House Speaker Pelosi lashes out at antiwar protesters

[IndianaGreen]

House Speaker Pelosi lashes out at antiwar protesters

By Patrick Martin

15 October 2007

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the most powerful Democrat in Washington, normally maintains a public display of sympathy towards the mass opposition to the war in Iraq—an opposition which propelled the Democrats into control of the House and Senate in the congressional elections last November.

But in the course of a press interview October 9, reported the following morning in the Christian Science Monitor and the Washington Post, Pelosi gave vent to the resentment and hostility that leading Democrats actually feel towards the antiwar protest movement.

<snip>

The real venom in Pelosi’s comments was reported by Washington Post Capitol Hill columnist Dana Milbank, one of those in attendance at the press interview. While Pelosi invariably maintains a publicly smiling posture, he wrote, “her spirits soured instantly when somebody asked about the anger of the Democratic ‘base’ over her failure to end the war in Iraq.”

“Look,” she said, “I had, for five months, people sitting outside my home, going into my garden in San Francisco, angering neighbors, hanging their clothes from trees, building all kinds of things—Buddhas? I don’t know what they were—couches, sofas, chairs, permanent living facilities on my front sidewalk.”

Pelosi continued: “If they were poor and they were sleeping on my sidewalk, they would be arrested for loitering, but because they have ‘Impeach Bush’ across their chest, it’s the First Amendment.”

Pelosi is married to a multimillionaire investor, and her comments were charged with social resentment as well as political hostility. The antiwar protesters are not only unwelcome because they expose her hypocritical pretense to opposing the Iraq bloodbath—they are dirty, ragged and disreputable, and irritate the neighbors.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/oct2007/pelo-o15.shtml

[lostnotforgotten]

1. Pelosi Is A Stealth DLCer - Her Actions And Attitude Demonstrate Same

eom

[Wwagsthedog]

9. Stealth?

Hardly.

[lligrd]

2. Awww, Poor, Poor, Pitiful Pelosi

and what does she think our soldiers in Iraq are going through? How about the people of Iraq? Careful Pelosi, I think your constituents are beginning to get rather resentful about your lack of action.

[kurth]

3. Pelosi: Antiwar protesters are unsightly and lower property values

and embolden terrorists.

[bluestateguy]

4. Did people REALLY expect the war to come to a magical end with a new Congress?

Evidently, many people did. I should have known better: the votes weren't even through being counted yet on Election Night and people were already on DU making demands, rather than taking just a few days to celebrate the election returns.

You can't end a war from Congress. It's never been done before. No, Vietnam was not ended by Congress. That's a myth. Richard Nixon ended the war with the stroke of a pen. Congress never could muster the votes to cut funding. They DID cut economic aid to "South Vietnam" in 1974-75, but we were not at war at that point.

Anyone who thinks Pelosi could end the war from her position is just not being realistic. To end the war you need to control foreign policy, and that requires the presidency.

[DURHAM D]

5. Almost everyone bought into the BIG LIE.

"Democrats were elected to stop the war". It just wasn't true according to the exit polls in 2006.

But, you would never know it from the righties, to the MSM, to DU.

It was a lie designed to box in Pelosi and Reed and make the dems look inept. It has worked extremely well because most Progressives have been well spun.

[IndianaGreen]

6. If your "guy" Edwards wins the nomination and the Presidency, I would agree the war would end

But if "our girl" wins the whole enchilada, I'll guarantee you that we will still be fighting in Iraq 4 years from now.

[datadiva]

7. If they were homeless they'd be arrested for loitering

your damned right it's the first amendment Nancy, get used to it. Do your damned job and they'll go away. I am so very disappointed in her I can't tell ya.

[stimbox]

8. Just wait Nancy, you ain't seen nothin' yet.

We're gonna bribe the MAP van drivers to drop the homeless wearing political t-shirts off at your house.

[freethought]

10. This almost sounds like that Pelosi thinks the voters

have to cowtow to her whims and wishes!
What a bunch of b_____t!
The 2006 midterms made a crystal clear message to the new Dems in congress. "GET US THE HELL OUT OF THERE!"
In the meantime we get this back-attitude from the Dem leadership that is the equivalent to "That's very nice. Now. Go away and play with your toys.":grr:

[reprobate]

11. You misjudge poor Nancy. She and hubby are, after all, wealthy.

You have to realize that they are NOT like us, they are the elite. When you look at it that way it becomes obvious why they are not interested in leaving Iraq. They like many of the elite make money from it. They have a net worth of 25 million dollars. They are NOT us, nor do they care about us. We are the great unwashed and matter to them only in how much money they can siphon from us.

The truly amazing thing is that she has the temerity to wear the title of Democrat.