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I hate political ads. The exaggerations, half-truths, and skewed use of data intended to convince the ignorant just really piss me off—and this is true on both sides of the political spectrum. I was watching the news with my mother a couple of weeks ago, and we noticed an interesting trend—lumping the Democratic candidate in with Nancy Pelosi.
Yeah, it’s true, Nancy Pelosi has evidently become the anti-Christ, at least if the political advertisements of New Hampshire were any indication. It got down to pretty low levels, too—“She’s running for the state house of representatives and has never even met Nancy Pelosi … BUT SHE AGREES WITH HER AND IS JUST LIKE HER SO DON’T VOTE FOR HER!”
My mother and I had kind of an interesting conversation about just what Nancy Pelosi’s done that’s so bad and came up with a list no more or less glaring than any other politician’s. The fact remains, though, that Pelosi was unquestionably the whipping girl in the recent elections—so what does this mean for her political future?
In the wake of the losses Tuesday night, Pelosi reflected on the Democrats’ accomplishments in the majority and looked ahead to a new era of cooperation without indicating her plans.
“The outcome of the election does not diminish the work we have done for the American people,” she said. “We must all strive to find common ground to support the middle class, create jobs, reduce the deficit and move our nation forward.”
Some analysts say Pelosi and possibly other leaders will retire in the face of the huge losses and rebellion from some members. But several aides to Democratic leaders told FoxNews.com that she is taking time to consider her next move. Still others said the Democratic leadership has no intention of leaving.
While she definitely possesses a certain abrasiveness, Pelosi’s accomplishments are not insignificant, at least according to her website.
On health care reform, which I’m convinced most Americans are completely misinformed about (the word “Obamacare” was another tagline in those ads, although I doubt that a lot of those decrying universal health care have a clue about what exactly it means):
The Speaker spearheaded passage of historic health insurance reform legislation in the House to provide insurance for 32 million more Americans while lowering health care costs over the long term. The new law provides patients with affordable insurance choices, curbs abuses by the insurance industry, strengthens Medicare, and will reduce the deficit by $143 billion over the next 10 years.
To help students and families pay for college, the Congress passed and the President signed into law the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. The law reforms the system of federal student loans to save taxpayers $87 billion – and then invests $77 billion of those savings back into education.
On energy:
Speaker Pelosi has made energy security her flagship issue, enacting comprehensive energy legislation in 2007 that raised vehicle fuel efficiency standards for the first time in 32 years and making an historic commitment to American home grown biofuels. In 2009, under her leadership, the House passed the landmark American Clean Energy and Security Act – a comprehensive bill to create clean energy jobs, combat climate change, and transition America to clean energy economy.
On discrimination in the workplace and in hate crimes:
Also in the 111th Congress, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was enacted to restore the ability of women and all workers to access our judicial system to fight pay discrimination. Other significant legislation include: children’s health care legislation (SCHIP) providing health care for 11 million American children and national service legislation and expanding national volunteerism opportunities. Under the Speaker’s leadership, the House passed and President Obama signed hate crimes legislation, which will help protect Americans against violence based on sexual orientation, race, religion, gender, national origin, disability, or gender identity.
And other stuff that Pelosi-bashers probably don’t know:
Additional key accomplishments signed into law under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi include: an increase in the minimum wage for the first time in 10 years, the largest college aid expansion since the GI bill in more than 60 years, and a new GI education bill for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and increased services for the veterans, caregivers, and the Veterans Administration.
Pelosi is taking heat from her own party this time, though, which certainly speaks to a change on the horizon in terms of her political life.
During the campaign, several Democrats said they wouldn’t support the California liberal for leader or declined to commit to Pelosi for a third term if their party were to hold onto a slim majority, as their internal polling showed that her high negative rating were an albatross.
“I’ll have a conversation with my caucus, I’ll have a conversation with my family, and pray over it, and decide how to go forward,” she told ABC News. “But today isn’t that day.”
Why has Nancy Pelosi become that albatross … and why is it that she made such a great target for Republicans to attach Democratic candidates to in the recent election?
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Honestly, if Pelosi falling off the radar means I don’t have to hear the Tea Party bitch and whine about her constantly anymore, I’m ok with it.
I don’t see enough of your news/media to know. Is it definitely all personal hatred, or is it possible that she’s just the whipping post because she is the speaker, and anyone else in her position would have received all the same bad press?
Most U.S. voters don’t even know what the speaker of the house does. She is a target because she is in the leadership, is on tv, and comes off as abrasive. I am willing to bet that you could make up a fictional title like “Chairman of Government Laws” ad a picture of some fat guy who points a lot and blame all the bad things the government does on him. And 80% of people would belive he exists and demand his impeachment.
@Boring: That’s incredibly insightful and I agree with you 100%
That makes sense. I would suggest that it works out the same – just with an extra step. She is on TV because she is part of the party/house leadership, which is because she is the speaker, and that is why people see her and blame things on her which are really the responsibility of the whole house or the whole government, or the whole democratic party, depending on which issue. I suppose if she appears abrasive, that she can take personal credit for.
[...] Nancy Pelosi’s political future up in the air? – Zelda Lily [...]