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The first woman to serve as Speaker of the US House of Representatives, California Nancy Pelosi has had a storied 34-year career on Capitol Hill that includes being elected by her peers to the top leadership spot in the People's House in both 2007 and 2019. "What makes her powerful is that her caucus members see her as being a savvy, strategic, discerning leader who can look at the public and the sort of Congress and find a way to move policy and issues forward." Born Nancy D'Alesandro, the daughter of a Democratic congressman from Maryland, she was familiar with politics from an early age. After marrying Paul Pelosi and raising five children, she won a special House election to represent San Francisco, one of the most liberal districts in the United States. "It's not about what you have done, it's what you can do."
During her first speakership from 2007 to 2011, Pelosi held democrats back from impeaching President George W. Bush for his decision to go to war in Iraq and presided over passage of President Obama's landmark Health Insurance Legislation, the Affordable Care Act. "Pass health insurance reform for all Americans that is a right and not a privilege." An international figure who regularly meets with world leaders, Pelosi became even more prominent during her turn as speaker during the Donald Trump Presidency, finding ways to command the moment over republicans. "Those last two years that he was in office helped to kind of push back and keep back some of the Republicans greatest wishes and hopes, whether it was building a wall or you know keeping all immigrants out of the United States. So, she was very instrumental in pushing him back and running circles around him strategically." Pelosi also presided over an unprecedented two Houses votes to impeach Trump. "The President is what he is. He thinks he's above the law." First in 2019 and again in 2021, after she and other lawmakers were personally endangered during the January sixth riot of Trump supporters at the US Capitol. The now 81-year-old Pelosi has promised not to seek another term as speaker beyond 2023 as she prepares to hand over control of House Democrats to a new generation. Catherine Gibson, VOA news, Washington.
