Nancy Pelosi Unplugged: From the Kitchen to the Congress

Today Representative Nancy Pelosi (Democrat-CA 18th district) becomes the first woman elected as Speaker of US House of Representatives. She is arguably the most powerful woman in Washington DC; Senator Clinton notwithstanding. It is the beginning of 110th congress, the first time democrats have held the majority in 12 years. However, Speaker Pelosi is no stranger to historical firsts. Speaker Pelosi made history in 2002 when she became the first woman elected House Democratic minority leader. Today is somewhat of a coronation of a life long political journey to the top of congressional politics.

Who is Nancy Pelosi?

Pelosi was born and raised Nancy D'Alesandro in the Little Italy district of Baltimore, Maryland. Pelosi hails from a family tradition of public service. Her father, Thomas J. D'Alesandro Jr., was a three-term mayor of Baltimore and served five terms in Congress. Her brother, Thomas D'Alesandro III, also served as Mayor of Baltimore. Her mother, Annunciata D'Alesandro, was an Italian immigrant and early feminist who dropped out of law school to care for her children. The traditions of politics and public service continue through Pelosi's own family. Her daughter Alexandra is a television producer who made the HBO special Journeys with George, a documentary on the George W. Bush presidential campaign. Daughter Christine is chief of staff for a Massachusetts congressman.

Pelosi, who was raised catholic, gradated from Trinity College in Washington, D.C. in 1962. After graduating college, she married Paul Pelosi, a San Francisco native and investment banker. They moved to New York City, and she had four children before moving to California and having her fifth. Pelosi did not run for an elective office until she was 47 years old and her oldest child was a senior in high school. Pelosi was a full-time mom; but began volunteering for the Democratic Party, often enlisting the help of the children to stuff envelopes. Today in her address to the house, she thanked her family for allowing her to go, "... from the kitchen to the congress..." In addition to Alexandra and Christine, Pelosi has two other daughters; Nancy Corinne, Jacqueline, a son, Paul and six grandchildren all in attendance at today's ceremony.

The Call to Politics

Her first run for Congress was in 1987. Running as an environmentalist and champion of AIDS prevention she was elected to California's Eighth District consisting of the City of San Francisco including Golden Gate Park, Fisherman's Wharf and Chinatown. She served as a member of the Appropriations Committee and Select Intelligence Committee but remained a low-key congressional player. The congresswoman finally made a move for a leadership position in the late 1990s, and won a heated contest for House minority whip, becoming the highest-ranking woman in Congressional history. Oddly, enough her opponent was newly elected House Majority leader Congressman Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland's Fifth Congressional District.

First 100 Hours

Pelosi and the Democratic leadership have set out quite an ambitious plate for what Pelosi has been calling the first 100 hours. The legislation, much of it hold over from the 109th congress, includes Among the bills to be moved through the House with little GOP input are ethics reform, raising the minimum wage, lowering student loan rates and allowing more stem cell research. It is the consensus of most on the hill, democrat and republican, that the republican will remain mostly excluded form the process and not allowed to offer amendments. The fate of the resolutions in the Senate (where there is a much slimmer 51-49 Majority) is not known.

Partisionship and the Iraq war (which the Speaker mentioned only in passing praising and asserting the congresses supoort for troops) notwithstanding; Pelosi has made historuy. How she handles this power over the first 100 days and beyond may shape more that the House. It may be a preview for the american voter. There is afterall a woman in a chamber across the way that want to move history one seat further than Pelsoi.