I'm hearing alot of brickbats from the right about Nancy Pelosi lately. I tell those people don't blame Nancy Pelosi for everything happening in our nation's Capitol lately...if you want to play blame game fine then blame those who have elected and re-elected her to Congress for the last 23 years. If Nancy Pelosi fails to win her congressional seat in SF almost a quarter of a century ago, chances are we never hear of her. So who is her constituency?
Since 1987, the electorate from the socialista coastal enclave known as San Francisco, have sent their emissary, Congresswoman and now Speaker of the House Pelosi, to DC to represent "The City" in the United States House of Representatives. The California district she represents is the 8th Congressional District. Tell me about this district you may ask?
For those of us that live close to Pelosi's district it is a well known area. Friends and family alike live there. For those of you who don't know, the 8th District covers most of San Francisco City and County. Some facts about the district: geographically it is the second smallest congressional district in the United States (NYC is the smaller); 639,000 US citizens live in the district; $52,000 is the median income; $700,000 median home price; an ethnically diverse population of 42% white, 8% black, 28% Asian, 16% Hispanic, 6% other; highest same sex couples percentage in the nation at 10%; it is one of the most reliably Democratic districts in the country having had liberal Democratic congressional representation since 1949; in recent presidential elections the 8th voted 84% and 85% respectively for Kerry and Obama; and, it is home to The Castro. In a nutshell, the 8th is one of the most racially and sexually diverse, well educated, wealthy and politically charged congressional districts in the country. The Castro was the geographic epicenter for the national gay rights movement fostered by Supervisor Harvey Milk in the '70s. Is the 8th a microcosm of the United States...well, not exactly. Is it a microcosm of a liberal beachhead on the West Coast...exactly squared. And this is Pelosi's beachhead. This tiny district is her power base from which the SF voters have empowered her all the way to DC in '87 and subsequently to becoming the first woman Speaker in that chamber's history. Quite a journey and quite a story. How did this happen?
Nancy Pelosi's iron will to lead a rabid rainbow coalition of folks from the 8th is how this happened. She is one tough scrappy woman. Tough but paradoxical. A loving grandmother but a brass knuckle negotiator. Tactically brilliant but a dimwitted gaffe machine. A Catholic yet pro-choice. An advocate for the least amongst us yet one of the richest members of Congress. A parlour socialist crying for social reform while living and cavorting in luxury in Pacific Heights, the St. Helena vineyards and private jets. An anti-war and anti-terrorist water-boarding champion yet is conveniently silent against the relentless CIA drone killings of terrorists and murders of civilians in Pakistan. A health care reformist yet a regular in the esteemed UCSF's plastic surgery OR. But whatever you may think about Pelosi, you must give her "her props". She gets the job done for her party. She is a pit bull for what she believes in. Regardless of her present dismal CBS News approval rating at 11% (even the political pariahs George W and Dick Cheney have higher marks) but with the hearty 93% approval backing of the contentious ACLU, she is full steam ahead for her district and for her party. And the 8th adore her.
Face it, you gotta respect someone with that kind of moxie. For those of us who are right of center folks, maybe we're a bit envious of her success and seeming happy and confident detachment from those of us that have divergent views. Frankly, she doesn't need us, and, more shockingly, she doesn't care what we think. In her world, she has the full-throated support of the 8th behind her which has gained even more volume in the halls of Congress and even in the White House.
So what to do if you're on the other side of the argument? Simply this, the Republicans better find a worthy adversary to Nancy real fast. And one who will hopefully possess more smiling chutzpah than Pelosi. Please don't suggest Sarah Palin. She needs to stay in Alaska...her family needs her more than the country does.
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