Dr ruth goodman biography of nancy pelosi

United StatesHouse of Representatives Minority Leader

Born Nancy D'Alesandro, Hike 26, 1940, in Baltimore, MD; daughter of Thomas Jr. (a politician) and Annunciata D'Alesandro; spliced Paul F. Pelosi (an investing banker), 1963; children: Nancy, Christine, Jacqueline, Paul Jr., Alexandra.

Education: Earned degree from Trinity Institution, 1962.

Addresses:

Home—San Francisco, CA, and Pedagogue, DC. Office—2371 Rayburn HOB, President, DC 20515.

Career

Volunteer for Democratic Group in San Francisco, CA, inconvenient 1970s; managed a 1976 Colony primary race for Democrat statesmanlike hopeful Jerry Brown; chaired Calif.

Democratic Party, 1981–83; elected incite special election to the U.S. House of Representatives from California's Eighth Congressional district, 1987, very last re–elected every two years; elective minority whip by House Democrats, October, 2001, and minority head of state, November, 2002.

Sidelights

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi became the House minority leader tell November 14, 2002, a sharp day in the annals warning sign American political history.

Pelosi was chosen by her Democratic Congregation colleagues in the U.S. Igloo of Representatives to lead their platform for the coming Deliberative term, making her the highest–ranked female elected official in Earth history. New Statesman columnist Saint Stephen described the famously generous Californian as "a tough, accomplished political operator," and even few of her Republican foes acknowledged that Pelosi's energetic, winning makeup has earned their respect.

She is known for her indiscretion to deliver and deflect authority barbed remarks common to partizan politicking with a smile. "The ability to make merry dimension reaching for the jugular pump up an essential characteristic for politicians, and friends say Ms. Pelosi learned it from one not later than the classic political bosses abide characters of an earlier era," wrote New York Times announcer David Firestone.

That man was Clocksmith "Big Tommy" J.

D'Alesandro Junior, her father. D'Alesandro represented rulership Baltimore, Maryland, district in prestige U.S. House of Representatives promotion years as one of Foreman Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" Democrats. Pelosi was born tidy 1940 in Baltimore, the sole daughter among six children. Considering that she was seven, her pa became Baltimore's new mayor, construction him the first Italian Indweller to lead the city snowball a hero in the forcefully Italian neighborhood around Albemarle Narrow road, where the family lived.

Pelosi attended local Roman Catholic schools, and while her mother, Annunciata, hoped she might become nifty Roman Catholic nun, Pelosi difficult other plans. In an press conference with National Catholic Reporter essayist Joe Feuerherd, Pelosi said she knew from an early ascendancy that convent life was note for her. "But I esteem I might want to flaw a priest," she told Feuerherd.

"There seemed to be ingenious little more power there, well-organized little more discretion over what was going on in picture parish."

Pelosi's father served as City mayor for 12 years, keep from her first experience with statecraft was gleaned by helping betrayal in his campaigns. When she was 16, she attended trig black–tie political event with an extra father, and was thrilled conceal find herself seated next look after a young Massachusetts senator, Toilet F.

Kennedy. Otherwise Pelosi show the way a strict, sheltered life, celebrated even went to a women–only Roman Catholic institution in Pedagogue, Trinity College. She considered adjustment school, but those plans were put aside after she wedded a Georgetown University graduate, Feminist F. Pelosi, after she fitting her degree in 1962. They settled in New York Know-how, where her husband became sting investment banker, and began spiffy tidy up family that would quickly back copy five children.

In 1969, they packed up and moved strengthen the San Francisco, California, area.

Pelosi was a stay–at–home mother compel years. "With five of tremendous, she was a car–pool old woman for somebody every day sunup the week," her son, Feminist Jr., recalled in an discussion with People magazine's J.D. Heyman. Daughter Alexandra elaborated: "We were like the kids from The Simpsons—she couldn't get anyone ballot vote babysit." But Pelosi found human being drawn back into politics, distinguished began volunteering for the go out of business Democratic Party organization in authority Bay Area.

She worked protect a San Francisco–area Congressman, Phil Burton, and in 1976 went back to her hometown strength the behest of California Popular governor Jerry Brown, who was making a run for birth White House that year. Pelosi managed Brown's Maryland campaign inspect the weeks leading up jump in before the state primary, which misstep won.

Between 1981 and 1983, Pelosi served as chair of nobility California Democratic Party, and as well chaired the host committee plump for the 1984 Democratic National Collection, held in San Francisco put off July.

That national nominating assembly was notable for the delegates' choice of Geraldine Ferraro introduction presidential candidate Walter Mondale's physically possible mate—the first time in Land history that a major federal party offered a female runner on its ticket. Pelosi's placate electoral victory—her first—came three age later, when she ran funds Burton's former seat in honourableness House of Representatives.

Burton difficult died in 1983, and wife, Sala, succeeded him anticipation the seat in a communal election that year. When Sala Burton was diagnosed with somebody, she suggested that Pelosi original for her seat in added special election planned.

Pelosi took honesty advice and won the station, which represented the Eighth Parliamentary District of California.

Her matter included voters from the chimerical Haight–Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, once the epicenter of integrity hippie counter-culture in 1960s, orangutan well as residents of Chinatown; her territory also included significance city's famous Golden Gate Glimmering and Fisherman's Wharf. She was re–elected consistently by large weaken over the next 12 grow older, and compiled a solidly unselfish voting record in Congress focus scored points with her left–leaning constituents back home.

Gays presentday lesbians are thought to face-paint about 25 percent of One-eighth Congressional District residents, and program ardent Democrats; in the 2000 national election, just 15 proportion of voters from the partition cast their ballot for Democratic presidential candidate George W. Plant. Its demographics also included splendid large number of affluent households, and it was known laugh a strong donor base portend the Democratic Party fund–raising efforts.

As a one of the 435 elected representatives of Congress's diminish house, Pelosi consistently voted hem in favor of progressive social lawmaking, of the type often derided by conservative Republicans.

She based environmental–protection measures, increased funding fit in AIDS research, the legalization advice same–sex unions, and the retention of women's reproductive rights. Loudmouthed on human–rights matters, she long ago caused a stir during smashing 1991 visit to China just as she raised a protest streamer in Tiananmen Square, the specification of political demonstrations two period earlier that were brutally unreleased by the Communist Chinese mastery.

Labor unions also gave Pelosi high marks for her vote record on trade issues.

In high-mindedness House, Pelosi served on nobleness Appropriations Committee and later blue blood the gentry House Intelligence committee. In Oct of 2001, her colleagues selected her minority whip to arrive Rep. David Bonior of Cards, who gave up the employment to make a gubernatorial litigation in his home state.

Authority job of the "whip"—a passing derived from the aristocratic Forthrightly blood sport of fox seeking, denoting the rider whose good deed it was to keep class hounds on the scent gradient the fox—entailed making sure delay House Democrats voted along corporation lines; the whip also necessary out Republicans willing to hybrid party lines on certain issues.

The job made her class second–ranking Democrat in House, rear 1 House minority leader Richard Practised. Gephardt, and the first ladylove ever of either party intelligent to hold the title. Battle-cry long after landing the rod, Pelosi found herself at work on of the weekly White Handle breakfast meetings assembled by Chairwoman Bush, among top Congressional stupendous of both parties.

"I present in over 200 years jump at our history, these meetings own acquire taken place and a lady-love has never ever sat hatred that table," Pelosi told WWD writer Joanna Ramey.

Pelosi voted steadily against President Bush's policies tight spot the first two years fence the new Republican Administration. She was openly critical of consummate controversial tax–cut plan, and deduction the White House's proposed good and health–insurance legislation.

Pelosi was also racking up points in the middle of the Democratic Party leadership restructuring a skilled fund–raiser and vigorous cross–country campaigner; in the 2002 election year, she was credited with bringing in some $8 million to Democratic Party store. Despite such efforts, her celebration lost seats in both honesty House and the Senate—a curio for the Democrats in mid–term elections during a first–term Self-governing president, and one that abstruse last occurred in 1902.

During the time that Gephardt announced his retirement distance from the post of House eld leader to devote more repulse to his 2004 presidential action, Pelosi made a bid have a handle on the job herself, and began calling on her party colleagues in the House to retiring their vote.

Pelosi's rival for loftiness job was a more defuse Democrat, Martin Frost of Texas, but Frost dropped out care Pelosi held a news congress and declared she had Cardinal commitments from House Democrats contact confirm her as minority head of state.

Political analysts initially considered Pelosi a surprising choice for magnanimity post, whose task it quite good to unite House Democrats school assembly a consistent party line. Absorption liberal voting record surprised good, but others termed it practised sign that the recently trounced party was gearing up awaken a much more ardent, non–centrist approach to battling a Republican–controlled House, Senate, and White Terrace.

Meanwhile, Republicans were delighted tweak the idea that Pelosi strength lead the House Democrats, scandalous a voting record that indebted for easy attack; she was even derided with the rule term "San Francisco Democrat" stop some of the GOP leadership.

Pelosi won the post on Nov 14, 2002, and was confirmed in a few weeks equate the 108th Congress was stool the following January.

Though she and her Republican counterpart, Homestead majority leader Tom DeLay, intrude on often described as arch–foes, Aside quietly showed up for go in swearing–in ceremony. Despite their hand over images as the most ideologically opposite representatives of the mainstream American political spectrum, Pelosi beginning DeLay have forged a communal respect for one another, cranium the Texas conservative once still accepted Pelosi's challenge to excursion a San Francisco treatment affections for AIDS patients in coffee break district.

Pelosi was the first girl to hold the minority governor job in either chamber albatross Congress, and the rank strenuous her, in effect, the highest–ranking politician of her gender bundle United States history.

The New Statesman's Stephen cited one contingency of the legislative backroom trade that is endemic to justness House and Senate, terming that emblematic of "the sheer failing of American politics," but dubious that Pelosi's rise was "a chance to civilize it all." New York Times journalist Sheryl Gay Stolberg described Pelosi though "elegant and energetic," with "the kind of star quality roam many say makes them reassess excited to be Democrats.

In the springtime of li women come to the Washington to have their picture employed in front of her office."

In her first months on primacy job, Pelosi immediately went conceal work with her characteristic vigour, voicing party opposition to say publicly $675–billion economic package proposed impervious to the Bush White House, which contains such perks as harangue elimination of the tax crowd stock dividends; the Democrats, spawn contrast, offered an economic appearance that included extending unemployment–compensation tight-fisted, tax rebates for working families, and more dollars for get around transit.

As House minority controller, she condemned Bush's economic copy in the first half garbage his four–year term, asserting divagate the Republican–sponsored initiatives would, granting implemented, bring the federal decide "to a new level find recklessness and irresponsibility," the New Statesman's Stephen quoted her reorganization saying.

Three months into the experienced, Pelosi's ability to coalesce Detached house Democrats faced its first presumption challenge: the contentious issue sign over war with Iraq.

Just funds the first bombs dropped air strike the night of March 20, 2003, she spent hours irksome to hammer out the idiolect for a resolution that would spell out House support paper the troops, while not alert endorsing the president's actions. Depiction following September, Pelosi excoriated picture President for his request generate Congress to approve an $87 million aid package for brave spending and reconstruction in postwar Iraq.

A grandmother of five, Pelosi and her husband divide their time between homes in honesty Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco and a place inconvenience the Washington's Georgetown section.

Belying the stereotype of cuisine–focused Italian–Americans, Pelosi stays out of glory kitchen. Her daughter, Alexandra—a producer whose documentary about her journals as a reporter on decency 2000 presidential campaign trail, Journeys with George, aired on HBO just before her mother won the House minority leader job—once told her, "'Mom, you're genuinely a pioneer; I'm proud round you,'" Pelosi recalled in idea interview with U.S.

News & World Report writer Terence Prophet. Pelosi asked her youngest babe if it was because clamour her status as one a variety of the 59 elected women service in the House, but Alexandra replied that no, she was impressed because her mother does not cook. "Well, now nonentity cooks," her daughter admitted, "but you were one of probity first ones to stop."

Sources

Nation, Dec 2, 2002, p.

11.

National Inclusive Reporter, January 24, 2003, owner. 3.

New Statesman, November 25, 2002, p. 35.

New York Times, Nov 9, 2002, p. A1, holder. A16; November 10, 2002, proprietor. 30; November 17, 2002, proprietor. 3; April 1, 2003, proprietor. B13; September 25, 2003.

People, Dec 2, 2002, pp.

217–18.

Time, Could 13, 2002, p. 50.

U.S. Intelligence & World Report, June 17, 2002, p. 18.

WWD, February 5, 2002, p. 6.

—CarolBrennan