Pelosi’s speech

By Jennifer J. Foster

Published: September 30, 2008

Republican congressional leaders emerged from the failed bailout vote yesterday and angrily insisted that they would have had the votes to pass the bill, if only House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hadn’t given that “poisonous” speech ahead of the vote.

Democrats mocked that argument; U.S. Rep. Barney Frank said that Republicans were covering up for the reality that they couldn’t muster the votes they had promised for the plan.

Who’s right?

Republicans won’t share the names of those lawmakers who supposedly flipped on the bill because of the speech. They say it’s because they are still trying to work with those members in hopes that they will support the bill later this week. And there may be some validity to that; you can’t negotiate with someone you alienate, hence Republicans’ objections to Pelosi’s speech.

Democrats say Republicans won’t release the names of the lawmakers because they don’t exist.

Well, anyway, I watched the speech last night to see what all the fuss was about.

Republicans are right; it was highly partisan in content and tone, Pelosi’s persistent peppering of her comments with affirmations of bipartisanship and condemnation of partisanship notwithstanding. But Democrats are right, too; I really didn’t see anything that would explain (excuse?) the reversals of 12 votes.

Republicans are apparently arguing that Pelosi’s speech was so surprisingly partisan that it blindsided their members whose support for the bill was already squishy.

Here’s my take: Yes, Pelosi’s speech was probably inappropriate given the political climate in the chamber at the time. But guess what? Self-indulgence comes with being the speaker. It’s kind of a perk of the job.

The other side of that, of course, is that if Pelosi really wanted the bill to pass, she would do all she could to protect the votes to get it done. Republican lawmakers also have the option of taking their ball and going home. Sure, you can say it’s a reflection of their character, too, but those are the breaks.

But let’s be honest: Were Republicans expecting anything less (or more) out of Pelosi?

She’s from one of the most liberal districts in the entire country. She’s an avowed liberal, a lifelong feminist and a card-carrying member of the Bash President Bush Club. And in case Republicans forgot, we’re 35 days from Election Day—not just for president, but for every member of that chamber and one-third of the U.S. Senate.

Were Republicans really expecting a speech that wasn’t partisan?

If they were, they’ve got a serious break with reality.

So, here’s the speech; see what you think. (If you’d prefer to read the transcript, it’s here, but you’ll lose all the inflection.)