The Underappreciated Pelosi

Normally, one only writes about politicians when one is saying something mean about them, but Harold Meyerson's column on Nancy Pelosi reminds me that I think she's a really underrated political leader. Not flawless, of course, and anyone in her position is going to come in for some deserved criticism. But still, she's someone who basically shares my values and has vastly exceeded CW expectations.

You may recall that when she first became Democratic leader, everyone said she was doomed to fail -- too liberal. Then, throughout most of 2005-2006, all anyone did was heap scorn on the Democratic leadership. Then, immediately after the 2006 election, we were again warned of a dread Pelosi Backlash -- too liberal. But guess what? She seems plenty popular and is doing a good job of moving liberal legislation through the House. Admittedly, it just dies either at the hands of the Senate GOP or by Bush's veto pen, but that's not her fault.

Comments

A great Bush phrase comes to mind here: "the soft bigotry of low expectations".

On a related note: Let us know if you see Cindy Sheehan at YearlyKos. I am curious how welcome she will be after announcing that she will challenge Pelosi for her seat in Congress.

Posted by Fred | August 1, 2007 4:05 PM

It's my district. Lemme tell you: she's gonna have Sheehan for breakfast.

Posted by sangfroid826 | August 1, 2007 4:07 PM

That great "Bush phrase" was actually coined by Pat Moynihan, I believe, although I agree that when it comes to lowering people's expectations, Bush has really made the phrase his own.

Posted by Glenn | August 1, 2007 4:18 PM

As another one in Pelosi's district, let me tell you: I'm voting for Alf...ahem, Sheehan over Tinky Winky...ahem, Pelosi. Because I'm all for eating cats.

Posted by Gregorio | August 1, 2007 4:39 PM

One hugely important area where Pelosi blew it: impeachment. We need impeachment to restore accountability to our system and arrest the slide to royalism ("the unitary executive").

But Pelosi bargains like a 6 year old, coming out in advance and saying it's off the table.

Way to go Nancy! I suggest you stay away from any poker games. You'll lose your shirt and then we'll have to listen to endless stories on CNN about Pelosi's cleavage.

Posted by Junius Brutus | August 1, 2007 4:55 PM

Yet another Pelosi constituent, and there's no way I'm voting for the suburbanite carpetbagger from Vacaville (that's butchered Spanish for 'cow town').

But Sheehan's buffoonery aside, I agree completely about Pelosi. People who have been pissing and moaning at her for not accomplishing the impossible ignore the fact that within the limits of her power, she has accomplished a lot.

Posted by Tom Hilton | August 1, 2007 4:59 PM

You truly think the intensely political voters of San Francisco are going to cede the leadership of the United States Congress to Steny Fucking Hoyer? Over a war the Democrats lack the votes to end? Not even the Washington 5th was that dumb. And I'm sure Sheehan, master parliamentarian that she is, will have the political acumen to deliver the articles of impeachment. Christ.

Posted by sangfroid826 | August 1, 2007 4:59 PM

I'm very much in agreement, Matt. As long as Pelosi is running the House, we're in good hands there.

Posted by Neil the Ethical Werewolf | August 1, 2007 5:03 PM

Sheehan has never been a shrewd political operator. That was never her strength. Unfortunately her independence is about to lead her to do something that will end whatever beneficial political impact she had. Voters in a district would have to be morons to remove a sitting majority leader from power. And as sangfroid points out, the voters in question are smarter than your average voters.

But I think we know why Pelosi has taken a lot of criticism over the years. Female democratic house leader? I mean, does that just not scream for unfair press scrutiny and criticism?

Posted by mpowell | August 1, 2007 5:11 PM

Cindy Sheehan is the Pat Tillman of the American Left (now watch her get shot in the head) as Nancy Pelosi is the Hillary Clinton of the American Left. Ralph Nader is the Gollum of the American Left, but for superficial reasons mostly. That, and what's in his tricksy pocketses.

Quid pro quo, Hillary Clinton is an Orc.

Posted by Gregorio | August 1, 2007 5:11 PM

"Admittedly, it just dies either at the hands of the Senate GOP or by Bush's veto pen, but that's not her fault."

strictly speaking this may be true, but it's her job along with reid to make this death politically untenable. they haven't done that, not even close. she may be doing a nice job of running the house, but her communications have been awful the whole way. especially when she gave a state of the union respons a few years back.

Posted by matt | August 1, 2007 5:29 PM

Well, I thought it was touching she blinked once for every dead soldier in Iraq...

Posted by Gregorio | August 1, 2007 5:31 PM

It was a mistake to say impeachment was off the table. The process of impeachment is an important, if blunt, instrument - the last resort when dealing with abuse of power by the executive branch. We don't elect our representatives to be collegial - we elect them to do their jobs, and if impeachment is called for they shouldn't put politics above that. Even if they know they don't have the votes in the Senate to convict, they need to leave an official record of protest against the actions of Bush/Cheney, or those actions will by default become precedents for future office holders. I suspect Pelosi is trying to contrast the civilized behavior of the Democrats to the overreaching abuses of the Republicans, but even if this gains the Democrats one or two seats in 2008, it isn't worth the cost.

Posted by GlenO | August 1, 2007 5:35 PM

She would have been excellent -- if we weren't in a Constitutional crisis.

But in the current situation, we can't tolerate this kind of business-as-usual. We need a Speaker who *understands* that the Bush gang think of Congress as something which should bow to the whims of El Presidente or be ignored; who *understands* that they hate the Constitution; who *understands* that they're trying to set up a dictatorship.

And she *just doesn't get it*.

Posted by Nathanael Nerode | August 1, 2007 5:36 PM

Yanking Jane Harman ("I check with the Saban Center to see what to do") off of the Chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee(HPSCI) was a good move and took a lot of courage.

Especially with super-donor Haim Saban ("President Bill Clinton fetches soft drinks for me when I'm in the White House" ) calling Pelosi on the phone and pressuring her to let Harman take the Chair.

It was Harman, after all, who remained silent when the White House briefed her on wiretapping Americans without a warrent when she was Ranking Democrat on HPSCI. Who remained silent when Bush talked about "Intelligence" and "Smoking Mushroom Cloud" and Saddam's nukes.

As I recall, Harman didn't bother to contradict Haim Saban's sock puppet, Kenneth Pollack, when Pollack was telling us ghost stories in 2002.

Posted by Don Williams | August 1, 2007 5:56 PM

It was also Nancy Pelosi on HPSCI who stood up with Senator Bob Graham in 2002 and told America that the Intelligence did not show evidence that Saddam was an imminent threat.

IT took a lot of courage to try to block the Israel Lobby's billionaires' push for war.

Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and John Kerry decided to show "Profiles in Prudence" as I recall.

Posted by Don Williams | August 1, 2007 6:00 PM

Quid pro quo, Hillary Clinton is an Orc.

"Quid pro quo"? I do not think that phrase means what you think it means. Altho to be honest, I'm having a hard time figuring out what you think it means.

Posted by lemuel pitkin | August 1, 2007 6:01 PM

As always, citations and links available on request.

"I have complete files" --Terminator 2

Posted by Don Williams | August 1, 2007 6:02 PM

Can a few of you San Franciscans move out to the Sunset and then do something about Tom Lantos? I know it is asking a lot, but your country needs you to make this sacrifice.

Posted by 48th Ave | August 1, 2007 6:18 PM

I am an idiot. I am registered in the Sunset, on Ulloa. If I had been reg'd Dem instead of Decline to State, I could've voted for "the Indian Guy" over Tom "Bomb Muslims until they have paid for Jewish Suffering" Lantos last election. Too bad "the Indian guy's" campaign was run like Fantasy Roleplaying game, with Matt Gonzalez and Peter Camejo as dual-DMs and Tom Lantos as the evil Archmage with 1000000000000 hit points.

In short, Lantos sucks and the peninsula doesn't care. The Scumset is filled with Irish wannabe rednecks and Ed Jew-democrats anyways. At least the yuppies on North Shattuck pay lip service to leftist causes in between sips of grande half-caff lattes! I love the Bay. *sigh*

Posted by Gregorio | August 1, 2007 6:23 PM

So in defence of Pelosi, it's kinda hard to impeach Bush for lying us into Iraq , given that Bush had so many Democratic enablers in 2002.

Bush could simply say: "Hey, Jane Harman looked at the same intelligence as I and agreed. Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, John Kerry looked at the intelligence and agreed we needed to go to war".

Plus there's Zell Miller and Joe Lieberman.

Sigh.

Posted by Don Williams | August 1, 2007 6:36 PM

Count Lantos, yeah. There are loud, loud whispers around the Bay Area political establishment that Lantos is looking at retirement in 2008, and if not then, verrry shortly thereafter. He's looking at 80, and his wife is reportedly putting on the pressure. Next in line for the seat: State Senator Jackie Speier.

Works for me.

Posted by sangfroid826 | August 1, 2007 6:37 PM

Can a few of you San Franciscans move out to the Sunset and then do something about Tom Lantos?

I could never live in the South Bay. (The South Bay starts and Lincoln...and the East Bay starts at Masonic.)

Posted by Tom Hilton | August 1, 2007 6:38 PM

"...starts at Lincoln", that is.

Posted by Tom Hilton | August 1, 2007 6:39 PM

the East Bay starts at Masonic.

Two words: Nob Hill.

Posted by sangfroid826 | August 1, 2007 6:44 PM

Yeah, I actually used to live on Nob Hill, and when I lived there I thought of it as part of San Francisco. Now I live in the Richmond District, and I think otherwise.

Posted by Tom Hilton | August 1, 2007 6:59 PM

Just to fully devolve this thread, so I'm clear: cable cars and the residents of the Castro district are not culturally part of the real San Francisco? Man, I think you and Danielle Steel are on the same page.

Posted by sangfroid826 | August 1, 2007 7:15 PM

Isn't she more Pacific Heights? I'm fairly certain she doesn't live in the Richmond. (If she lives in Seacliff, that's the North Bay.)

'Culturally' has nothing to do with it. It's purely a matter of where I happen to be living.

Also, it was pretty obviously (?) tongue in cheek.

Posted by Tom Hilton | August 1, 2007 7:19 PM

I lived in the Richmond for over three years and man, let me just say, BO-RING. Pretty, but boring. And the 38 line is the handbasket to hell.

When I move back to SF (if I do) after I graduate next year (fingers crossed), I will look in the Upper Haight, the inner sunset by 9th, the Valencia side of the Mission, and the billowing swath of Hayes Valley/ Western Addition areas and pray for crazy rent deals. If those be outside of Hilton's Richmond Principality, all the better!

Posted by Gregorio | August 1, 2007 7:27 PM

But Pelosi bargains like a 6 year old, coming out in advance and saying it's off the table.

Silly argument. The momentum for impeachment has to begin outside Congress. Pelosi wants to be seen to be forced into putting it back on the table.

As far as her management skills are concerned, she seems to have been pretty good at providing opportunities for the more centrist or socially-conservative freshman Dems to solidify their positions in advance of 2008.

Posted by pseudonymous in nc | August 1, 2007 7:41 PM

It's all a matter of perspective, Gregorio. One of the (many) reasons I love the Richmond is that it's relatively free of the sort of people who would find the Richmond boring. ;-)

Posted by Tom Hilton | August 1, 2007 8:19 PM

Gregorio,

Would I be wrong to assume you might find some rent deals in The Mission? I had the misfortune of staying in a fleabag hotel there once -- 7th & Mission, I think. I had covered the Bay Area when working for a large NYC-based asset management company with typically high margins and a liberal expense account policy -- when the Hyatts were booked, I might have to slum it at The Fairmount. The I worked for a low-margin start-up with an altogether different expense account policy, and until I got smart about finding travel deals, I got to see the inside of some shitty neighborhoods.

Anyhow, aside from a crappy neighborhood or two and perhaps the country's best-subsidized, most aggressive panhandlers, San Francisco is arguably the most beautiful city in America.

Posted by Fred | August 2, 2007 1:17 AM

"The momentum for impeachment has to begin outside Congress. Pelosi wants to be seen to be forced into putting it back on the table.

Silly me. I thought Pelosi was a member of the House LEADERship. Now that I know she's part of the House FOLLOWERship, I see your point.

The problem with taking impeachment off the table as a strategy is that it unnecessarily raises the bar -- and that bar is already quite high. When you finally do feel the conditions are ripe, they will have to be that much riper so you can clear the bar you foolishly raised. She will then need to show that something really significant -- something impeachment worthy -- happened between when she made the statement and when she proposes putting impeachment back on the table (like that will ever happen!).

The bottom line: she has effectively pardoned Bush for everything he did up until December 2006. That's great for the moderate image Pelosi would like to cultivate. Sucks for democracy and justice, though.

Posted by Junius Brutus | August 2, 2007 2:07 PM

7th & Mission is not the Mission- it is Soma. The District is named after Mission Dolores, not the street. That said, the Mission's epicenter is on Mission street from 16-24, which is a great place to buy drugs-- like Canada, only warmer. Soma is a greta place to do drugs and pass out, like Cancun, only colder. In short: Valencia street is the shit, Guerrero's cool too! But if you have a car, you're fucked, 'cuz parking is a bear and junkies will shit in your car.

Posted by Gregorio | August 2, 2007 2:24 PM

Do you work for San Francisco's Tourist Information Center by any chance, Gregorio?

If not, you should. You definitely beat those
sugary "I Love New York" TV commercials.

Posted by Don Williams | August 3, 2007 8:39 AM