Nancy Pelosi stands by Occupy Wall Street in fundraising e-mail from DCCC

[bemildred]

Nancy Pelosi is standing up for Occupy Wall Street.

The former House Speaker wrote an email to potential donors on behalf of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee asking for financial support.

In the e-mail, obtained by the Washington Post on Tuesday, Pelosi cites a memo from a Washington lobbying firm, Clark Lytle Geduldig & Crandford that has proposed an $850,0000 plan to undermine Occupy Wall Street.

"If you need further proof that Congressional Republicans are putting big Wall Street banks before middle class families, look no further than an explosive memo prepared by former John Boehner staffers-turned-banking lobbyists," writes Pelosi.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/nancy-pelosi-stands-occupy-wall-street-fundraising-e-mail-dccc-article-1.981304

[EFerrari]

1. "The California Democrat does not mention Occupy Wall Street by name"

[savalez]

2. "attack and discredit grassroots citizen movements working to hold special interests accountable"

[EFerrari]

3. Uh huh. And? Nancy is using this to attack Republicans.

That's her job. That doesn't mean she stands with #OWS. In fact, if she ever "stands with OWS", I'll be surprised as hell.

[savalez]

5. Semantics aside, I've read that she does

Back in October:

"House Democratic Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she supports the growing nationwide Occupy Wall Street movement, which began on the streets of downtown New York City in mid-September. ~ABC NEWS"

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/pelosi-supports-occupy-wall-street-movement/story?id=14696893#.TswG4_IWdv8

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"House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) threw her weight behind the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations Thursday, showering praise on a movement that has so far spread to dozens of cities, including Washington, D.C. ~ TPM"

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/10/pelosi-gets-behind-occupy-wall-street.php

--------------

[EFerrari]

6. Neither of those articles quote her supporting OWS.

And the reason that I'm nitpicking is that I witnessed her reaction to Code Pink's Camp Pelosi. I was in the city and active at the time. The camp was set up because she refused to hold town halls or meet with her constituents. And her response was to repudiate the protesters in the press as "not her constituents".

When Nancy Pelosi supports OWS, as opposed to co-opting their message for her own purposes as she does in all 3 of these articles, it will be a good day for Democrats. But that hasn't happened yet.

[bemildred]

7. I thought it was interesting that the Daily Snooze thought they could smear her with it.

I am skeptical that she actually favors populist politics.

[EFerrari]

8. I see what you mean about smearing

but imo, NYDN thinks it is doing her a favor. It's sort of comical that it can go either way. :)

[bemildred]

9. Could be, once you know they lie, it gets easier not to care what exactly is going on. nt

[EFerrari]

10. This was my reaction at the time Nancy was repudiating the occupiers

at Camp Pelosi. I didn't post it to DU then. It seems so long ago.

October 16, 2007

Nancy, I AM your neighbor.

By Elizabeth Ferrari

::::::::

Pelosi’s district demands an end to the sacking of Iraq, impeachment.


"You can just imagine my neighbors' reaction to all this. 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. ... So I'm well aware of the unhappiness of the base." – Nancy Pelosi “has candid talk with reporters” 10-10-07


Nancy Pelosi needs an intervention. She is responding to her constituents in a manner that starkly resembles the behavior of an addict denying her family’s distress.

When, after being denied an audience with our elected representative, her constituents were forced to take their protest to her home, Nancy’s response was denial: “You aren’t my constituents.” But, we are, Nancy. We are. And denying that fact won’t move this discussion forward.

More recently, Pelosi makes an appeal to authority in response to popular voices in her district:”We are leaders, they are advocates” – an authoritarian response that may be aimed to quash dissent but which merely illustrates the growing disconnect between Pelosi and the electorate that sent her to Washington in the first place. I suppose that makes those of us who elected her and supported her a group of enablers.

The latest, the capper (I hope this is the capper because how much worse can this dysfunctional dialogue get without requiring court-ordered rehab) was her recent statement, wishing that she could have anti-war and pro-impeachment protesters arrested just like homeless people are arrested in San Francisco

San Francisco is a small town and that makes me Pelosi’s neighbor although I live in the Sunset District, not in Pacific Heights. In my immediate neighborhood, we keep track of our homeless neighbors. We look out for them, we don’t have them arrested to “clean up” our streets. My neighbor Keith is in a wheelchair. {He is also your constituent, Nancy.) My neighbor Charles does yard work for us because he’s clean now and because he wants to work. My neighbor Dave is having a hard time getting off drugs, but we don’t give up on him. Gavin Newsom’s window dressing that passes for a homelessness policy has never reached out to him a single bit. But here, my neighbors are looking out for Dave. He has bad days and good days. And I believe at the moment, he’s trying rehab again. We are so proud of him.

Why does it surprise me that the Speaker who is bent on continuing to fund the sacking of Iraq has no visible empathy for the homeless of her district? I must be an idiot.

There is a very simple way to save the people Pelosi manages to recognize as “neighbors” -- several of whom supported the vigils outside her home -- the inconvenience of those protests. And, that would be the town hall meeting which she has avoided for over a year now. If her neighbors are inconvenienced, the blame lies with Pelosi, not with her constituents who have the right to seek redress from their government and not with the voters that her willful myopia renames as “not my constituents”.

No outside agitator (Pelosi’s term, not mine) in their right mind would wade into this district at this moment. As it is, those of us who are here on the ground find Pelosi’s shunning a bitter lesson. Misplaced Trust 1A. So be it.

Nancy, we want you to end the sacking of Iraq. We want you to impeach the felons in the White House. And we will tend to our homeless neighbors as best we can without the help of Corporati like you and Gavin Newsom. Your massive disregard for your district will be redressed. Save yourself and the people you recognize as “neighbors” that shame and resign.


****************

I guess I'm not nearly as angry at her now as I was then. Then, I vastly under-estimated the sewer that our politicians had to exist in. I don't let her off the hook but the context is much more clear to me today.

[bemildred]

12. Yah. nt

[Jackpine Radical]

13. Prezackly.

She's just hitchin' a ride on the wave, not feeding it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. You mean the email I got

And deleted? If she did tat my heart would have fluttered with joy.

[Jackpine Radical]

11. Yeah, that email--

which I also promptly dispatched to Bit Heaven with my Delete button.

And, while Pelosi is not bad for a tame Democrat, I have no illusions that she is using OWS as anything but a prop in her donation pitch.

Oh, yeah, Nancy. I'm gonna give you big bucks to elect more Blue Dogs because I support OWS and you just tripped my trigger with your clever appeal.

[TorchTheWitch]

14. pfffttt... she's part of the problem

And I resent the hell out her glomming onto OWS as a means to make money.