Sunday, November 28, 2010

Nancy Pelosi - The Woman You Love to Hate

Nancy Pelosi is one of those public figures that you either love or hate. Some say she has been the female force that has moved President Obama's political agenda. Those to the far left, adore her. Others ... not so much. She has been the poster child for much criticism from the right for at least the past 4 years and prior to the mid-term elections, it was reported that Republicans spent the majority of a whopping $65 million + in attack ads against her. Conservatives have stopped at nothing short of painting Nancy Pelosi as the portrait of the Devil in a Blue tailored dress.

We've all heard references made to what Republicans describe as the "infamous" Obama-Pelosi-Reid triune; but, even more recently, Nancy Pelosi has been made the proverbial "whipping boy" for the Left, in the wake of the recent Democratic defeat in the House. Despite all of the odds against her; she has managed to escape the political "shellacking", fairly, or might I say, contestably, unscathed, by being re-elected by a margin of 150-43, as House Minority Leader for 2011.


Courtesy of Alex Wong/Getty Images N.A.

Why is it that Nancy Pelosi, after more than 20 years of public service, is still able to draw the kind of support she has garnered, even now, from the liberal Left, while simultaneously, evoking so much contempt and disdain from the Right?

Pelosi, arguably, has a pretty impressive track record.  A huge advocate of investments in health research, she has doubled the budget for funding for the National Institutes of Health. She's fought for the Housing Opportunities for People with Aids Program; worked to expedite the development of an HIV vaccine; increased access to Medicaid, and expanded funding for the Ryan White Care Act, along with other programs to aid people living with HIV/Aids. She has also helped pass legislation for nonprofits to assist in creating affordable housing. Nancy Pelosi demands timely and accurate intelligence; navigating diplomatic initiatives for the protection of our military forces. She's fought for greater focus on the threat of proliferation associated with the WMD.  She has fought for human rights for individuals in China and Tibet. In addition, Pelosi has a strong voice when it comes to environmental issues. She achieved passage of a provision that requires that the World Bank and all regional multilateral development banks, check the potential environmental impacts of development, while making this information known publicly.

Some of the accomplishments Nancy Pelosi is more commonly noted for are: Health Insurance Reform Legislation; the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act; the Wall Street Reform & Consumer Protection Act and the American Clean Energy and the Security Act.

Nancy Pelosi has dared to "boldly go where no [woman] has gone before".  In 2002, she was the first woman in U.S. history to be elected as House Minority Whip; in 2003, she became House Minority Leader and the 1st woman to lead a major party in the U.S. House of Representatives. In a bit of a bizarre irony, Pelosi actually defeated John Boehner in 2006, for Speaker of the House; again, branding her as the first woman to ever hold the Speakership and 2nd in the line of presidential succession.  She was re-elected again as Speaker in 2009 and prior to the last election, Nancy Pelosi was the highest-ranking female politician in American history.

Courtesy of Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

As the saying (sort of) goes; with much power, comes much responsibility (and great criticism); perhaps, explaining why Pelosi has, increasingly, come under such political fire over the years.

Nancy Pelosi has stood steadfast on many issues that, even in the court of public opinion, may not have been the most popular choice.  It's that unrelenting drive, that has been one of the things that has catapulted her to the height at which she stands today. She has courageously moved President Obama's agenda on health care, and as a result, Americans witnessed one of the most historic pieces of healthcare legislation since the 1960's, become a reality. Pelosi has, indeed, displayed uncanny, political prowess.  She has raised millions upon millions of dollars for the Democratic party and, according to President Obama, has "... fought Republican attempts to privatize Social Security, and heroically taken on the powerful special interests".

Sure, if this were a popularity contest-she'd most certainly be one of the biggest losers. But, ultimately, we don't elect our politicians based on whether they'd win a popularity contest; though some would probably come pretty close. They are elected to serve the American people and help create solutions to the issues that matter most to us.

One might suspect, that even though some on the Left and, most obviously, on the Right, believe that in choosing to re-elect Nancy Pelosi as Minority Leader, Democrats may have handed Republicans their heads on a platter. Pelosi's record strongly credits the fact that she is the one that can get the job done; especially in an environment in the House where Dems are now in the political minority.  Love her or hate her-you have to respect her, if not for her stance on the issues, for that inherent tenacity she continues to, so arduously, display.

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