A documentary on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s life and groundbreaking political career, shot and edited by her daughter, will debut on HBO next month. https://t.co/YRLAAgBzt3
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 28, 2022
… Alexandra Pelosi’s “Pelosi in the House” will premiere Dec. 13 and will include footage shot during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Some of that footage, including moments when Nancy Pelos i was helping direct the government’s response as the U.S. Capitol was under attack, has been seen as part of a House investigation.
The film will arrive three weeks before Pelosi’s tenure as House speaker ends and Republicans resume control over the House of Representatives. Pelosi has said she will not seek a leadership post, ending a two-decade run of helping steer the Democrats’ agenda in Congress.
HBO says the documentary will use footage shot over three decades to chart Pelosi’s career including her election to Congress in 1987 and her ascension to House speaker in 2007, becoming the first woman to lead the chamber. The documentary also includes video of Pelosi at home and working during pivotal moments of her career…
Alexandra Pelosi is an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker who was with her mother filming during the Jan. 6 insurrection. She’s specialized in political documentaries, earning four Emmy nominations for her 2002 film “Journeys with George” about George W. Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign.
As a leader, every imaginable quality. Toughness when needed, compassion and understanding of all of her colleagues, an unparalleled ability to know where the votes were, what was needed to get to 218. An amazing strategic sense. Then add the empathy & decency. An amazing person.
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) November 20, 2022
A mom pursuing a career, how disgusting! https://t.co/aGPR35dHJu
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) November 21, 2022
“Without Pelosi, there is no Affordable Care Act.”@CitizenCohn to @EJDionne, in a good column capturing the real significance of Nancy Pelosi. Via @PostOpinions https://t.co/OyxesslN7D
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) November 21, 2022
From the New Yorker, “The Toughness of Nancy Pelosi”:
Barack Obama probably has a lot of good stories about Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, who announced, in a speech on the floor of the chamber on Thursday, that she would not seek a leadership role in the next Congress. One of them, which Obama told in his memoir “A Promised Land,” involves a moment in early 2010 when the Affordable Care Act—Obamacare—was in dire trouble on the Hill. A version of the bill had passed the Senate with a filibuster-proof sixty votes, but House Democrats had their own version of Obamacare, and so the expectation was that the Senate would have to vote again once the differences were worked out. Then, in a surprise setback, a Republican, Scott Brown, won a special election to fill the Senate seat left vacant by the death of Ted Kennedy—so the filibuster was back. One option, which some key figures around Obama favored, was to scuttle the transformative legislation, and simply try to get sixty Senate votes for a handful of not-so-controversial improvements in health care.
The other was to attempt a feat of high-risk legislative acrobatics: get the House to pass a Senate bill that many representatives already thought was unacceptable, and then pass certain fixes through the arcane process of “reconciliation,” which allows a narrower set of measures but requires only a simple majority. Obama got on the phone with Pelosi. “For the next fifteen minutes, I was subjected to one of Nancy’s patented stream-of-consiousness rants—on why the Senate bill was flawed, why her caucus members were so angry, and why the Senate Democrats were cowardly, shortsighted, and generally incompetent,” Obama wrote. (The rant sounds like something worth patenting, in terms of its enduring utility.) When Pelosi paused to take a breath, Obama asked, “So does that mean you’re with me?” The Speaker “impatiently” replied, “Well, that’s not even a question, Mr. President. We’ve come too far to give up now.” She added, “If we let this go, it would be rewarding the Republicans for acting so terribly, wouldn’t it? We’re not going to give them the satisfaction.” When Obama hung up, he turned to some aides who’d been waiting anxiously in the room and said, “I love that woman.”…
Charluckles
There are so many crucial things that could fill in the statement “without Pelosi, there is no…” History is going to show her as one of the most steadfast and important leaders in American governance.
dm
Ted Kennedy died, and those Republican assholes who worked with him, some of them for decades, couldn’t pause their filibuster to let a bill embodying the goal he’d made the center of his career come to a vote. Not one of them.
J R in WV
Elmer Stewart Rhodes has been convicted of seditious conspiracy in Federal court. And most of the other counts as well.
CaseyL
@dm: Orrin Hatch, who described himself as one of Kennedy’s closest Senate friends, wasted absolutely no time at all voting against Ted’s signature issue. The GOP was scum then no less than they are now.
@J R in WV: YES!!
Old School
I don’t understand the 24 on Trump’s sippy cup. What am I missing?
David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch
President will obviously award her the Medal of Freedom – she’s more than earned it.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Old School:
Short for 2024, I assume
pat
@Old School:
I don’t understand the whole thing.
Old School
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): That must be it.
BC in Illinois
@Old School: 2024
[as Goku said]
Old School
@pat: It took me a little bit to realize that Uncle Sam is wrapped around Pelosi’s leg to keep her from leaving.
Redshift
@J R in WV: To quote classic Doonesbury, “Guilty, Guilty, Guilty!”
Barbara
@J R in WV: I’m impressed — for three days of work the jury seems to have been able to distinguish counts and defendants. I tried to follow via Roger Parloff’s live tweeting, so I wasn’t surprised that not all Ds were found guilty of seditious conspiracy, but everyone was found guilty of something. The difference between the two conspiracy charges is actually pretty nuanced.
pat
@Old School:
Ah, that makes sense. Kind of….
Miss Bianca
@pat: It took me a moment, but I think I’ve identified it as the country flinging its arms around Nancy saying “please don’t leave us!” as the Orange Beast comes slouching forward for a 2024 POTUS run.
I think. Not entirely sure.
ETA: Or what Old School said @ 11
Mai Naem mobile
@dm: fucking Orrin Hatch who gave one of the speeches at Kennedy’s memorial. Hatch with his aw shucks grandpa act was a major league ahole. Same goes for Chuck Grassley with his affable grandpa act.
Betty Cracker
In addition to Stewart “I Shot My Eye Out” Rhodes, FL Oath Keeper Kelly Meggs was also convicted of seditious conspiracy. His insurrectionist wife goes on trial soon, and I hope she’s convicted too. The two scumbags live in a nearby town, so I’m keen to see them relocated to a federal pen.
WaterGirl
Anne Laurie, putting up a post too close to yours, but it was either that or have the Nancy SMASH thread be about the Oath Keepers verdict instead of being about Nancy SMASH.
brendancalling
Was listening to NPR today (I know, I know). I forget what stupid soundalike show it was—On the Pulsing 1A Point of the American Media Lab Life or whatever—and they were doing a retrospective on Pelosi. They concluded that nobody liked her, but couldn’t explain why, conveniently leaving out THEIR OWN FUCKING ROLE in the demonization of the Speaker.
Feh. I really need to keep a Bluetooth speaker in my car 24/7 (it’s a 2005, pre-phone equipped) so I don’t throw that station on again. Just garbage.
HumboldtBlue
Nancy, Joe and Chuck all smash!
Gary K
…which makes me wonder, is McCarthy going to make it to this magic number? As of January, I’m back in Jim Jordan’s district — yeah, pity me — and I’m wondering if I might find a silver lining in this situtation by writing to JJ (à la Donald Segretti) as a constituent fiercely opposed to McCarthy as Speaker. Well, it’s even true!
pat
I hate to turn this into a sad cat story, but Pablo, always being very picky about what he will eat, now refuses to eat anything. This seems to be related to his (not very far advanced) kidney disease. He has a smorgasbord of every treat and food that he has eaten in the past, and he won’t touch any of it. This has been going on for a while, eat a bit of that, eat a bit of this, but now he seems to be eating almost nothing. Sleeps all day, likes to be combed and petted, but I fear his days are numbered….
Pablo is the sweetest, most personable cat we have ever had. Still acting more or less normal, except NOT EATING enough to keep him alive.
Sorry to be a downer, but maybe someone has some suggestions..?? My thought is to let him sleep away if that’s what’s in his future.
mrmoshpotato
@Betty Cracker:
Dammit brain. I immediately thought 🎶I shot my eye out🎶.
mrmoshpotato
@J R in WV: Any news on a sentencing date for that traitorous shitstain?
Geminid
@pat: I have no particular experience in the area of sick cats. I can still suggest trying milk, or maybe better, half-and-half and/or cream. Milk might be better for hydration.
pat
So as soon as I post that, he comes and snacks on some of the things laid out for him. I’ll try the cream, thanks.
WaterGirl
That’s so awesome. Documentary shot and edited by Nancy Pelosi’s daughter.
Steeplejack
@WaterGirl:
I hope it avoids hagiography.
zhena gogolia
@pat: Does the vet have any suggestions? Maybe there’s an appetite stimulant?
pluky
@Old School: Next general election (like for President) is in 2024. The sippy cup is a nice touch.
MisterDancer
@pat: This sounds like, if you can afford it, a key reason for a vet visit. My beloved Theda’s one-year of her passing just went, and loss of appetite was a major issue in her latter years. But we were able to procure drugs to help that.
I have other approaches from our work, but I hesitate to say more because I really want to ensure you are not able to get o a vet, first and foremost, if possible. And it really does need to be ASAP, as cats have a very limited time (around 1-3 days) they can go without food and not suffer severe consequences, from my discusses with vets and other research.
WaterGirl
@pat: Based on my experience with my kitty soulmate, Quiver, if he isn’t eating I would suspect that his kidney disease is more advanced than originally thought.
I am not a vet, though.
When my dog’s kidneys were failing, I called my many trips to the grocery store “the quest for white food”. Because that’s what she wanted. Matza crackers. Bread, Rice, etc. The magic bullet for her was Eggo frozen waffles. I would get the mini-waffles. Put them in the toaster and something about the oil or the fragrance worked and she would eat them every time. It turned out that the ratio of fat/protein/etc matched the ratio of those things in the kidney diet dog food, which was helpful.
When Quiver got really picky toward the end – 4 months from diagnosis to losing my sweet boy – there were foods that worked. Shrimp from the seafood case at the deli. Fresh salmon. Ground beef freshly cooked up in a pan like you would for spaghetti sauce or sloppy joes. If he would eat a little bit of one of those things, then his appetite kicked in and he would eat other food, too.
Best of luck, it’s heartbreaking.
Alison Rose
Woohoo! Same-Sex Marriage Bill Passes Senate After Bipartisan Breakthrough (NYT gift link)
ETA: “Mr. Schumer audibly choked back tears on the Senate floor as he described how his daughter, who is married to a woman and expecting a baby with her wife, had lived in fear that their union could be reversed. ‘I want them to raise their child with all the love and security that every child deserves,’ Mr. Schumer said, noting that he was wearing the same purple tie he had worn to their wedding. ‘The bill we are passing today will ensure their rights won’t be trampled upon simply because they are in a same-sex marriage.'”
Ksmiami
@CaseyL: Republicans are bad people. Over and over
Sister Golden Bear
Semi-related, the Senate just passed the Respect for Marriage Act 61-36, protecting both same-sex and interracial marriages.
It needs to go back to the House to reconcile some changes, but is expected to pass there and be signed by Biden shortly.
I’m verklempt.
Redshift
Preet Bharara had an interview with Molly Ball, a Time correspondent who’s written a book about Pelosi, and it’s well worth a listen. Definitely none of the clueless “gee, why didn’t people like her” mentioned above. One of the bits was about when she was asked whether she would rather be loved or feared, she said she’d rather get things done. Even when pressed, her response to what people thought of her was “why should I waste my time thinking about that?”
Also lots of good stuff about how she had to fight her way into the old boys club of the leadership. Truly an icon.
Alison Rose
List of GOPers voting in favor:
zhena gogolia
@Sister Golden Bear: Yay!
Geminid
@Alison Rose: Now the legislation will go to the House, and Speaker Pelosi, her caucus and Democrats generally will score another win vindicating human rights. Makes me proud.
Alison Rose
@Geminid: Yup! Good things happen when Democrats have control. And in this case, when a few Republicans manage to unearth their dormant souls long enough to help.
Dan B
@Alison Rose: Nice to hear about Schumer choking up. Suddenly there are chopped onions here. It’s unsettling to have your rights voted on but when I was a young gayling there were sodomy laws and electroshock therapy and the only time homosexuality was mentioned was about criminality and pedophilia.
I’m glad things have changed.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
twitter led me to this 2015 story by Steve Kornacki about the history of Pelosi and Steny Hoyer. Even as a political junkie, Hoyer is kind of a vague figure to me, but he’s been in leadership forever, so he must know what he’s doing.
Speaking of the leadership, I thought Clyburn had also announced he was stepping down?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Reminds me of the time a reporter told her doing a press conference that trump had come up with nickname for her (dramatic squirrel music here), “Crazy Nancy”, and what did she think of that? Pelosi fixed reporter with a gaze of unflinching contempt for a beat and then said, “Who cares?”
WaterGirl
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
HoyerClyburn said he wouldn’t run for one of the top 3 positions, but said he still wanted to be in leadership.My guess is that this is the #4 position.
edit: I meant Clyburn but I wrote Hoyer.
Steeplejack
@Dan B:
I’m glad you gays have changed your ways! //
Geminid
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I think Clyburn only said he would not run for the number three position again. With Democrats now in the Minority, that would be the Caucus Chairman post Pete Aguilar is running for, unopposed.
I don’t think Clyburn’s going to mess with the decision making of Jeffries, Clarke and Aguilar, though, maybe just help enforce it
Now I see that Clyburn says he’ll be looking out for the interests of Southern Democrats in particular. They can probably use the help. They are under-represented as a whole in Congress because of gerrymandering, especially Black Democrats.
Steeplejack
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Clyburn is stepping down from whichever top three spot he had, but he’s running for the #4 spot. Seems a little odd to me, given the “changing of the guard” theme, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
if you’re following the rail strike story, Marco Rubio and a few others have said they are shocked– shocked!– that Joe Biden wants to force the unions to accept the contract that denies them paid sick leave. So Riverboat Pelosi is giving them a chance to put their votes where their tweets were
Alison Rose
@Dan B: Yeah. I have no interest in getting married (or even dating) but if I did, it would much more likely be to a woman*, so it still feels personal to me.
(*For many years, I called myself an Ivory Soap Lesbian–99.44% pure. That’s dropped a few percentage points maybe, so I think of myself as basically bi/pan (either works) but still very heavily in favor of non-dudes.)
David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch
I’m old enough to remember when other blogs were screaming at Schumer for not holding the vote before the election.
If you had held the vote before the election and the republican supported it then they would have said “look how reasonable we are don’t be afraid of us”. And if they voted against it then it would have been impossible to get them to switch their votes in the lame duck session.
Ohio Mom
@Alison Rose: I am contractually obliged to point out (once again) that my outgoing senator, Rob Portman, has a gay son. Call his vote for gay marriage enlightened self-interest but don’t give him any extra credit beyond that.
pat
Pablo update, we will try some appetite stimulants. I have been in contact with his vet, and just had a conversation about this, so we will try it. We will also do another blood test for BUN and creatinine, which were at the high end of normal in June. So we knew that there were beginning kidney issues back then. (SDMA was elevated.)
zhena gogolia
@pat: good wishes for Pablo
Geminid
@pat: If you go the dairy route, I would try half and half. Cream might be too concentrated. I know that healthy cats, at least, like either. Good luck to you and Pablo.
pat
@zhena gogolia:
Thank you, and thanks to the others who have commented. Look for Pablo in Calendar A, tasting the roses.
pat
Now he’s eating a bit of the Friskies Party Mix, egg, bacon and cheese flavors. After turning his nose up at the Temptations that he had eaten for the last couple of months. Aarrrgh….
I do hope the appetite stimulants work. I tried one a few months ago and he had a bad reaction. Will try another one …..
Ruckus
I do not understand what the hell business it is of non gay people about gay people’s lives. Do they think that a gay relationship cancels their non gay relationship, or that they have to be in charge of everyone else’s junk or gayness cancels their sexuality, or they are just assholes?. Or all of the above?
I’m straight 73, my sister was gay or maybe bi, I have gay friends, one of my best friends for several decades was gay, funny, smart, wonderful. She had sickle cell anaemia and passed a few years ago. I’ve seen many parts of the world, lived in 3 states, one in the old south and have seen misogyny and racism for the entirety of my life and I don’t get it. None of it actually changes my life in any way, except knowing people of other races/colors and those gays and yes women has rather enhanced my life in so many ways. I’ve never found one negative reason other than some humans wear their assholes on top of their shoulders. Seems rather awkward. Food must taste like shit, they intake food and shit out the same location, and they stink of shit and hate. Doesn’t seem like a reasonable way to live the actual only one life we get. There must be a better way, if only we could find it…..
pat
Pablo, half&half, not so much. Oh well….
Timill
@pat: I wonder if he has the sniffles and can’t smell food right. Maybe give some of it 5-10 seconds in the microwave to bring out the smell?
Expatchad
Yes….I grew up in IDAHO in the 50-60s
My uncle being a UN founder did not protect me a whit, and I carry the scars to prove it.
I rejoice…finally.
pat
@Timill:
Interesting. He does seem to sniff at it before he rejects it. Worth a try..
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
@pat: So sorry to hear about Pablo’s not eating. My go-to’s are:
1) Gerber baby food chicken or beef (basically meat puree). For a short-term effort, you can open his mouth and wipe a finger full of the puree off in his mouth and every cat I know will swallow it. You can tell if he likes it or not by how much of a struggle it is to open his mouth.
2) Nutri-Gel (various brands). About 40% fat and quite palatable, if the cat will eat at all. Again put it in their mouth, or just wipe a bit on their paws and they will lick it off.
3) KMR (Kitten milk replacement) is about 50% protein if you want to try syringing the mixture into a cat’s mouth. It goes slow so you don’t choke them, plus it is a bit messy, but again, if a cat hasn’t shut down, they will like it.
None of these is a long-term solution but will indicate if a cat has really shut down. I have had the best luck feeding young foster kittens, but when a beloved cat stops eating, I want to make sure I’ve done all I can before giving up.
Good luck. and you have my deepest sympathy. It’s always hard to lose a sweet, long time companion.
mvr
@brendancalling: They mostly mean or should have meant no Republican liked her (also false it seems given what a few of them have said recently) which means she was doing her job. She also saw it as part of her job to let Ds run against her if that was what it took to win in a somewhat red district. I’ve admired and like her for decades myself. Not only did she keep Trump in line, but she helped keep Bush II in line as well. And helped Obama get various important jobs done.
Msb
I love her, too.
@pat
my Bess developed kidney problems late in life. She hated all the kidney cat foods I tried, but lived a further 18 months with me feeding her frozen fish fillets, cooked in the microwave. They weren’t even very smelly. Good luck to you and Pablo!