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Nancy Pelosi

by: Gary Patton

Mon Nov 22, 2010 at 19:53:19 PM EST


 
Nancy Pelosi

I like Nancy Pelosi. Let me repeat that - I like Nancy Pelosi. I think that she's a nice person, an effective politician, and I'm happy that she was recently elected House minority leader. Yes, I know. Many people dislike Nancy Pelosi, but I'm not among them.

Humans have an unfortunate tendency to scapegoat people - to focus their unhappiness on some hapless person. It's not enough to dislike a policy or a situation, we have to hold somebody responsible for creating it. So it is with Nancy Pelosi. In the last election, Republicans in positions of power did their best to scapegoat Pelosi. They spent more money attacking her personally than they did President Obama. And apparently they were successful.

It's perfectly possible to like people, even though we don't like the views they express. It's possible to like Nancy Pelosi, but not her political viewpoints. But we human beings rarely do that; we merge the person with their views. We dislike both of them. We scapegoat. In this case, we scapegoat Nancy Pelosi.

Why do I think Nancy Pelosi is a likable person? I met her two times on social occasions. The first was a political gathering in Rye, New Hampshire. My wife and I took our granddaughter to the event, and Pelosi went out of her way to speak to our granddaughter and encourage her. So what? Pelosi is nice to children; what politician looking for votes from parents isn't kind to kids.

Perhaps, the second example will be more persuasive. My wife and I attended a political fundraiser for Carol Shea-Porter at the Liberty Hotel in Boston at which Nancy Pelosi was the featured speaker. (Yes, that's the "out-of-state" fundraiser held a full 40 miles from New Hampshire that the state GOP roundly criticized. These same people were strangely silent when millions upon millions of anonymous dollars from out of state sources deluged New Hampshire voters with television ads attacking Democrats.)

Republicans are very adept at creating caricatures of Democrats that are unappealing to voters. The GOP presents Pelosi as a "limousine liberal," an uppity, wealthy person who forces unrealistic liberal ideology upon average people.

To an extent, Pelosi inadvertently facilitates that stereotype. She represents liberal San Francisco (seen as the center of homosexuality in America by homophobes); she is very attractive for a woman of her years (over 70); and she dresses impeccably. But there is a whole lot more to Nancy Pelosi. She is a warm and caring person. At the meeting, she moved around the room greeting the guests, and, just as she did with my granddaughter, responded at length to each person's comments. (The typical politician standing in a receiving line abruptly grabs your hand, smiles briefly, and forcefully steers you to the next person in line so as to meet as many people in as short a time as possible.)

Moreover, Pelosi is genuinely appreciative of the opportunity she has in Congress to benefit the lives of the American public. And Pelosi is an effective leader. She knows her constituency well (Democratic members of Congress), and takes that into account when she makes decisions. Massachusetts congressmen Ed Markey and Mike Capuano were at the fundraiser. Pelosi would pause occasionally in her remarks to say things like, "Mike, I know you don't agree with this, but . . .," or "Ed, your experience on this matter may be different from mine."

And you may be sure that when Pelosi takes a bill to the floor of the House she has the votes to pass it. Thomas Roberts commented on Countdown, "Pelosi has, by any measure, a stunning list of accomplishments under her belt from the last two years. Measure after measure, propping up Wall street, automakers, and, in turn, the U.S. economy, tax cuts for the middle class, investments for America's future in green energy and basic infrastructure, health care reform, veteran's benefits, equal pay legislation for women, new rules reining in Wall Street, new protection for consumers against credit card companies, reforming student loans for college kids."

And Pelosi is tough. She gives the Republicans as good as she gets. The Democratic Party is desperately in need of tough leaders who are not pale replicas of the GOP and will not give away the store in one-sided compromises. Republicans may openly rejoice because they feel Pelosi's unpopularity will be a handicap to the Democratic Party, but privately they know they will have a fight on their hands.

We men should be as strong. Nancy, you go, girl!

Gary Patton :: Nancy Pelosi
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Nancy Pelosi | 6 comments
I posted a comment (0.00 / 0)
when Gary put this up at The Forum announcing my admiration and liking for the lady as well.  One of our local Rs replied that this just proved that it was a good thing I wasn't representing the people of Rockingham 1.  Nice.

I loved this quote from the other day: (0.00 / 0)
What about John Boehner, the Ohio Republican who is expected to succeed you as House speaker in January? Did you see him tearing up on election night as he addressed his supporters?

You know what? He is known to cry. He cries sometimes when we're having a debate on bills. If I cry, it's about the personal loss of a friend or something like that. But when it comes to politics - no, I don't cry. I would never think of crying about any loss of an office, because that's always a possibility, and if you're professional, then you deal with it professionally.

O.K., but you could admit to having deep emotions about your setback in the House.

I have deep emotions about the American people. If I were to cry for anything, I would cry for them and the policies that they're about to face.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11...

I think people are mistaken to take this as a pose.  I admire this always professional, can-do spirit, and the total focus on the people v. the politicians.


birch paper; on Twitter @deanbarker


I agree, Dean. (4.00 / 1)
And my rage and grief is less for a personal loss of public servants like Carol, and Maureen Mann, and Jackie Cilley (who wasn't even my state senator!), than for the losses that the public sphere will endure because these women are no longer representing them.  We take our responsibility seriously.  It is obvious that the media talking heads asking these stupid questions don't.

[ Parent ]
Don't forget the military-jet canard (0.00 / 0)
I like Speaker Pelosi very much, although I have not yet had the opportunity to meet her in person.  She is always articulate, and clear about what she wants to accomplish and why, and the weekly Speaker's Briefings were a joy to behold.

As I understand it, the military jets were something the Secret Service insisted on, since the Speaker is third in the line of succession.  Not something the Speaker wanted to enhance her royal trappings.

We now have Speaker-in-Waiting Boehner reportedly flying commercial, but bypassing the TSA screening line.  We'll see how long that flying commercial lasts after he is actually Speaker.  Also the other promises about open rules and transparency and earmark reform and having bills posted for 72 hours.

I do hope we'll keep a scorecard on those promises for use in 2012.


That's the bargain authoritarians strike with the "leaders" to whom (0.00 / 0)
they genuflect.  It's all praise to the conquering hero and "off with his head" when there's failure.  It's all part of shifting responsibility for action away from the subject to the object or "cause."  "Cause" meaning intent or purpose, rather than agency.  In a sense, it's the idea stripped of energy.  Conservatives don't "cause" in the sense of actually doing anything.  They give orders and, having given an order, consider the deed as good as done, even if it's not.

That's how "Mission Accomplished" was perceived when the effort had barely begun and badly.  It's also how Iraq was "won."  The idea or intent is what counts and defines the outcome.  That's how come GWB is defined as an idealist.  He had an idea and he imposed it and, ipso facto, he's a success.  His success lies in having been believed.  Since a lie requires more belief than the truth, getting people to believe a lie is a greater success than persuading them of the truth or facts.
You could say that the relationship between power and fact is inverse.  There is no power in perpetrating fact.


Proud of Pelosi (4.00 / 1)
I was reminded that in his day, the Republicans would use Tip O'Neill as the Nancy Pelosi punching bag. Tip was great, Nancy still is.

Go team go! No retreat. Full steam ahead.


No'm Sayn?


Nancy Pelosi | 6 comments

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