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Pelosi a rare example of a woman who 'has it all' (Mark Steyn)
Chicago Sun-Times ^ | January 14, 2007 | Mark Steyn

Posted on 01/14/2007 4:26:41 AM PST by Tom D.

Pelosi a rare example of a woman who 'has it all'

January 14, 2007

BY MARK STEYN Sun-Times Columnist

I don't know where they stand on apple pie, but the Democrats have come out for motherhood in a big way. In fact, who needs apple pie when you've got the extra-sugary content of the Washington Post? Last Wednesday, the capital's newspaper of record (now available in print, online and in granulated form) published a column headlined ''Grandma With A Gavel.''

Can you guess which grandma it was, boys and girls? Yes, it was Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has single-handedly, as she put it, ''shattered the marble ceiling.'' And she's right: From CNN to the New York Times, the entire press corps has lost its marbles. Grandma Smith Goes to Washington is the hit of the planet. At a time when most grandmothers are reduced to eating dog food because the Bush administration refuses to let them bulk-order prescription drugs from Saskatchewan or, even more horrifying, reduced to watching Robert Goulet in dinner theater night after night in Florida, Gran'ma Pelosi has single-handedly shattered the dinner-theater ceiling and/or dog-kennel ceiling. ''Grandma With A Gavel'' was written by hard-headed reporter Ruth Marcus, scourge of Republican Justice Departments for many years, and this column reflected her notoriously sharp forensic skills:

''The images as California Democrat Nancy Pelosi took office last week were striking -- and stirring -- in their unfamiliarity. Pelosi, holding her infant grandson swaddled in a white receiving blanket, as she sat in the well of the House, awaiting her election. Pelosi, with the assurance of a mother experienced at dispensing cookies to impatient toddlers, giving each child his -- and her -- turn with the gavel. Pelosi raising her hand to take the oath as her grandson, at her side, fiddled with grandma's papers.''

Golly. One only hopes the wee ones understand that, post-coronation, Queen Nancy's ascension to the throne might cut into all this quality time. "Gran'ma Got Run Over By Her Reign, Dears,'' as the old song so shrewdly warns. But don't Republicans have families, too? Yes, but let's face it, they creep you out, don't they? If you have the misfortune to be nominated by the Bush administration, your kids get headlines like ''An Image A Little Too Carefully Coordinated.'' That was the Washington Post's Style Section on Chief Justice John Roberts' moppets: They didn't care for ''the 1950s-style tableaux vivant,'' or the ''freshly scrubbed and adorable'' look from ''a Currier & Ives landscape''; they sniffed at the ''seersucker suit with short pants'' of ''towheaded Jack'' and his sister's ''blond pageboy''; they didn't even like the name ''Jack.''

But these Pelosi kids are in a whole other league. You have to pity those losers in Hollywood: Instead of wasting their time with that lousy Geena Davis ''Commander in Chief'' strong-career-woman thing, why didn't they do ''The Pelosi Bunch''?

''Here's the story of a lovely lady

Who was raising 30 grandkids on her own

All of them had hair of black like their gran'ma

And swaddling cloths hand-sewn.''

''Here's the story of a man named Hastert

Who was never photographed with any kids

'Cept in stories on Mark Foley's pages

And so he hit the skids . . . ''

Oh, come on. OK, Dennis Hastert doesn't bake cookies, but I can't be the only one who thinks he's a little like that cute Cookie Bear on ''The Andy Williams Show.''

I am? Oh, well.

''Having five children in six years is the best training in the world for Speaker of the House,'' Speaker Grandma said. ''It made me the ultimate multitasker and the master of focus, routine and scheduling.''

''How different is this?'' cooed Ruth Marcus. ''Imagine Margaret Thatcher threatening to deploy her 'mother-of-five voice.' ''

Boy, did Thatcher get it wrong! That old Iron Lady shtick, talking about communism, and inflation, and boring old ''issues,'' when eve feminist reporter in town was dying to hear her favorite cookie recipes.

Alas, not every Democrat has got the lioness-with-cubs routine down quite so pat. On Thursday, Sen. Barbara Boxer advanced the notion that Condoleezza Rice can't understand ''the price of war'' because she's childless. ''You're not going to pay a particular price,'' she told the secretary of state, ''with an immediate family.'' In other words, her childlessness means she will never have to experience any personal loss for the decisions she makes. ''You can't begin to imagine how you celebrate any holiday or birthday,'' Boxer continued, accusingly.

Hmm. What I can't begin to imagine is a Republican senator getting away with hammering, say, Gloria Steinem for her childlessness. But, after 12 years in the barren wilderness, the left is overjoyed at the Fecund Coming. Over at Ms. magazine, I expect they're rolling their eyes while admiring the cynicism. But the internal contradictions of the new Democrats are striking. At the ''Women's Tea'' inaugural festivities, the Dems played, inevitably, ''I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar,'' and the new speaker saluted the late Texas Gov. Ann Richards, and Rep. Rosa DeLauro honored Gov. Richards' daughter Cecile, who's now the president of Planned Parenthood.

I would wager that, when the young Nancy Pelosi had ''five children in six years,'' a hefty percentage of that parenthood wasn't planned. She is, in that sense, philosophically at odds with her party -- and, indeed, with her congressional district. San Francisco now registers more dogs that it does schoolchildren. Lest you think I'm being my usual homophobic self, I hasten to add that for once I'm not: It speaks well for the Bay Area that they had to embrace the gay life to match the collapsed birth rates European cities have managed to achieve heterosexually. Nonetheless, at a time when fertility rates call into question the survival of Russia, Japan, Germany, Spain and Italy, the new speaker certainly presents an unusual model: She appears to be a rare example of a woman who truly ''has it all.'' She had five kids and then became the first female speaker in human history, an event (according to the media) women have been waiting for since Caveman Ug said, ''Hi, honey, I'm home!'' and clubbed the missus over the head for being late with the saber-toothed meatloaf. It's certainly not the career path feminist orthodoxy has commended these last 30 years, but it seems to have brought Pelosi happiness, and at a time of greater life expectancy it has a certain logic: Have kids in your 20s, go into politics in your 40s, serve as two-term president in your 60s. You can have it all!

I think the GOP should give up trying to demonize Nancy Pelosi. The Botox gags and bug-eyed photos won't work. Tonally, she seems very normal, in ways that, for example, certain presidentially inclined New York senators can never quite manage. But Pelosi's fellow California liberals and those gushing feminist columnists ought to ponder why ''the most powerful woman in America'' is quite so untypical: What does it say when it's the exception that proves the ruler?

©Mark Steyn 2007


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; Philosophy; US: California
KEYWORDS: bluestateamerica; california; chicagosuntimes; democrats; demography; marksteyn; nancypelosi
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Mr. Steyn smacks it out of the ballpark again this week.
1 posted on 01/14/2007 4:26:44 AM PST by Tom D.
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To: Tom D.
But Pelosi's fellow California liberals and those gushing feminist columnists ought to ponder why ''the most powerful woman in America'' is quite so untypical: What does it say when it's the exception that proves the ruler?

lol.

2 posted on 01/14/2007 4:31:48 AM PST by Alia
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To: Tom D.

"Golly. One only hopes the wee ones understand that, post-coronation, Queen Nancy's ascension to the throne might cut into all this quality time. "Gran'ma Got Run Over By Her Reign, Dears,''"

LOL!


3 posted on 01/14/2007 4:36:36 AM PST by nuconvert ([there's a lot of bad people in the pistachio business] (...but his head is so tiny...))
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To: Tom D.
"Pelosi a rare example of a woman who 'has it all'"

Everything but a soul, and a conscience....
4 posted on 01/14/2007 4:39:04 AM PST by tcrlaf (VOTE DEM! You'll Look GREAT In A Burqa!)
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To: Tom D.

I remember when the Post sneered at the Justice Roberts' kids.


5 posted on 01/14/2007 4:39:46 AM PST by Retired Chemist
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To: Tom D.
I think the GOP should give up trying to demonize Nancy Pelosi. The Botox gags and bug-eyed photos won't work. Mr. Steyn

Nahhh, it is kind of fun to poke fun of the stretched tighter than a drum face of Pelosi.

January 12, 2007

Jan. 8, 2007


6 posted on 01/14/2007 4:45:26 AM PST by AmericanMade1776 (Democrats don't have a plan)
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To: Tom D.

Liked the song .. LOL


7 posted on 01/14/2007 4:48:36 AM PST by Mo1 (PLEASE SUPPORT FREE REPUBLIC AND DONATE)
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To: AmericanMade1776

The Bonfire of the Vanities

8 posted on 01/14/2007 4:48:46 AM PST by AmericanMade1776 (Democrats don't have a plan)
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To: IncPen; BartMan1

ping


9 posted on 01/14/2007 4:50:17 AM PST by Nailbiter
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To: Tom D.

" "Gran'ma Got Run Over By Her Reign, Dears,'' "

Coffee SPEW!!!!!

It's supposed to be 'good for the monitor', isn't it??


10 posted on 01/14/2007 4:52:52 AM PST by Uncle Ike ("Tripping over the lines connecting all of the dots"... [FReeper Pinz-n-needlez])
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To: AmericanMade1776

you know Granny Dearest Pelosi voted no to ban Partial Birth abortion, she is Pro Abortion http://www.vote-smart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=H0222103&type=category&category=Abortion%2BIssues&go.x=9&go.y=9

And she calls herself a Catholic!


11 posted on 01/14/2007 4:53:20 AM PST by AmericanMade1776 (Democrats don't have a plan)
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To: AmericanMade1776

If a handsome young black boy can grow up to be an ugly white woman, why can't an ugly white woman grow up to be a handsome young black boy?


12 posted on 01/14/2007 4:59:09 AM PST by Vigilanteman (Are there any men left in Washington? Or are there only cowards? Ahmad Shah Massoud)
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To: AmericanMade1776
And she calls herself a Catholic!

Only when it helps her politically. ; )

How many people even knew Dennis Hastert was the Speaker of the House, before Savior Nancy came along?

For that matter, how many people knew there even was a Speaker of the House?

Sheesh!

13 posted on 01/14/2007 5:00:35 AM PST by Northern Yankee ( Stay The Course!)
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To: Tom D.

14 posted on 01/14/2007 5:00:46 AM PST by Manic_Episode (Some mornings, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps...)
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To: Tom D.
On Thursday, Sen. Barbara Boxer advanced the notion that Condoleezza Rice can't understand ''the price of war'' because she's childless. ''You're not going to pay a particular price,'' she told the secretary of state, ''with an immediate family.'' In other words, her childlessness means she will never have to experience any personal loss for the decisions she makes. ''You can't begin to imagine how you celebrate any holiday or birthday,'' Boxer continued, accusingly.

No, no, no, Mr. Steyn. For as smart as you (and we) think you are, you just aren't intellectually capable of understanding Ms. Boxer's nuanced comments. She wasn't insulting Ms. Rice. She was merely trying to find common ground. Despite what you think you heard her say, it's not what she meant.

Tonally, she seems very normal, in ways that, for example, certain presidentially inclined New York senators can never quite manage.

LOL! The payoff line of the whole article! Mark Steyn is one of the great political analysts / satirists EVER!

15 posted on 01/14/2007 5:04:43 AM PST by Hardastarboard (DemocraticUnderground.com is an internet hate site.)
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To: Uncle Ike
It's supposed to be 'good for the monitor', isn't it??

Only in small quantities after an extended period of time....

The flat-screen LCD ones fare better than the older ones....

16 posted on 01/14/2007 5:05:43 AM PST by dirtbiker (I've tried to see the liberal point of view, but I couldn't get my head up my a$$....)
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To: AmericanMade1776

I agree, Grandma wants to encourage as many abortions as possible!

Grandma leads the Charge for Catholics who are Pro Abortion!


17 posted on 01/14/2007 5:06:30 AM PST by ethics
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To: Northern Yankee
Northern Yankee wrote: For that matter, how many people knew there even was a Speaker of the House?

Isn't that the truth! How many voters even know there is House at all, and more than that two houses.

18 posted on 01/14/2007 5:08:03 AM PST by AmericanMade1776 (Democrats don't have a plan)
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To: Manic_Episode

Granny dearest with a Graval is coming to get you? Scarrrry stuff!

19 posted on 01/14/2007 5:10:19 AM PST by AmericanMade1776 (Democrats don't have a plan)
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To: AmericanMade1776

I'm certain that woman puts mascara on her eye sockets.


20 posted on 01/14/2007 5:13:21 AM PST by Socratic (A family is more than a matter of genetics.)
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