Nancy Pellosi

[ShaneGR]

Well, for some odd reason I've been seeing a lot of Pellosi bashing here lately. At first I thought it was just a few over anxious disruptors but I'm starting to see more and more Pellosi is a scumbag posts lately.

This strikes me as odd since the Repug's I know love to call her a limousine liberal and plastic surgery communist. Now I see so called liberals here more than willing to attack her in the same manner. I've even seen some people say she voted for the war (she didn't).

So what's the deal? Care to provide a link to these terrible comments she's making so I can make a real judgement on whatever she did that has so upset people.

[TheYellowDog]

1. You didn't spell Pelosi right,

but she doesn't get a fair shake around here.

[ShaneGR]

2. oops

you're right... spelled wrong!

[madfloridian]

3. "unacceptable for the U.S. to be `evenhanded" on the I/P issues.

That is what portions of the letter said. That is why I called her office. They did not read the whole letter, just portions. There were some articles on this, could find on a google search.

Hope it has worked out.

[blm]

8. Dean backed down on the "evenhanded" remark.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/09/10/elec04.prez.dean.mideast/index.html
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Under fire for saying that the United States should be even-handed in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, 2004 Democratic presidential front-runner Howard Dean Wednesday said he would not abandon the long-standing policy of strong U.S. support for Israel.

"We do have a special relationship with Israel. We would defend Israel if necessary. I think that is well-known," he told CNN. "However, we are also the only country capable of bringing peace to the Middle East, and when we sit at the negotiating table, we do have to have the trust of both sides or we will never succeed."
Dean also said he would "strongly speak out against violence of any kind in the Middle East. That's what I mean by being even-handed."
"You must condemn all civilian killings, including any terrorist attacks," he said.
However, in retrospect, Dean said he should not have used the term "even-handed."

[madfloridian]

10. I gather you mean the term is what he backed down on.

I never knew it was not a nice term. Yes, I heard him say that in an interview.

I still don't know why it is not a good term. Guess I am thick-headed.

[w13rd0]

4. I've no problem with Nancy...

...and was glad to see her achieve the minority leader post. I wasn't aware of links to terrible comments...

[madfloridian]

5. Here is an article.

http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/09/1643310.php

SNIP...."New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a Dean supporter who is Jewish, said he was comfortable with Dean's position, although Dean initially used some language that could concern some pro-Israelis. But Nadler said Dean's clarifications since then should have cleared that up.

"This is sent out by Gephardt supporters and it should be seen for what it is - a political document trying to exploit his statement before he has a chance to clarify it," Nadler said.

Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly said she did not sign the letter because of her endorsement of Gephardt, but because she was concerned about Dean's comments on Israel.

"It is unacceptable for the U.S. to be `evenhanded' on these fundamental issues," the letter said...."

Pelosi is fine in my book, but that comment is NOT fine.

[DemBones DemBones]

6. Pelosi signed a letter to Howard Dean in response to Dean's

comments about Israel:

"Last week at a rally in Santa Fe, N.M., Dean said an "enormous number" of Israeli settlements must go to make progress in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "It's not our place to take sides," he said. "


Lieberman brought up the issue in the debate Tuesday:

"The former Vermont governor's comments drew criticism from some Jewish Democrats, a key party constituency. During a Democratic presidential debate Tuesday night, Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman accused Dean, the front-runner in the race, of turning his back on Israel. "


I was surprised when Dean made the "It' s not our place to take sides" comment since he's been to Israel and spent time with Sharon and has said at another time that his position is "close to AIPAC's."

Here's what the letter said, in part:

"This is not a time to be sending mixed messages," Dean's critics said in a letter circulated by Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., and signed by Pelosi and more than two dozen other Democratic House members who are supporting other candidates. "On the contrary, in these difficult times we must reaffirm our unyielding commitment to Israel's survival and raise our voices against all forms of terrorism and incitement."


That's all I know about the anger at Pelosi. It seems misplaced to me. Pelosi and the other House Dems are reacting to what Dean said. Dean has made conflicting statements about Israel so he's the one who needs to straighten it out. He's not the first politician to put his foot in his mouth and he won't be the last.

http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/09/1643310.php

[Cheesehead]

7. Watch NOW with Bill Moyers this week

And find out how Pelosi and Daschle are teaming up to kill campaign finance reform because the elimination of big piles of soft money contributions limits the DLC/DNC role as power brokers.

[ShaneGR]

9. Uh, soft money ban doesn't hurt the DLC

Actually, it helps the DLC because they aren't a party committee. The DNC on the other hand is a party committee and it does hurt the party far more than the Republicans.

But you don't know the difference between the DLC and the DNC, so who cares really.

[legin]

11. Sitting at the bottom of this mess

is the I/P issue. It sort of provides a port hole to look at the world. Take one Republican who is good on the war issue Ron Paul, who is on a JDL hit-list, as was Cynthia McKinney, as is Obey.

Nancy Pelosi was one of 4 or 5 Democratic speakers at the main AIPAC Policy conference in 2002, again in 2003. Her speechs were the standard stick your head up israel's backside stuff.

If you don't solve I/P properly you ain't going to solve anything, and Pelosi is not going to solve anything, hence she signed the recent letter.

She has done other things too; "I stand full square behind bush*" (something like that) before the invasion of Iraq, and there have been plenty of other little niggling things.

I don't like her and I don't trust her any further than I can throw her, and I've wanted her gone for a number of months now.

[legin]

12. Just to add

that I've got so used to her behaviour that her recent signing of this letter doesn't even piss me off any more, it is just so tediously predictable.

[legin]

13. The JDL hit-list

http://www.jdl.org/action/armchair/congress_israel.shtml

Robert Byrd, Barbara Lee are on it too.

[legin]

16. Another annoying thing she has done

from a couple of months ago (note Denise Majette is a signatory):

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Citing the need to stand united behind Israel as terrorist strikes continue to threaten the peace process, Congressman Robert T. Matsui (D-CA) and 33 House Democrats today sent a letter to the White House strongly urging President Bush to show unwavering support for Israel's right to defend itself from further acts of violence.
"We were deeply dismayed to hear your criticism of Israel for fighting acts of terror. The attack on Hamas leader Abdel Rantisi was clearly justified as an application of Israel's right to self-defense. Indeed, just as the United States has the right to prosecute the war on terrorism, Israel has the same right to fight terrorism in it own neighborhood and its own capital," the letter read.
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Caucus Chair Robert Menendez (D-NJ), House International Relations Committee Ranking Member Tom Lantos (D-CA), and Representatives Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), Martin Frost (D-TX), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Nita M. Lowey (D-NY), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Artur Davis (D-AL), Chris Bell (D-TX), Michael McNulty (D-NY), Max A. Sandlin, Jr. (D-TX), Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Ike Skelton (D-MO), John Lewis (D-GA), Mike Ross (D-AR), Anthony D. Weiner (D-NY), Steve Israel (D-NY), Lincoln Davis (D-TN), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Robert E. Andrews (D-NJ), Gary L. Ackerman (D-NY), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Denise Majette (D-GA), Peter Deutsch (D-FL), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Shelley Berkley (D-NV), and Dennis Cardoza (D-CA) joined Matsui in signing the letter.
The full text of the letter is below:
The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
As you know, Wednesday's suicide bombing in Israel resulted in the tragic loss of 17 innocent lives and the injury of more than 60 people. As the violence continues, even in the face of efforts by all sides to bring peace to the region, the United States must show nothing short of steadfast support for Israel as it continues to bear the entire burden of ending the violence.
We were deeply dismayed to hear your criticism of Israel for fighting acts of terror. The attack on Hamas leader Abdel Rantisi was clearly justified as an application of Israel's right to self-defense. Indeed, just as the United States has the right to prosecute the war on terrorism, Israel has the same right to fight terrorism in its own neighborhood and its own capital.
Rantisi, a senior leader of Hamas, proudly claims "credit" for suicide bombings and opposes the proposed cease-fire with Israel -- advocated by Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. Interrogation of Hamas operatives has indicated that Rantisi directs Hamas terrorist policy. Rantisi's public statements serve as instructions for terrorists to carry out attacks. As quoted on the Hamas website, Rantisi called for stepping up strikes against the "Zionist enemy" in order to create a balance of deterrence and to bring about the expulsion of Israelis. On June 10, 2003, Rantisi said Hamas will "not leave one Jew in Palestine. We will fight them with all the strength we have. This is our land, not the Jews." For Rantisi and Hamas, their terrorism is not about "occupation," but rather about achieving their self-proclaimed goal of the elimination of Israel. It is clear that Rantisi is not only working to undermine Abbas, but also to derail any chance of the roadmap's success.
The U.S. and Israel both agree that Abbas is the legitimate alternative to Yassir Arafat as leader of the Palestinian people. Thus far, Abbas has said the right things regarding ending terror both on moral and political grounds. However, Abbas has stated repeatedly that he is not willing to use force to control and dismantle terrorist organizations that operate freely in Palestinian territories. As long as Palestinian leaders do not aggressively go after the terrorist infrastructure, the Israeli government has the sole responsibility of protecting its citizens against further terrorist attacks. If the Palestinian Authority does not act against terrorism, Israel must.
The people of Israel are confronted with the grim realities of terrorism on a daily basis. Yet the darker reality is that were it not for the successful actions Israel takes in defense of its people, terrorism against them would increase tenfold. As Israel embarks on the difficult path to peace, it is essential that her efforts to quell acts of senseless terror have the full support of the United States.

[himself]

14. Pelosi is for sale

Here is my take on the Minority Whip, as someone who lives in her district. And maybe I am being too cruel, which I admit in advance but don't apologize for.

She is for sale. She is a wizard fundraiser on the supply side - she raised tons of cash which she distributed to fellow Congresspersons to buy her way into the Whip's job (which is why she 'won' the post) - and is a vacuum on the demand side - she takes Taiwan mone by the bale and is an ardent anti-PRChina critic, and takes funding from pro-Israel folk and carps at Howard Dean for wanting to treat Palestinians as a people who deserve their own state.

This is flame bait for Pelosi lovers, I know, but I soldier on. She is part of a dynasty - her father and brother were mayors of Baltimore, thus she is to the politcal manor born. Hopefully we willmove beyond royalty in the new millenium and dispense with the Gores (gasp, sorry to say it - a prince unwilling to be king), the Kennedy's (eventhough Ted is a lion, if a wounded one), and least but not last, the Bushes and their throwback, inbred curiosities.

Imagine if you were she. You would expect to be annnointed at least a queen, giventhe MCP tone of the age. Her statements to the press during the fight for Whip where, in effect, "I deserve this. I am the best qualified. I have trained all my life for it." No doubt. And maybe so. But what about the buying of votes? What other candidates out-fundraised Pelosi? Of course that is what it is all about, so why fault the best actor?

To me, she is proof, if more were needed, that the power of entrenched interests drives modern politics even more than it did the politics of yore. One would think, with the Internet and jet travel and the mobility and worldly knowledge of so many of us, that new, egalitarian power arrangements might emerge.

But, no. It is said that her husband has been the recipient of sweetheart real estate deals. Why not raise those accustations again and refute them or not? Her pick for administrator of the Presidio National Park was fired for questionable conduct, after she defended him for years. Why not re-examine that mess and certify her blame or innocence?

Those are just the most minor of glimpses into the power that Pelosi yields, and into how she plays. She is formidable, no doubt, and at the same time a credit to the Democratic Party and liberal values, someone who fights for funding for women and women's issues, for minorities, for AIDS research and treatment, and for many of the causes that define progressive politics. But it is if she does that to buy a ticket to the ball, and then doesn't dance with who brung her.

She is so ego and money-driven that, in the case of her attacks of Howard Dean, she felt compelled to inject herself as a defender of her funders, losing her grasp of the larger imperative which was to honor and protect the Party's integrity. She is hardly alone in backing positions of funders, and she would be an aberration if she didn't, but I expect so much more of her after all these years.

One thing Nancy Pelosi does NOT do for her constituents, which pales by comparison to the Herculean deeds she does do for her benefactors and supplicants, is consult with the people who put her in office on defining issues of the day. She meets constituents for staged gatherings about inconsequantial issues, but doesn't ask what we think about major concerns, and wouldn't attend to what we said anyway, unless we dropped some cash. Of course who among our leaders would?

Pelosi is a power monger. That's her gig. She is so wrong about Howard Dean's stance on Israel/Palestine, bu is doing the bidding of her bankrollers (or was until she got smarter and apologized, sideways). Hopefully, she will come around, and lead a revolution by empowering the people who put her in office, but I am not holding my breath.

[w4rma]

15. Every successful politician is a wiz at fundraising. The system is broken.

I disagreed with Pelosi's letter. But, she's since backed-down and is in agreement with Dean, now.


Dean, Pelosi Find Agreement on Israel
Presidential Candidate Dean, Rep. Nancy Pelosi Find They Agree on U.S. Role in Middle East

WASHINGTON Sept. 12 —

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean have cleared the air and decided they agree about the United States' role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Dean, a former Vermont governor, called Pelosi Thursday after hearing that she had signed a letter objecting to his comment that the United States should "not take sides" in the Middle East dispute. Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly said the two agreed that the United States should be an honest broker, but must remain committed to Israel's right to exist.
…
Dean sent a response Friday to the signers, thanking them for their letter. He said he is committed to Israel's peace and its special relationship with the United States, but U.S. leaders must earn the Palestinians' trust to negotiate peace.

Dean said he would follow in President Clinton's footsteps and make every effort to bring peace to the region from his first day in office.

"I will not allow a split to emerge in our party on this critical issue, and I am sure you share my commitment to that goal," he wrote.
…
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20030912_1901.html
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=111861

[himself]

18. Pelosi is what she is ... she is a shill

Her apology/restatement re. the attack on Howard Dean comes too late, She should never have made it in the first place, but she now has the pleasure of playing both sides for her own benefit. Another habit of power is preserving one's own position, something learned through the generations in her case. We want Nancy to come home to the people who elected her, and talk to us again with open ears, talk a little and listen a lot, about what she is justified to say on our behalf.

[burythehatchet]

21. Precisely

It is very telling that she would do this while knowing full well what is at stake in this election. It represents my main problem with our policy - it puts Israel's interests before ANYone else's.

[DemBones DemBones]

25. SHE'S backed down? Dean called HER to make peace and he

agreed to her terms. That was the right thing for him to do (unless he really wanted to pursue an anti-Israel policy, which I seriously doubt) -- get his foot out of his mouth and make nice.

It is a problem that he keeps putting his foot in his mouth but lots of voters aren't watching yet (lucky for Howard.)


"Dean, a former Vermont governor, called Pelosi Thursday after hearing that she had signed a letter objecting to his comment that the United States should "not take sides" in the Middle East dispute. Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly said the two agreed that the United States should be an honest broker, but must remain committed to Israel's right to exist."

"She had a good conversation with him yesterday," Daly said. "We're pleased that he has clarified his position and stated his commitment to Israel's right to exist. This satisfies what we were looking for in our letter."

[newyawker99]

23. Hi himself!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[himself]

26. "Thanks, newyawker99."

Nice to be here.

[shance]

17. Pelosi should be giving ALL her energy to unifying our Party

Instead, she unfortunately is more concerned about playing devisive games for the man who's position she replaced as Minority leader.

The actions are transparent, divisive, and quite honestly, something many of us would resort to in high school if someone were running for Student Council. It certainly does not behoove someone who is our House Minority leader. And I have been a big supporter of Nancy Pelosi, but her extreme bias when it comes to Israel defies any realm of logic and rational thinking.

God forbid Dean express efforts to be "even-handed" in the I/P situation, especially in light of the tremendous atrocities happening daily to the Palestinians, (homes being leveled by bulldozers, children and families being killed that of course we dont hear about, buildings/sewage plants bombed) who are existing in virtual squalor and have no freedoms whatsoever to leave the camp. They are being held in essentially a pin.

And Pelosi is concerned about the even-handedness. That almost sounds racist to me, unless she is totally clueless about the present living conditions of the Palestinians, which would make her equally ill-equipped to be giving any educated opinions on the matter.

[Skittles]

19. well I have to say

the plastic surgery is distracting; it is WAY overdone.

[sandnsea]

20. She was mean to Dean

[Evanstondem]

22. Mean to Dean

Thankfully, she has now made nice with Dean -- see the thread in Latest Breaking News.

[CWebster]

24. According to a story on Bill Moyer's program last night

She and Daschle are behind the effort to gut McCain-Feingold.

Reason enough.