Nancy could be Hillary's worst nightmare

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Current News - Homefront Preparations : One Thread

Sunday, December 1, 2002 || Contact Us

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Back

Dateline DC

Sunday, December 1, 2002

The smart political fortune tellers are betting that Hillary Clinton's sleep these days is being disturbed, not by Bill, but by a real apparition — that of 62-year-old fiery, modern Italian-American grandmother, Nancy Pelosi, now the leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives.

Contributing to Hillary's nightmare is the specter of the Democratic Party, pondering how to turn its recent electoral defeats into a victory, looking for new leaders and finding hope in the party's new alliterative chant: "Pelosi for President."

Nancy Pelosi, who (rumors of botox notwithstanding) looks a fabulous 40 on TV and a well-made-up 50 in person, is the highest-ranking woman in the history of the U.S. Congress. Her very existence has created a storm, with naysayers equating her current political stance with the Saul-to-Paul conversion on the road to Damascus and others asking how often leopards can change their spots.

So, we can all enjoy the debate. But first, some history.

'LIBERAL PROGRESSIVE'

Nancy Pelosi has represented eastern San Francisco in Congress for the past 15 years. In the same school as California politicians Phil Burton and Willie Brown, she accepts with pride the title "liberal progressive," which means not suffering fools gladly but, after using them, discarding the poor creatures like used tissue while being "red in tooth and claw." Unlike Burton and Brown, Nancy is not only "progressive" — code for extreme left among the Democrats — but also one of the moneyed elite with some pretensions to intellectual ability and a family background to lean upon when necessary.

Her father was Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., the man who, after five terms as a U.S. congressman, served 12 years as mayor of Baltimore, where the legend of "Big Tom" remains. Nancy's brother, Thomas D'Alesandro III, also won election to Baltimore's mayoralty in 1967.

Growing up with New Deal politics in one of the toughest of the Democrat big-city states amounted to Nancy's political finishing school. At Georgetown University in Washington, she captured Paul Pelosi, a student who was a budding San Francisco businessman, married, moved to California, and bore three daughters and two sons, who have made her a grandmother of five, at last count.

POWER POLITICO

After a stint of successful home-making, Nancy Pelosi became the power in California's Democratic politics. In 1976, demonstrating her skills in the arenas of Democrat big-city and state politics, she turned Maryland from being a bastion for Jimmy Carter into a stronghold for her candidate, California Gov. Jerry Brown.

Today Nancy Pelosi is using the tricks of New Deal politics (whatever that may mean in post-defeat Democratland) for her very own purpose — which remains an intriguing mystery at the moment.

Prior to being elected minority House leader, she was one of the leading doves in the Congress and a firm opponent of war with Iraq, being the only Democrat to vote against the war regardless of any support from the United Nations. Her vote was in keeping with her pacifist tradition as one who also opposed the Gulf War in 1991.

But now for Nancy, the well-seasoned politician of the left, long-time Appropriations Committee member and ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, the world is a-changing. Here was a politician who increased the tax burden to the theme of "starve the rich, feed the poor," always voting against welfare reform, but now talking in a cold, bloodless way about "growing the economy and creating jobs."

Hostile to the very thought that something may be worth fighting for, in late November she was enunciating the best focus-group lines of support for President Bush. "We stand shoulder to shoulder with the president in the fight against terrorism!" she said.

And now the lovely lady from San Francisco agrees that the threat posed by the al-Qaida network is as great as ever and no longer supports the position of the liberal progressives on the Patriot Act. On the issue of terrorism, Pelosi has shown contempt for the Clintons saying that in combating terrorism, "Things are in better shape now."

THE MATCHUP

A compare-and-contrast with Hillary is fascinating to view – especially in taking stock of what Pelosi has that Hillary lacks such as support from the most militant sections of the AFL-CIO. That includes the service unions such as the United Food and Clerical Workers, AFSCME, and the Laborers' Union. This naturally brings AFL-CIO's chief John Sweeney and his Service Employees International Union into the Pelosi camp. Pelosi also can count on support from some women's organizations, many of whose members believe Hillary should have divorced Bill. And among her San Francisco constituents are many representatives of America's wealthiest and most vocal minority — those with alternative lifestyles.

During these past mid-term elections, Nancy Pelosi has shown her prowess; she's Hillary's equal as a major fund-raiser for the Democratic Party. A House minority leader can achieve miracles for those he or she supports. Bills that otherwise would disappear may just come up for a vote while the Republicans are snoozing with post offices and federal buildings being named for the most improbable congressmen.

Despite Pelosi's groveling and clawing her way into the middle of the political road — a strange sight that suggests an agenda for the future — many see her as the future "Anti-Hillary" at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

This much we know: Nancy Pelosi has charisma and power, and she would certainly make a showing in presidential primary contests. Suddenly, Pelosi is going along to get along. She's jettisoned her previous stance as an "America Firster" (those who blame America first before looking for the real culprit) and her advantages more than equal Hillary's.

-- Anonymous, December 01, 2002


Moderation questions? read the FAQ