The Washington Post has indulged its photographers by publishing two long, beautiful photo essays that chronicle my Congresscritter's extraordinary season of service and party leadership. They are both worth perusing. I hope these links escape the pay wall.
In her own words: Pelosi steps back after decades in charge
A timeline of Pelosi's career in Congress
I want to share my own favorite from among my considerable collection of photos of Pelosi in action here on the home front. Because of her leadership role in a Congress far more conservative than her constituents, she's often been a target of San Franciscans who wanted to get their less-heard policy desires across. She's been brave on important unpopular stances: stalwart on treating China as a dangerous dictatorship and leading Dems in voting against George W. Bush's unconscionable Iraq war of choice.
But she's been absent on other progressive priorities that a San Francisco Congressperson primarily responsive to constituents might have championed. Many of my Pelosi shots have been of her striding imperviously past screaming pickets.
This picture is a more subtle contribution to that genre.
In 2014, Ms. Pelosi attended a Holy Thursday gathering at St John the Evangelist Episcopal Church convened by Mission District members of Faith in Action Bay Area. Here she speaks from the pulpit. A faithful Roman Catholic, she participated in the ritual footwashing the day prescribes confidently. But even in this context, she found herself verbally challenged by Spanish-speaking residents, their families, and friends about why the Congress and Obama had failed to enact immigration reform and make DACA the law of the land.
She was graceful, but left abruptly. Despite all her feting by fancy donors and her enormous gift to the city of making the Presidio into parkland, this too has been what Nancy Pelosi's tenure as our Congresswoman has been about: demanding constituents wanting more.
That's what it has meant to represent this city in Congress -- can we make sure that whoever follows her feels the same pressures? San Franciscans will try.
No comments:
Post a Comment