later remarked, "He shredded the truth, so I shredded his speech."

However, the president's supporters have been seemingly triggered by the move, with the White House releasing a scathing statement about it, Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz saying he was filing an ethics complaint, and House Republicans planning to file a disapproval resolution, according to CNN.

Among the less publicized reactions on the night of the State of the Union, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tried to shame Pelosi with a meme.

With the nation's top diplomat apparently not in a very diplomatic mood, he tried to compare the Speaker to a second-grader throwing a hissy fit, tweeting out a single image of Lisa Simpson sobbing over some paper.

While on the surface it does seem like an apt comparison, anybody who has actually seen the episode of The Simpsons Pompeo referred to knows that the Secretary, in fact, played himself.

The episode, which first aired back in 1991, features Lisa Simpson finding a wellspring of patriotism inside herself.

Inspired by a trip to Springfield Forest, she writes an essay called "The Roots of Democracy" and enters it into a competition, eventually earning a trip to Washington, D.C.

However, while in the nation's capital, Lisa overhears a Congressman accepting a bribe for the rights to bulldoze Springfield Forest. That's when Lisa tears up her paper — because she's heartbroken at being let down by her government and having her faith in democracy rocked.

Of course, Lisa Simpson isn't your average second-grader and you can't just keep her down.

Disillusioned and angered, Lisa writes a new essay called "Cesspool on the Potomac," in which she recalls Washington's origins as a "stagnant swamp" and calls out the "fetid stench of corruption."

As many on Twitter pointed out, the likeness Pompeo saw between Pelosi and Lisa Simpson's outbursts was definitely there, but not the tantrum he thought — it was indignation, heartbreak, and yes, anger at a nation falling short of its ideals. Pompeo, in essence, proved Pelosi's point.

As you might expect, folks on Twitter were wise to the episode in question.

Hey, there are a lot of Simpsons fans out there, and they know their stuff. Even New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell replied to straighten out Pompeo.

His tweet inspired a reply from Yeardley Smith, who voices Lisa Simpson: "That’s pretty good! I might just add f**k you @mikepompeo for co-opting my character to troll @SpeakerPelosi. Be a leader and fight you own fight! Oh, wait I forgot, you’re a follower."

h/t: CNN