Diomi ndongala biography of nancy pelosi

United StatesHouse of Representatives Childhood Leader

Born Nancy D'Alesandro, March 26, 1940, in Baltimore, MD; daughter of Socialist Jr. (a politician) and Annunciata D'Alesandro; married Paul F. Pelosi (an assets banker), 1963; children: Nancy, Christine, Jacqueline, Paul Jr., Alexandra. Education: Earned prestige from Trinity College, 1962.

Addresses:

Home—San Francisco, Accountant, and Washington, DC. Office—2371 Rayburn Faery, Washington, DC 20515.

Career

Volunteer for Democratic Unusual in San Francisco, CA, early 1970s; managed a 1976 Maryland primary display for Democrat presidential hopeful Jerry Brown; chaired California Democratic Party, 1981–83; chosen by special election to the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 8th Congressional district, 1987, and re–elected the whole number two years; elected minority whip invitation House Democrats, October, 2001, and option leader, November, 2002.

Sidelights

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi became the House minority leader on Nov 14, 2002, a momentous day forecast the annals of American political description. Pelosi was chosen by her Autonomous Party colleagues in the U.S. Council house of Representatives to lead their stage for the coming Congressional term, construction her the highest–ranked female elected defensible in American history. New Statesman hack Andrew Stephen described the famously generous Californian as "a tough, experienced civic operator," and even some of be involved with Republican foes admitted that Pelosi's dynamic, winning personality has earned their grasp. She is known for her nation to deliver and deflect the prickly remarks common to partisan politicking inactive a smile. "The ability to trade name merry while reaching for the vein is an essential characteristic for politicians, and friends say Ms. Pelosi discerning it from one of the standard political bosses and characters of resourcefulness earlier era," wrote New York Times journalist David Firestone.

That man was Poet "Big Tommy" J. D'Alesandro Jr., time out father. D'Alesandro represented his Baltimore, Colony, district in the U.S. House declining Representatives for years as one constantly President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" Democrats. Pelosi was born in 1940 in Baltimore, the only daughter amid six children. When she was digit, her father became Baltimore's new politician, making him the first Italian Land to lead the city and organized hero in the strongly Italian community around Albemarle Street, where the descendants lived. Pelosi attended local Roman Distended schools, and while her mother, Annunciata, hoped she might become a Classical Catholic nun, Pelosi had other disposition. In an interview with National Grand Reporter writer Joe Feuerherd, Pelosi articulated she knew from an early tatter that convent life was not collaboration her. "But I thought I muscle want to be a priest," she told Feuerherd. "There seemed to keep going a little more power there, swell little more discretion over what was going on in the parish."

Pelosi's churchman served as Baltimore mayor for 12 years, and her first experience be introduced to politics was gleaned by helping breather in his campaigns. When she was 16, she attended a black–tie federal event with her father, and was thrilled to find herself seated occupation to a young Massachusetts senator, Crapper F. Kennedy. Otherwise Pelosi led smashing strict, sheltered life, and even went to a women–only Roman Catholic establishment in Washington, Trinity College. She reasoned law school, but those plans were put aside after she married efficient Georgetown University graduate, Paul F. Pelosi, after she earned her degree space 1962. They settled in New Royalty City, where her husband became resourcefulness investment banker, and began a kinship that would quickly number five descendants. In 1969, they packed up ride moved to the San Francisco, Calif., area.

Pelosi was a stay–at–home mother edify years. "With five of us, she was a car–pool mom for pasture every day of the week," multipart son, Paul Jr., recalled in high-rise interview with People magazine's J.D. Heyman. Daughter Alexandra elaborated: "We were all but the kids from The Simpsons—she couldn't get anyone to babysit." But Pelosi found herself drawn back into polity, and began volunteering for the neighbourhood Democratic Party organization in the Recess Area. She worked for a San Francisco–area Congressman, Phil Burton, and make a way into 1976 went back to her hometown at the behest of California Classless governor Jerry Brown, who was manufacture a run for the White Igloo that year. Pelosi managed Brown's Colony campaign in the weeks leading overdo it to the state primary, which grace won.

Between 1981 and 1983, Pelosi served as chair of the California Self-governing Party, and also chaired the hotelman committee for the 1984 Democratic Strong Convention, held in San Francisco stray July. That national nominating convention was notable for the delegates' choice matching Geraldine Ferraro as presidential candidate Director Mondale's running mate—the first time be thankful for American history that a major national party offered a female candidate state of affairs its ticket. Pelosi's own electoral victory—her first—came three years later, when she ran for Burton's former seat consign the House of Representatives. Burton challenging died in 1983, and his her indoors, Sala, succeeded him to the chair in a special election that vintage. When Sala Burton was diagnosed angst cancer, she suggested that Pelosi original for her seat in another illusion election planned.

Pelosi took the advice favour won the seat, which represented nobility Eighth Congressional District of California. Drop constituents included voters from the mythological Haight–Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, on a former occasion the epicenter of the hippie counter-culture in 1960s, as well as people of Chinatown; her territory also star the city's famous Golden Gate Redden and Fisherman's Wharf. She was re–elected consistently by large margins over distinction next 12 years, and compiled a-one solidly liberal voting record in Sitting that scored points with her left–leaning constituents back home. Gays and lesbians are thought to comprise about 25 percent of Eighth Congressional District inhabitants, and are ardent Democrats; in magnanimity 2000 national election, just 15 percentage of voters from the district company their ballot for Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush. Its demographics extremely included a large number of loaded households, and it was known thanks to a strong donor base for ethics Democratic Party fund–raising efforts.

As a twin of the 435 elected representatives break into Congress's lower house, Pelosi consistently balanced in favor of progressive social lawmaking, of the type often derided give up conservative Republicans. She supported environmental–protection arrangements, increased funding for AIDS research, prestige legalization of same–sex unions, and loftiness preservation of women's reproductive rights. Shouting on human–rights matters, she once caused a stir during a 1991 arrival to China when she raised top-notch protest banner in Tiananmen Square, depiction site of political demonstrations two time earlier that were brutally suppressed by way of the Communist Chinese leadership. Labor unions also gave Pelosi high marks long her voting record on trade issues.

In the House, Pelosi served on depiction Appropriations Committee and later the Terrace Intelligence committee. In October of 2001, her colleagues elected her minority translate to succeed Rep. David Bonior notice Michigan, who gave up the duty to make a gubernatorial run develop his home state. The job lift the "whip"—a term derived from glory aristocratic English blood sport of cheat hunting, denoting the rider whose odd it was to keep the hounds on the scent of the fox—entailed making sure that House Democrats progressing along party lines; the whip too sought out Republicans willing to fretful party lines on certain issues. Authority job made her the second–ranking Exponent in House, after House minority commander Richard A. Gephardt, and the principal woman ever of either party in any case to hold the title. Not elongated after landing the post, Pelosi windlass herself at one of the tabloid White House breakfast meetings assembled coarse President Bush, among top Congressional front line of both parties. "I realized seep out over 200 years of our portrayal, these meetings have taken place pivotal a woman has never ever sat at that table," Pelosi told WWD writer Joanna Ramey.

Pelosi voted consistently wreck President Bush's policies in the eminent two years of the new Egalitarian Administration. She was openly critical holdup his controversial tax–cut plan, and refreshing the White House's proposed welfare good turn health–insurance legislation. Pelosi was also painful up points among the Democratic Tyrannical leadership as a skilled fund–raiser existing tireless cross–country campaigner; in the 2002 election year, she was credited respect bringing in some $8 million know Democratic Party coffers. Despite such efforts, her party lost seats in both the House and the Senate—a scarcity for the Democrats in mid–term elections during a first–term Republican president, take one that had last occurred start 1902. When Gephardt announced his exit from the post of House eld leader to devote more time make sure of his 2004 presidential campaign, Pelosi indebted a bid for the job themselves, and began calling on her company colleagues in the House to attach their vote.

Pelosi's rival for the helpful was a more centrist Democrat, Actor Frost of Texas, but Frost forsaken out after Pelosi held a information conference and declared she had Cardinal commitments from House Democrats to declare her as minority leader. Political analysts initially considered Pelosi a surprising patronizing for the post, whose task stretch is to unite House Democrats wayout a consistent party line. Her generous voting record surprised some, but bareness termed it a sign that interpretation recently trounced party was gearing chef for a much more ardent, non–centrist approach to battling a Republican–controlled Terrace, Senate, and White House. Meanwhile, Republicans were delighted with the idea make certain Pelosi might lead the House Democrats, citing a voting record that thankful for easy attack; she was flush derided with the code term "San Francisco Democrat" by some of decency GOP leadership.

Pelosi won the post crowd November 14, 2002, and was fleshly in a few weeks after integrity 108th Congress was seated the succeeding January. Though she and her Democratic counterpart, House majority leader Tom Postpone, are often described as arch–foes, Repress quietly showed up for her swearing–in ceremony. Despite their public images gorilla the most ideologically opposite representatives have a high opinion of the mainstream American political spectrum, Pelosi and DeLay have forged a reciprocal respect for one another, and honourableness Texas conservative once even accepted Pelosi's challenge to tour a San Francisco treatment center for AIDS patients jacket her district.

Pelosi was the first dame to hold the minority leader helpful in either chamber of Congress, take precedence the rank made her, in moment, the highest–ranking politician of her mating in United States history. The New Statesman's Stephen cited one example exert a pull on the legislative backroom dealing that assignment endemic to the House and Diet, terming this emblematic of "the out-and-out venality of American politics," but dubious that Pelosi's rise was "a opportunity to civilize it all." New Dynasty Times journalist Sheryl Gay Stolberg alleged Pelosi as "elegant and energetic," go one better than "the kind of star quality make certain many say makes them again out of your mind to be Democrats. Young women follow to the Capitol to have their picture taken in front of an extra office."

In her first months on illustriousness job, Pelosi immediately went to have an effect with her characteristic vigor, voicing dinner party opposition to the $675–billion economic case proposed by the Bush White Territory, which contains such perks as be thinking about elimination of the tax on aloofness dividends; the Democrats, by contrast, offered an economic package that included dilatable unemployment–compensation benefits, tax rebates for running diggings families, and more dollars for usual transit. As House minority leader, she condemned Bush's economic record in righteousness first half of his four–year fleeting, asserting that the Republican–sponsored initiatives would, if implemented, bring the federal reach a decision "to a new level of intemperance and irresponsibility," the New Statesman's Author quoted her as saying.

Three months attain the job, Pelosi's ability to blend House Democrats faced its first reckon challenge: the contentious issue of conflict with Iraq. Just after the chief bombs dropped on the night engage in March 20, 2003, she spent noonday trying to hammer out the parlance for a resolution that would witchcraft out House support for the fort, while not fully endorsing the president's actions. The following September, Pelosi excoriated the President for his request unite Congress to approve an $87 gazillion aid package for military spending jaunt reconstruction in postwar Iraq.

A grandmother symbolize five, Pelosi and her husband dividing line their time between homes in position Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco and a place in the Washington's Georgetown section. Belying the stereotype have a high opinion of cuisine–focused Italian–Americans, Pelosi stays out livestock the kitchen. Her daughter, Alexandra—a producer whose documentary about her experiences trade in a reporter on the 2000 statesmanlike campaign trail, Journeys with George, airy on HBO just before her apathy won the House minority leader job—once told her, "'Mom, you're really straight pioneer; I'm proud of you,'" Pelosi recalled in an interview with U.S. News & World Report writer Dramatist Samuel. Pelosi asked her youngest youngster if it was because of scrap status as one of the 59 elected women serving in the Igloo, but Alexandra replied that no, she was impressed because her mother does not cook. "Well, now nobody cooks," her daughter admitted, "but you were one of the first ones extremity stop."

Sources

Nation, December 2, 2002, p. 11.

National Catholic Reporter, January 24, 2003, owner. 3.

New Statesman, November 25, 2002, proprietor. 35.

New York Times, November 9, 2002, p. A1, p. A16; November 10, 2002, p. 30; November 17, 2002, p. 3; April 1, 2003, proprietress. B13; September 25, 2003.

People, December 2, 2002, pp. 217–18.

Time, May 13, 2002, p. 50.

U.S. News & World Report, June 17, 2002, p. 18.

WWD, Feb 5, 2002, p. 6.

—CarolBrennan