They said it best over at Echidine of the Snakes, so I'm not even going to try to paraphrase:
Nancy Pelosi deserves a lot more respect than she's given. People on leftist blogs, particularly the boys, constantly slam her for not delivering what we want, seeming to think, somehow, the Democratic Speaker of the House hasn't delivered what a sizable portion of Democrats and others want because she doesn't want to. Well, let's again review her reality.She is the farthest left of anyone in the direct line of succession of the presidency in the history of the United States, a remarkable achievement for anyone in 2008. I've pointed that out here before. She gained that position at a time when 'liberal' is a dirty word in the wider culture. She gained it by dint of her own hard work and intelligence. No one handed it to her out of the clear blue.
She holds that position by the fact that Democrats hold a slim majority in the House of Representatives, a majority won during her leadership. That is something her male predecessor couldn't seem to achieve. Least anyone forget, Nancy Pelosi is also the only woman who has ever been in direct line of presidential succession, the only one to lead either of the two houses of the legislative branch.
And an extra bonus: Cobert giving Nancy Pelosi an award at the Glamour Awards:
Thanks to Cate Friema for the heads up.
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I think you meant Colbert ^_^
I agree that Nancy Pelosi deserves more credit than she gets. But I don't see that that credit has anything to do with being "the only woman who has ever been in direct line of presidential succession, the only one to lead either of the two houses of the legislative branch."
We know only too well that one isn't praiseworthy by virtue of being a woman in a position of great responsibility. Nancy Pelosi has earned our respect with her progressive record, not with her gender.
(But I still hope Cindy Sheehan wins)
Yeah I get really sick of people blaming the issues in Congress on Nancy Pelosi. The reason why the Democrats in Congress and the Senate are having issues passing stuff (particularly in the Senate) is because they don't have a large enough majority to keep the Republicans from filibustering bills they don't want to have to vote on. It seems like a lot of liberal bloggers either don't understand that or just want to ignore it. We need to get more Democrats in Congress and the Senate, and then we'll get stuff done.
The only credit Pelosi earns is the Obstruction of Justice she perpetuated as Speaker of the House. Early on, she announced Impeachment was *Off the Table*. Who among us now can look back with 20/20 hindsight & say it's a good thing Bush & Cheney are still in office?
The list of High Crimes & misdemeanors is long & serious.
You can add this economic meltdown to the list.
The rogue reckless behavior that violates human rights, domestic & international laws, and the trashing of our Constitution have, in part been allowed by Congress. A congress that failed to use the power of the purse to stop the rampant spending on the illegal occupation, or to at the very least- proceed with Impeachment hearings to get a yea or nay vote on the crimes of the Bush administration~ i.e. go on the record officially being for or against the crimes.
I do blame Pelosi for the biggest obstruction of justice.
Clinton went through impeachment proceedings for a stain on a dress. Clearly the Bush crimes are much more serious.
Nancy needs to be kicked to the curb in this election.
Are you kidding me? Pelosi voted to give Bush ultimate power to go to war with Iraq. She has done nothing of substance to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She's the one who said impeachment of Bush and Cheney was "off the table". She has led the Democrats while they have essentially given up, rolled over, and let the Republicans have their way. I do not buy into supporting her just because she's a woman in power, any more than I would buy into supporting Sarah Palin just because she's a woman running for president. I'm frankly surprised that Feministing would run a post praising her, this does not sound like the feminist blog I've been reading and loving. If you want to thank a woman in congress, try Cynthia McKinney. She alone has been a voice of reason in our government the past several years, and is much more deserving of our praise than Pelosi. I live in California and I'll be voting for Cindy Sheehan for Congress in November.
*Oops, I meant to say "any more than I would buy into supporting Sarah Palin because she's a woman running for vice president." (Freudian slip? God, I hope not.)
I agree that Pelosi deserves some lauding, but as Sec. of State, Condoleezza Rice is also in the direct line of the Presidency, albeit behind Pelosi.
From my perspective it's this kind of stuff that just reinforces the notion that it's ok for us to point out and judge women based on her clothes! What the hell? I at least appreciate the fact that Colbert made fun of it a bit by talking about the other men speakers of the house. But really? How is this an honoring? Give me a break.