Nancy Pelosi-palooza: Democrats praise lawmaker’s career at California convention | Nancy Pelosi

It was like a “Nancy Pelosi-palooza” in San Francisco over the weekend as thousands of California Democrats gathered in the former House speaker’s beloved bayside city, which she represented in Congress for nearly four decades. They were there to attend the state party’s annual convention; but with Pelosi retiring at the end of her term, it was also a days-long celebration of a woman many Democrats consider a living legend.

A video greeting during the plenary session described her rise from a stay-at-home mother to the U.S. House of Representatives; here she shattered the marble ceiling and became the first, and to date only, woman to wield the speaker’s gavel. Tote bags were adorned with her silhouette in every color of the rainbow; this was a nod to his groundbreaking advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community. It also included one of his favorite aphorisms: “We don’t suffer, we organize.”

The 85-year-old actor gave little insight into his career in his speech at the congress. Instead, Pelosi, whom her longtime political ally Senator Adam Schiff describes as “almost allergic to recognition,” has characteristically focused on the future of the party she helped found and lead.

He expressed “absolute certainty and confidence” that Democrats would capture the House majority in November, driven by California’s new congressional maps, which he helped win a landslide victory last fall, and that his successor, Hakeem Jeffries, would be the next speaker of the House.

“Trump’s reign of terror must end,” he said.

Over dinner and fine California wine on Saturday evening, a group of prominent Golden State Democrats, including respected labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, 95, praised Pelosi’s success in delivering Republican arms and going “toe-to-toe” with presidents and world leaders. Schiff quoted one of Pelosi’s staff as saying the former speaker was both careful and fearless, a grandmother who wouldn’t hesitate to “stick her six-inch Manolos up Putin’s ass.”

They took turns recalling Pelosi’s “iron fist in a velvet glove” leadership, wit and tenacity, as well as her well-documented love of dark chocolate and seemingly extraordinarily little need for sleep. He was hailed by his colleagues, clients and fellow Democrats as the most important speaker in modern history, the Baltimore-born pride of San Francisco.

Pelosi announced her decision to retire late last year and said that her 20th term would be her last. Three Democrats are vying for a chance to replace Pelosi; but certainly not to replace him, arguing that this would not be possible, as stated by local people.

Democrats running for his seat include state Sen. Scott Wiener, city supervisor Connie Chan and former Silicon Valley engineer Saikat Chakrabarti. During the convention, Wiener won the support of the state party, but Pelosi did not weigh in on the issue.

In San Francisco on Saturday, California Democrats also praised him for turning the state into a blue stronghold, first as state party chairman, then as a congressman and speaker. Under California’s new redistricting law, which he helped champion, Democrats are poised to hold 48 of the state’s 52 House seats.

Several speakers shared memorable advice Pelosi has offered over the years and reveled in her viral applause. California congressman Pete Aguilar said his crowd-favorite motto that in politics you have to be able to throw punches and throw punches “but always for the kids.”

Rusty Hicks, chairman of the California state party, said he asked Pelosi, a sports fan, if there were any lessons from her “side coaching” into politics. In basketball he said: “When in doubt, shoot and always stay in doubt.”

Deputy Governor Eleni Kounalakis recalled her favorite, “Pelosiism.” Pelosi now prefers to say “know your strength,” but Kounalakis initially said Pelosi would counsel “know your strength” as if it were the “11th commandment.”

Kounalakis praised Pelosi for transforming the political landscape for women; She has sought to not only increase the number of female lawmakers on Capitol Hill but also increase their power and rank. There was just 23 women In Congress where Pelosi was first elected in 1987. There are now 150.

In his final emotional tribute of the night, Schiff praised Pelosi as a unique leader with a rare ability to persuade “people to do the right thing at the right time and for the right reason.”

Schiff said the “Iron Lady” nickname did little to tap the former speaker’s resilience and fearlessness: “Margaret Thatcher has no idea about Nancy Pelosi.”

While speaking, Schiff acknowledged the length of his remarks and said Pelosi may tear up his speech if he doesn’t finish it immediately, as she did in Trump’s first-term State of the Union address.

Pelosi took to the podium with her remarks and then thought better of it. “You know what? I think I’m going to tear this speech up,” he said, breaking his prepared words in half. He said he preferred to address the room “clearly.”

“Thank you all so much for being you,” Pelosi said, visibly moved by the evening. “It’s best to win elections and make the lives of the American people better.”

He offered further advice, emphasizing the importance of grassroots mobilization and crediting the persistence of advocacy groups for pushing the Affordable Care Act, a hugely important legislative achievement, across the finish line. “I always say, we had nuns,” Pelosi, a devout Catholic, said of the massive effort to pass health care reform in 2010. “Thank God we had nuns.”

And he brushed off critics by commemorating his city: “This is their problem. This is our pride.” He expressed his gratitude to the people of San Francisco for giving him the “latitude” to become a speaker and represent the city’s values ​​on the national and global stage.

Pelosi, of course, knew she was backing down as those values ​​came under threat from an independent president whose administration sought to undo the deeply progressive policies she had fought for her entire life. Still, he remained undaunted, asking Democrats in the room to “believe in the goodness of the American people.”

“Hope is our resistance, and our resistance gives us hope.”