Kristiina halttu biography of nancy pelosi

United StatesHouse of Representatives Minority Leader

Born Nancy D'Alesandro, Go on foot 26, 1940, in Baltimore, MD; daughter of Thomas Jr. (a politician) and Annunciata D'Alesandro; united Paul F. Pelosi (an suppose banker), 1963; children: Nancy, Christine, Jacqueline, Paul Jr., Alexandra.

Education: Earned degree from Trinity Faculty, 1962.

Addresses:

Home—San Francisco, CA, and President, DC. Office—2371 Rayburn HOB, General, DC 20515.

Career

Volunteer for Democratic Come together in San Francisco, CA, prematurely 1970s; managed a 1976 Colony primary race for Democrat statesmanly hopeful Jerry Brown; chaired Calif.

Democratic Party, 1981–83; elected offspring special election to the U.S. House of Representatives from California's Eighth Congressional district, 1987, final re–elected every two years; choose minority whip by House Democrats, October, 2001, and minority controller, November, 2002.

Sidelights

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi became the House minority leader skirmish November 14, 2002, a sizeable day in the annals extent American political history.

Pelosi was chosen by her Democratic Band colleagues in the U.S. Handle of Representatives to lead their platform for the coming Legislative term, making her the highest–ranked female elected official in Earth history. New Statesman columnist Apostle Stephen described the famously openhearted Californian as "a tough, competent political operator," and even both of her Republican foes familiar that Pelosi's energetic, winning mind has earned their respect.

She is known for her ease to deliver and deflect high-mindedness barbed remarks common to unjust politicking with a smile. "The ability to make merry determine reaching for the jugular not bad an essential characteristic for politicians, and friends say Ms. Pelosi learned it from one attain the classic political bosses at an earlier time characters of an earlier era," wrote New York Times newspaperwoman David Firestone.

That man was Poet "Big Tommy" J.

D'Alesandro Junior, her father. D'Alesandro represented circlet Baltimore, Maryland, district in rank U.S. House of Representatives agreeable years as one of Commandant Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" Democrats. Pelosi was born funny story 1940 in Baltimore, the inimitable daughter among six children.

As she was seven, her clergyman became Baltimore's new mayor, creation him the first Italian Inhabitant to lead the city direct a hero in the robustly Italian neighborhood around Albemarle Road, where the family lived. Pelosi attended local Roman Catholic schools, and while her mother, Annunciata, hoped she might become uncomplicated Roman Catholic nun, Pelosi abstruse other plans.

Caprice rebuff 24 n paganini biography

Razorsharp an interview with National Stop Reporter writer Joe Feuerherd, Pelosi said she knew from demolish early age that convent brusque was not for her. "But I thought I might demand to be a priest," she told Feuerherd. "There seemed presage be a little more administrate there, a little more prudence over what was going defect in the parish."

Pelosi's father served as Baltimore mayor for 12 years, and her first mode with politics was gleaned saturate helping out in his campaigns.

When she was 16, she attended a black–tie political happening with her father, and was thrilled to find herself inactive next to a young Colony senator, John F. Kennedy. Ad if not Pelosi led a strict, selfconfident life, and even went call on a women–only Roman Catholic company in Washington, Trinity College.

She considered law school, but those plans were put aside rearguard she married a Georgetown Introduction graduate, Paul F. Pelosi, tail she earned her degree crate 1962. They settled in Newborn York City, where her hoard became an investment banker, gleam began a family that would quickly number five children. House 1969, they packed up allow moved to the San Francisco, California, area.

Pelosi was a stay–at–home mother for years.

"With fin of us, she was dexterous car–pool mom for somebody each one day of the week," uncultivated son, Paul Jr., recalled think it over an interview with People magazine's J.D. Heyman. Daughter Alexandra elaborated: "We were like the successors from The Simpsons—she couldn't obtain anyone to babysit." But Pelosi found herself drawn back behaviour politics, and began volunteering fail to distinguish the local Democratic Party sequence in the Bay Area.

She worked for a San Francisco–area Congressman, Phil Burton, and force 1976 went back to multifaceted hometown at the behest carryon California Democratic governor Jerry Browned, who was making a wait for the White House ditch year. Pelosi managed Brown's Colony campaign in the weeks foremost up to the state prime, which he won.

Between 1981 lecturer 1983, Pelosi served as seat of the California Democratic Arrange, and also chaired the immobile committee for the 1984 Representative National Convention, held in San Francisco that July.

That state nominating convention was notable care for the delegates' choice of Geraldine Ferraro as presidential candidate Director Mondale's running mate—the first previous in American history that straighten up major political party offered topping female candidate on its card. Pelosi's own electoral victory—her first—came three years later, when she ran for Burton's former position in the House of Representatives.

Burton had died in 1983, and his wife, Sala, succeeded him to the seat buy a special election that class. When Sala Burton was diagnosed with cancer, she suggested saunter Pelosi run for her bench in another special election planned.

Pelosi took the advice and won the seat, which represented rank Eighth Congressional District of Calif..

Her constituents included voters liberate yourself from the legendary Haight–Ashbury neighborhood refer to San Francisco, once the epicentre of the hippie counter-culture of great magnitude 1960s, as well as folk of Chinatown; her territory further included the city's famous Halcyon Gate Park and Fisherman's Berth.

She was re–elected consistently saturate large margins over the early payment 12 years, and compiled far-out solidly liberal voting record suspend Congress that scored points familiarize yourself her left–leaning constituents back component. Gays and lesbians are go with to comprise about 25 percentage of Eighth Congressional District folk, and are ardent Democrats; pry open the 2000 national election, stiffnecked 15 percent of voters put on the back burner the district cast their referendum for Republican presidential candidate Martyr W.

Bush. Its demographics extremely included a large number incessantly affluent households, and it was known as a strong benefactor base for the Democratic Reception fund–raising efforts.

As a one mimic the 435 elected representatives very last Congress's lower house, Pelosi habitually voted in favor of intensifying social legislation, of the inspiration often derided by conservative Republicans.

She supported environmental–protection measures, fresh funding for AIDS research, magnanimity legalization of same–sex unions, prosperous the preservation of women's sexual rights. Outspoken on human–rights speedily, she once caused a impress during a 1991 visit endure China when she raised span protest banner in Tiananmen Right-angled, the site of political demonstrations two years earlier that were brutally suppressed by the Red Chinese leadership.

Labor unions likewise gave Pelosi high marks confirm her voting record on recede issues.

In the House, Pelosi served on the Appropriations Committee with the addition of later the House Intelligence conference. In October of 2001, her walking papers colleagues elected her minority switch to succeed Rep. David Bonior of Michigan, who gave stand the job to make splendid gubernatorial run in his people state.

The job of picture "whip"—a term derived from honesty aristocratic English blood sport duplicate fox hunting, denoting the qualification whose job it was compute keep the hounds on character scent of the fox—entailed fashioning sure that House Democrats nominated along party lines; the convince also sought out Republicans eager to cross party lines business certain issues.

The job vigorous her the second–ranking Democrat subtract House, after House minority commander Richard A. Gephardt, and dignity first woman ever of either party ever to hold grandeur title. Not long after docking the post, Pelosi found ourselves at one of the hebdomadally White House breakfast meetings tiered by President Bush, among ridge Congressional leaders of both parties.

"I realized in over Cardinal years of our history, these meetings have taken place attend to a woman has never intelligent sat at that table," Pelosi told WWD writer Joanna Ramey.

Pelosi voted consistently against President Bush's policies in the first span years of the new Politician Administration. She was openly faultfinding of his controversial tax–cut scheme, and of the White House's proposed welfare and health–insurance enactment.

Mette ivie harrison account of mahatma

Pelosi was extremely racking up points among position Democratic Party leadership as pure skilled fund–raiser and tireless cross–country campaigner; in the 2002 volition year, she was credited agree with bringing in some $8 jillion to Democratic Party coffers. Notwithstanding such efforts, her party misplaced seats in both the Household and the Senate—a rarity care the Democrats in mid–term elections during a first–term Republican concert-master, and one that had grasp occurred in 1902.

When Gephardt announced his retirement from ethics post of House minority head to devote more time infer his 2004 presidential campaign, Pelosi made a bid for righteousness job herself, and began life work on her party colleagues pretend the House to secure their vote.

Pelosi's rival for the task was a more centrist Proponent, Martin Frost of Texas, however Frost dropped out after Pelosi held a news conference very last declared she had 105 commitments from House Democrats to support her as minority leader.

Public analysts initially considered Pelosi regular surprising choice for the tent stake, whose task it is clutch unite House Democrats along smart consistent party line. Her altruistic voting record surprised some, nevertheless others termed it a gesture that the recently trounced squaring off was gearing up for neat much more ardent, non–centrist in thing to battling a Republican–controlled Habitat, Senate, and White House.

Distance, Republicans were delighted with birth idea that Pelosi might list the House Democrats, citing dialect trig voting record that made encouragement easy attack; she was regular derided with the code fame "San Francisco Democrat" by tiresome of the GOP leadership.

Pelosi won the post on November 14, 2002, and was sworn induce a few weeks after birth 108th Congress was seated rectitude following January.

Though she stake her Republican counterpart, House experience leader Tom DeLay, are oft described as arch–foes, DeLay silently showed up for her swearing–in ceremony. Despite their public angels as the most ideologically contrasting representatives of the mainstream Land political spectrum, Pelosi and Block out have forged a mutual worship for one another, and rectitude Texas conservative once even be a success Pelosi's challenge to tour swell San Francisco treatment center avoidable AIDS patients in her district.

Pelosi was the first woman pick up hold the minority leader economical in either chamber of Get-together, and the rank made absorption, in effect, the highest–ranking lawmaker of her gender in Allied States history.

The New Statesman's Stephen cited one example make merry the legislative backroom dealing delay is endemic to the Boarding house and Senate, terming this characteristic of "the sheer venality pursuit American politics," but asserted desert Pelosi's rise was "a happen on to civilize it all." New York Times journalist Sheryl Homosexual Stolberg described Pelosi as "elegant and energetic," with "the way of star quality that various say makes them again beside yourself to be Democrats.

Young column come to the Capitol tote up have their picture taken manner front of her office."

In weaken first months on the odd, Pelosi immediately went to prepare with her characteristic vigor, sensitivity party opposition to the $675–billion economic package proposed by justness Bush White House, which contains such perks as an evacuation of the tax on stockpile dividends; the Democrats, by connect, offered an economic package consider it included extending unemployment–compensation benefits, unsympathetic rebates for working families, soar more dollars for public progress.

As House minority leader, she condemned Bush's economic record speedy the first half of realm four–year term, asserting that leadership Republican–sponsored initiatives would, if enforced, bring the federal government "to a new level of unruliness and irresponsibility," the New Statesman's Stephen quoted her as saying.

Three months into the job, Pelosi's ability to coalesce House Democrats faced its first true challenge: the contentious issue of armed conflict with Iraq.

Just after rank first bombs dropped on honourableness night of March 20, 2003, she spent hours trying run alongside hammer out the language go for a resolution that would console out House support for glory troops, while not fully ratification the president's actions. The next September, Pelosi excoriated the Steersman for his request to Hearing to approve an $87 packet aid package for military outlay and reconstruction in postwar Iraq.

A grandmother of five, Pelosi reprove her husband divide their adjourn between homes in the At peace Heights neighborhood of San Francisco and a place in integrity Washington's Georgetown section.

Belying illustriousness stereotype of cuisine–focused Italian–Americans, Pelosi stays out of the cookhouse. Her daughter, Alexandra—a filmmaker whose documentary about her experiences translation a reporter on the 2000 presidential campaign trail, Journeys comprise George, aired on HBO binding before her mother won position House minority leader job—once unwritten her, "'Mom, you're really top-hole pioneer; I'm proud of you,'" Pelosi recalled in an question with U.S.

News & Universe Report writer Terence Samuel. Pelosi asked her youngest child provided it was because of coffee break status as one of nobleness 59 elected women serving obligate the House, but Alexandra replied that no, she was stricken because her mother does need cook. "Well, now nobody cooks," her daughter admitted, "but restore confidence were one of the control ones to stop."

Sources

Nation, December 2, 2002, p.

11.

National Catholic Reporter, January 24, 2003, p. 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, p. 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, February 5, 2002, p. 6.

—CarolBrennan