House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) likes to brag about her five grandchildren to reporters, but her demeanor on Capitol Hill is anything but grandmotherly.
If the Democrats win control of the House this November, Pelosi would become a brutally partisan far-left speaker.
Before she voted against a tax-cut package last November, for example, she said, “They’ll [Republicans] take food out of the mouths of children in order to give tax cuts to the wealthiest.”
Pelosi has already promised congressional investigations on energy prices and the War on Terror. On “Meet the Press” last May, she spoke eagerly of the “subpoena power” that would come with her speaker’s gavel.When Rep. John Conyers (D.-Mich.), who would become Judiciary Committee chairman in a Democratic House, called for the creation of a select committee to investigate President Bush for “offenses which appear to rise to the level of impeachment,” Pelosi refused to rule it out. Instead she demurred, “You never know where the facts may take you.”
Pelosi was first elected in 1987 and in 2001won a fierce fight with the more moderate Rep. Steny Hoyer (D.-Md.) to become House minority whip.She then succeeded Rep. Dick Gephardt (D.-Mo.) as minority leader when Gephardt resigned that post to pursue the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination.
She has consistently taken the liberal position on almost all issues.She has opposed tax cuts, supported gun control, sought to reduce defense and intelligence spending, advanced the environmentalist agenda and adamantly supported legalized abortion, even to the extent of opposing the partial-birth abortion ban.
She also rallied House Democrats into uniformly opposing the reform of Social Security with personal retirement accounts.
Her unabating abrasiveness once led her friend Rep. Barney Frank (D.-Mass.) to admit to the New York Times, “Her speaking style is not good.”
Pelosi herself recently told Time magazine that the Democratic establishment “can’t even believe that I’m going to become speaker, but they’re getting used to it.”
If Pelosi’s dream comes true, many voters may quickly regret that they didn’t bother to examine her record before Election Day.
'You Never Know' About Impeachment: Pelosi in Her Own Words
Tim Russert: “So there would be investigations?”
Pelosi: “Well, what I told them is we will have an investigation on energy prices. We will have an investigation….”
Russert: “How about on the war?”
Pelosi: “That would be if—I said we’d have hearings on the war. We’d have hearings on the war.”
Tim Russert: Is impeachment off the table?
Pelosi: “Well, you never know where the facts take you, but the—for any President.”
“Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology, which is a threat to countries in the region, and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process.”
“Others have talked about this threat that is posed by Saddam Hussein. Yes, he has chemical weapons, he has biological weapons, he is trying to get nuclear weapons.”
“I’m endorsing what Mr. Murtha is saying...I believe that a majority of our caucus clearly supports Mr. Murtha…and let’s be clear about what it is Mr. Murtha said, ‘Yes, let’s bring the troops home.’”
“The President seems to think the best way to revive the economy is to give more tax breaks to those who don’t need them and dole out lucrative incentives that do not stimulate economic growth.”
“When the Kyoto Protocol enters into the force tomorrow, the world will take a significant and long-awaited first step towards stemming global warming. Instead of stepping forward as the world leader on climate change, however, the Bush Administration is clinging to the role of world obstructionist.”
We have two oilmen in the White House. The logical follow-up from that is $3-a-gallon gasoline. It is no accident. It is a cause and effect.”
“The American people are paying a terrible price at the pump. And what do the Republicans suggest? Let’s do away with the environmental rules. Let’s drill in the ANWR.”
“We must stop robbing the Social Security trust fund of its money to pay for other things.”
“There’s nothing wrong with Social Security lending money with the prospect of returning it.”
“Roe vs. Wade is based on a woman’s fundamental right to privacy, a value that all Americans cherish.”
“Confirming Judge Alito will not only put our liberties and civil rights in jeopardy, but also the checks and balances in our constitutional system of government.”
A Perfectly Liberal Record: Pelosi's Voting History
Here are some highlights from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s unremittingly left-wing voting record.
If the Democrats win control of the House this November, Pelosi would become a brutally partisan far-left speaker.
Before she voted against a tax-cut package last November, for example, she said, “They’ll [Republicans] take food out of the mouths of children in order to give tax cuts to the wealthiest.”
Pelosi has already promised congressional investigations on energy prices and the War on Terror. On “Meet the Press” last May, she spoke eagerly of the “subpoena power” that would come with her speaker’s gavel.When Rep. John Conyers (D.-Mich.), who would become Judiciary Committee chairman in a Democratic House, called for the creation of a select committee to investigate President Bush for “offenses which appear to rise to the level of impeachment,” Pelosi refused to rule it out. Instead she demurred, “You never know where the facts may take you.”
Pelosi was first elected in 1987 and in 2001won a fierce fight with the more moderate Rep. Steny Hoyer (D.-Md.) to become House minority whip.She then succeeded Rep. Dick Gephardt (D.-Mo.) as minority leader when Gephardt resigned that post to pursue the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination.
She has consistently taken the liberal position on almost all issues.She has opposed tax cuts, supported gun control, sought to reduce defense and intelligence spending, advanced the environmentalist agenda and adamantly supported legalized abortion, even to the extent of opposing the partial-birth abortion ban.
She also rallied House Democrats into uniformly opposing the reform of Social Security with personal retirement accounts.
Her unabating abrasiveness once led her friend Rep. Barney Frank (D.-Mass.) to admit to the New York Times, “Her speaking style is not good.”
Pelosi herself recently told Time magazine that the Democratic establishment “can’t even believe that I’m going to become speaker, but they’re getting used to it.”
If Pelosi’s dream comes true, many voters may quickly regret that they didn’t bother to examine her record before Election Day.
'You Never Know' About Impeachment: Pelosi in Her Own Words
Tim Russert: “So there would be investigations?”
Pelosi: “Well, what I told them is we will have an investigation on energy prices. We will have an investigation….”
Russert: “How about on the war?”
Pelosi: “That would be if—I said we’d have hearings on the war. We’d have hearings on the war.”
—NBC’s “Meet the Press,” May 7, 2006
Tim Russert: Is impeachment off the table?
Pelosi: “Well, you never know where the facts take you, but the—for any President.”
—NBC’s “Meet the Press,” May 7, 2006
“Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology, which is a threat to countries in the region, and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process.”
—Statement on U.S. Led Military Strike
Against Iraq, Dec. 16, 1998
“Others have talked about this threat that is posed by Saddam Hussein. Yes, he has chemical weapons, he has biological weapons, he is trying to get nuclear weapons.”
—Congressional Record, Oct. 10, 2002
“I’m endorsing what Mr. Murtha is saying...I believe that a majority of our caucus clearly supports Mr. Murtha…and let’s be clear about what it is Mr. Murtha said, ‘Yes, let’s bring the troops home.’”
—Press conference, Nov. 30, 2005
“The President seems to think the best way to revive the economy is to give more tax breaks to those who don’t need them and dole out lucrative incentives that do not stimulate economic growth.”
—USA Today, Jan. 30, 2002
“When the Kyoto Protocol enters into the force tomorrow, the world will take a significant and long-awaited first step towards stemming global warming. Instead of stepping forward as the world leader on climate change, however, the Bush Administration is clinging to the role of world obstructionist.”
—Press release, Feb. 15, 2005
We have two oilmen in the White House. The logical follow-up from that is $3-a-gallon gasoline. It is no accident. It is a cause and effect.”
—Press conference, April 26, 2006
“The American people are paying a terrible price at the pump. And what do the Republicans suggest? Let’s do away with the environmental rules. Let’s drill in the ANWR.”
—Press conference, April 27, 2006
“We must stop robbing the Social Security trust fund of its money to pay for other things.”
—“Fox News Sunday,” March 6, 2005
“There’s nothing wrong with Social Security lending money with the prospect of returning it.”
—CongressDaily, June 24, 2005
“Roe vs. Wade is based on a woman’s fundamental right to privacy, a value that all Americans cherish.”
—Statement on the 32nd Anniversary
of Roe vs. Wade, Jan. 21, 2005
“Confirming Judge Alito will not only put our liberties and civil rights in jeopardy, but also the checks and balances in our constitutional system of government.”
—Press release, Jan. 20, 2006
A Perfectly Liberal Record: Pelosi's Voting History
Here are some highlights from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s unremittingly left-wing voting record.
| Cutting Intelligence $500 million | FOR | H.R. 2330 | Vote #393 | 08/4/93 |
| $87 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan operations | AGAINST | H.R. 3289 H.R. 3289 | Vote #562 Vote #601 | 10/17/03 10/31/03 |
| Patriot Act | AGAINST | H.R. 3199 | Vote #358 | 12/14/05 |
| Bush Income Tax Cuts | AGAINST | H.R. 1836 | Vote #149 | 05/26/01 |
| Eliminating Marriage Penalty | AGAINST | H.R. 4181 | Vote #138 | 04/28/04 |
| Capital Gains and Dividends Tax Cuts | AGAINST | H.R. 4297 | Vote #621 | 12/8/05 |
| Permanent Increased Child Tax Credit | AGAINST | H.R. 4359 | Vote #209 | 05/20/04 |
| Abolishing the Death Tax | AGAINST | H.R. 8 | Vote #84 | 04/4/01 |
| Clinton Energy Tax | FOR | H.R. 2264 | Vote #406 | 08/5/93 |
| Allowing New Oil Refineries | AGAINST | H.R. 3893 | Vote #519 | 10/7/05 |
| Oil Drilling in ANWR | AGAINST | H.R. 4 | Vote #317 | 08/1/01 |
| Enforcing Never-Ratified Global Warming Treaty | FOR | H.R. 4690 | Vote #323 | 06/26/00 |
| Hyde Amendment Prohibiting Tax-Funded Abortions | AGAINST | H.R. 2264 | Vote #388 | 09/11/97 |
| Partial-Birth Abortion Ban | AGAINST | S.3 | Vote #530 | 10/2/03 |
| Prohibiting Taking Minors Across State Lines for Abortions to Evade | AGAINST | H.R. 748 | Vote #144 | 04/27/05 |
| Allowing Hospitals and Health Care Providers to Refuse to Conduct Abortions | AGAINST | H.R. 4691 | Vote #412 | 09/25/02 |
| Repealing D.C. Gun Ban | AGAINST | H.R. 3058 | Vote #349 | 06/30/05 |
| Stopping Frivolous Lawsuits Holding Gun Makers Liable for Violence Committed by Others | AGAINST | H.R. 1036 | Vote #124 | 04/09/03 |
| Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act | AGAINST | H.R. 4635 | Vote #288 | 07/10/02 |
| Federal Marriage Amendment | AGAINST | H.J. Res 88 | Vote #378 | 07/18/06 |
| Limiting Federal Courts' Jurisdiction on Defense of Marriage Act | AGAINST | H.R. 3313 | Vote #410 | 07/22/04 |
| Sensenbrenner Border Protection and Illegal Immigration Bill | AGAINST | H.R. 4437 | Vote #661 | 01/27/06 |
| 700 Miles of Fence on Mexican Border | AGAINST | H.R. 4437 | Vote #640 | 12/15/05 |
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