Friday Open Thread: Nancy D'Alesandro Pelosi

 

The thing about greatness is that we often don't appreciate it until it's too late.

Fortunately for those of us on this blog, we've been aware of the greatness of Speaker Nancy D'Alesandro Pelosi for quite some time. While the Will Stencils of the world will try to mansplain how she had very few accomplishments during her tenure, those of us actually paying attention know better. We know better because we understand the intricate nature of politics. We understand the ideological diversity of the modern-day Democratic Party. We understand the need to accommodate competing interests. And we understand how the threat of subterfuge from the Squad and other Justice Democrats can attempt to undermine meaningful progressive legislation at any point.

This will be Nancy Pelosi's legacy. 

What she did as the first woman Speaker of the House will go down in history as a study of political acumen. To whip enough votes to allow 34 Democrats to vote against the Affordable Care Act. To outflank the Squad and recruit 13 Republicans to vote in favor of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. In between these historic votes, Pelosi held the reigns to keep the Democratic caucus united in voting for such monumental pieces of legislation such as the Dodd-Frank Bill, the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the American Rescue Plan, and the Inflation Reduction Act. These past 22 months have seen Madam Speaker thread the needle with a razon-thin House majority and yet her ability to keep her caucus in line has produced the most progressive legislation in American history. In a room full of (male) egos, it ended up being a woman from Baltimore who held the line and helped keep the 2022 midterm elections as competitive as they were.

Yet this is just what we see. We know that the sausage-making in DC politics goes on behind the scenes as that is where these deals in smoke-filled rooms occur. While we see the end-result of votes on the House floor, we have no idea the amount of work that someone like Nancy Pelosi does to get us there. To have relationships and connections with 219 other members of her party is a Herculean task and one that takes immense skill and determination. These members come from across the country and have a variety of life experiences and job expectations. Some see themselves as career politicians others had a major life event that vaulted them into this unexpected field. Some must publicly oppose her for the sole reason that she is seen as a divisive figure in some of the more moderate districts. At the end of the day, these 219 members have to have enough trust in Nancy Pelosi and her role as Speaker to be honest and open about how they intend to vote on various pieces of legislation. That only happens because of the reverence and respect the members have for their Speaker of the House.

Leaders rise to the occasion. Nobody rose more to the Trump presidency that Nancy Pelosi herself. Not only did we have the iconic images of her standing up to Trump or her ripping up his State of the Union speech but we also saw how she was essentially acting president during the January 6th insurrection. While Republicans tried unsuccessfully to paint her as having delayed the National Guard, the truth of the matter is that she along with Chuck Schumer were actively working to overcome Donald Trump's inaction and incompetence during that day. She knew how important it was for the American people to know that their government was still functioning and it was her call to reconvene Congress to finish certifying the election results and to deny the insurrectionists additional time that they could use to try and delay the certification. With recent videos being shared with the January 6th Committee that highlight Pelosi's leadership during that day, there can be little doubt that she was the adult in charge and that without her level-headedness the day would have ended much worse than it did. Despite her heroics, Pelosi continues to be vilified by the right and as the recent attack on her husband has showed, Republicans see no harm in using her a boogeyman for everything that is allegedly wrong with today's Democratic Party. 

Now, as Nancy Pelosi transitions out of leadership we again see her working her magic behind the scenes. She knows who the Democratic base is and knows the talent that exists in this newest generation of leaders. She has worked hard over several years to put Hakeem Jeffries in a position to succeed as the country's first Black Speaker of the House. Unlike the emerging civil war for House GOP leadership, the Democrats will seamlessly elect Jeffries in a drama-free vote. That is a testament to how the caucus not only trust Jeffries but trusts Pelosi to ensure that the time is right for Jeffries to take the reigns. Again, we do not know what goes on behind the scenes but knowing what we do know about Madam Speaker, we should have zero doubts about Jeffries being up to the task. 

Legislation. Leadership. Legacy.

Not too bad for someone who didn't get her start in politics until the ripe old age of 47. What Nancy Pelosi has done over these past 35 years has been remarkable. She is a titan in American politics and is a trailblazer in every sense of the word. The United States of America is exponentially better as a result of her tenue and her leadership and with her staying on as a member of Congress, there will still be additional opportunities to continue her success. She is not done yet and still has gas left in the tank. 

And she still has time for plenty of "fancy" ice cream enjoy.