Pelosi thrusts, parries her way to political peak
After 25 years in Washington, nearly half of it as the highest-ranking woman in American politics, Nancy D’Alesandro Pelosi has learned the art of when to attack and when to pull back.
The Democratic House minority leader, in an interview in her hometown last week, was asked about former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown’s recent comment that President Obama has “lost his mojo” on the campaign trail and shows “no life, no personality and no real enthusiasm.”
Her answer was typically diplomatic.
“I don’t agree,’’ she said. “I love Willie, but maybe he hasn’t been to any of the public events’’ of the president, who visited the Bay Area last week for three fundraisers and returns Wednesday to San Francisco for another pair.
Pelosi dismisses grumbling that Obama is spending too much time vacuuming up money in the nation’s political ATM — and virtually no time meeting with average voters, taking questions or talking policy in the state.
“People shouldn’t be insulted’’ by the president’s focus on money, she said. “He’ll do something.’’
The San Francisco congresswoman — more than almost any Democrat with the exception of Obama — knows the value of a fundraising dollar in blue-leaning California.
Political ammo
Those dollars are ammunition, the former House speaker believes, not only in the war to hold the White House, but to boost the “Drive for 25,’’ her mission to gain at least 25 House seats in November’s election and return control of the House of Representatives to Democrats.
Pelosi has been indefatigable on that front: Her office said that since winning her first stint as House minority leader in 2002, Pelosi has raised more than $286.4 million for Democrats. This election cycle alone, she’s done 489 fundraising events in 43 cities and two U.S. territories, raising $43.4 million for House Democrats.
In Tuesday’s primary election in California, Pelosi is being challenged in San Francisco’s 12th Congressional District by three other Democrats, a Green Party candidate and Republican John Dennis, a leading supporter of Ron Paul, a Texas congressman and 2012 GOP presidential candidate.
Wins seat in the House
That is a long way from June 2, 1987, when, as a mother of five and former California Democratic Party chair, Pelosi won her first House campaign in San Francisco. That big day came after Pelosi’s longtime friend and mentor, Rep. Sala Burton, endorsed the 47-year-old candidate before dying of cancer and who, according to California Democratic Party Chair John Burton, believed Pelosi would be the first female House speaker.
Pelosi is waving off questions about whether she would return as speaker if Democrats regain control of the House.
“All that matters to me is the Democrats win,’’ she said. “We’ll see after. But that’s so much less important than the Democrats winning.”
Sitting down with The Chronicle to reminisce about her career, Pelosi said ambition has been a constant in her career — as have some critical policy issues. She began her job in Washington vowing that her “first priority” would be HIV/ AIDS funding for a disease that was growing into an epidemic.
Her city’s response to the AIDS crisis, she said, was an example of the “think globally, act locally” community-based approach to addressing key challenges. She said she’s also been proud to be involved in legislation that has helped push tax credits and public-private partnerships to build public housing in San Francisco.
Pelosi said another source of pride was Congress’ work with the National Park Service to establish the Presidio Trust in the 1990s to manage recreational, commercial and public uses on the former Army base.
But she is most proud —“without question,” she said — of the passage in 2010 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the landmark health care reform bill signed into law by Obama.
“It’s a very big deal,’’ she said. “It’s transformative.”
Today, the law has become a focus of GOP opposition and a target for critics who dismiss “Obamacare” as a taxpayer boondoggle and jobkiller. American voters, polls show, are split on their support of the health care law.
Health care law foes
“Clearly, it hasn’t been sold,’’ Pelosi said, adding that Obama needs to do more to convince Americans of its value. “When we went to the health care bill, we knew we were going against major forces of special interests — the health care industry; the antigovernment ideologues.’’
She recalls warning fellow Democrats: “If we go down this path, we have to be ready for the following— carpet bombing, scorched earth, take no prisoners, shock and awe. They’re coming after us, because this is big money.’’
Her biggest frustration since then, she said, has been what she calls the misconceptions about the bill that will not die.
“There is no federal funding of abortion, but you’d never know it,’’ she said. “Death panels? That’s not what was in the bill. Job killer? No, it creates 4 million jobs. Deficit increaser? No, in fact it reduces the deficit.
“If there were no other reason to do health care reform, we would have had to do it,’’ she said, “because the system is financially unsustainable, for individuals, for families, for businesses, for public budgets and for our economy.’’
Pelosi doesn’t appear tired of the fight. Asked about her daughter Alexandra’s recent comments to a conservative blogger that her mother was “done” with Washington and “wants to have a life,” Pelosi shook her head.
“I’m not desperate to be a lifer” in politics, she said. “It’s not so much about me as the work I want to see done. Of course, we want to protect health care and address the preservation of our planet; that is another of my big issues.’’
She said she will continue to work for women’s issues — reproductive rights, equality in the workplace, equal pay — and promote more women in elective office.
Clinton for president
Pelosi is upbeat about the prospects for a female president in her lifetime, namely her friend Hillary Rodham Clinton.
“Why wouldn’t she run? She’s a magnificent secretary of state,’’ Pelolsi said when asked about Clinton’s prospects in 2016. “She’s our shot’’ that year, Pelosi said.
Pelosi laughed about being the poster child for Republicans who talk about her and her “San Francisco values.”
“Everyone in Congress thinks they represent the best district in the country,’’ she said. “Of all the honors I’ve received, nothing matches the honor of stepping on the floor of the House and representing San Francisco.’’