>Look at Pelosi's politics-- pro fair trade, pro-gay rights, pro-choice,
>pro-labor, antiwar.
-"Representative Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California: Last year Ms. Pelosi
became the second-ranking
-House Democrat. Was this based on her intelligence, her legislative acumen,
her leadership, her
-oratory? No. Her colleagues regard her skills as average at best. But she
has a gift for raising
-money. She doled out generous sums to fellow Democrats from her own
political action committees.
-(Until last week her two PAC's were contrived to circumvent federal
spending limits, which of course
-she professes to support.) Ms. Pelosi didn't make Congress a
self-lubricating money machine, but she
-has done as much as any sitting Democrat to perpetuate it."
Yeah and thank god someone is raising money to elect progressive candidates. Look at who she was raising money for? Tough progressives like Tammy Balwin.
See http://www.beloitdailynews.com/302/2wis4.htm "Democratic Whip Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., gave Baldwin the maximum $10,000 from her ``PAC to the Future.'' Baldwin supported Pelosi in last fall's whip race. ``Tammy Baldwin seems to be challenged in almost every election,'' said Leo McCarthy, treasurer of Pelosi's PAC. ``Nancy thinks she's a very good lawmaker, and anticipates she may have another serious challenge this year, and waned to give it to her early.'' Sharpless hasn't decided whether to run again. That leaves Ron Greer _ a black minister who called Baldwin a ``left-wing lesbian'' during the 1998 Republican primary and who is likely to run _ and real estate business owner Phil Alfonsi, who is running. "
See the full list of candidates getting money from her PAC at Open Secrets
http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgot.asp?strID=C00344234&Cycle=2002
Fundraising may not be the most attractive aspect of modern politics but it is silly to condemn a progressive for being good at it and using that ability to help other progressives fend off the far more pervasive rightwing money machines.
Back in the 1980s, we had a progressive Tip O'Neill leading the Democrats, but he wasn't a national fundraiser, so power gravitated at times to more conservative fundraisers like Tony Coehlo. Pelosi is more progressive than Tip was in her politics and has Coehlo's ability to fundraise, meaning that DLC types won't have the clear ability to block her based on stronger fundraising ability.
The most leftwing Democrat ever to lead House Democrats is about to be elected and the fringe folks continue to moan.
Pelosi is not god but she is a member of the Progressive Caucus and a voting record of almost pure progressivism.
-- Nathan Newman