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January 5, 2007

Nancy Pelosi: Grandma Speaker makes history, celebrates with surviving Dead, Wyclef Jean, Carole King...

Nancy Pelosi becomes Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Faye Fiore covered the sea change for the Los Angeles Times:

WASHINGTON — From on high, up in the visitor's gallery, the event playing out on the House floor looked to be either a christening or something more solemn.

On one side of the room, there was Nancy Pelosi holding her infant grandson, his white receiving blanket draped over her aubergine skirt.

Over on the other side, morose Republicans stared at their shoes.

As the congresswoman from San Francisco was sworn in Thursday as the first female speaker of the House, the GOP officially left behind 12 years of power, and children ruled the day.

It made for an interesting tableau. Not only is the 66-year-old Pelosi the first mother to take ownership of the big chair, she is the first grandmother, and she made sure the nation knew it.

Minutes after the House convened at noon, she marched down the center aisle with her grandchildren — five boys and a girl. They fiddled with the goose-neck mike on the table near her seat. They did splits in the aisles. And Pelosi held the baby like a football as he fell asleep in the noisy chamber.

"For our daughters and granddaughters," she said to roaring cheers in her first address as speaker, "today we have broken the marble ceiling."

Even Rep. John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), who might have been speaker if his party had held the House, put aside partisanship and the obvious after-gloom of defeat.

"My fellow Americans," he told the House, "whether you are a Republican or a Democrat or an independent, today is cause for celebration."

Pelosi's personal story and the speech that highlighted it managed to co-opt the Republican values platform in one fell swoop, highlighting her deep Roman Catholic faith, her 43-year marriage, her five children who gave her the confidence to "go from the kitchen to the Congress," and her grandchildren who have seemed omnipresent throughout this week's celebrations.

When the speech ended, she invited all the children in the chamber to come up and touch the big gavel, ever the cunning politician expertly scripting the perfect photo: America's new House speaker, second in line for the presidency, surrounded by the satin ribbon and miniature blue blazer set.

The day seemed to be her answer to outgoing Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), who had asked voters before the election: "Do we really want Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco values leading the culture war?"

Those tuning in to watch a wacky liberal were probably disappointed.

She made prominent mention of her long marriage to Paul Pelosi; of her brother, a former mayor of Baltimore; of her deceased parents, who devoted their lives to public service and are now with "the angels."

Her short speech was laced with enough biblical references to rival the GOP's most religious right, including a prayer from St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of San Francisco: "Where there is darkness, may we bring light, where there is hatred, may we bring love, and where there is despair, may we bring hope."...

The first time I heard that prayer, I was a little girl in an America where, we were told, my brother could grow up to be president, and I could become a teacher or a nurse.

Maybe it's the look on Nancy Pelosi's face, or on her grandson's, but the photo above is the one for framing, the day America changed.

Nancy is a Deadhead: Digital Journal: What A Long Strange Trip It's Been:

The new House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, celebrated her first night by throwing a party with a house band not quite everyone will recognize.

Let's just get it out of the way now. Nancy Pelosi is a Deadhead. "'Ms. Pelosi is a huge Dead fan,' her spokeswoman said. The Dead you say? Or perhaps it should say The Grateful Dead. The remaining members of the American band the Grateful Dead played tonight for the party celebrating the new re balancing of power and the installation of Nancy Pelosi as the Speaker of the House. The live music concert touted as "on January 4th, Nancy Pelosi Presents" wound down about 10:30pm EST.

The "House Band", which featured three members of The Grateful Dead as well as members from the band Phish and The Allman Brothers Bandopened the show with a touching "End of the Innocence' by Bruce Hornsby followed by "Touch of Grey" by The Grateful Dead. Then Tony Bennet sang"The Best is Yet to Come" and "I Left My Heart in San Francisco". Near the end of the concert, Wyclef Jean joined the house band to close the live music with Aiko Aiko. The encore was "You've Got a Friend". ...

"TennJed," posting on the Ratboard forums at Ratdog (fan site for the band led by Grateful Dead guitarist, singer, songwriter and founding member Bob Weir) has the set list and band photos, as well as the "Nancy dancing" photo above.

The House Democratic Leadership &
The House Democratic Caucus
For a Celebration Concert Honoring
Speaker Nancy Pelosi
with Special Musical Performances by
Tony Bennett
Carole King
Wyclef Jean
And
Your House Band
Featuring
Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Bob Weir,
Bruce Hornsby, Warren Haynes,
Mike Gordon, and Special Guests
With Special Appearances by
Amy Brenneman
Richard Gere

Posted by Sheila Lennon  at 8:52 AM | Permalink