Pelosi promised a lot — delivers less than zero

By Weekly Archive On Aug 1, 2007

Pelosi promised a lot — delivers less than zero

By Alvaro F. Fernandez

Nancy Pelosi has been a terrible disappointment. In less than 12 months as Speaker of the House of Representatives she has managed to squeeze into a mold that seems to envelop politicians on Capitol Hill. Ms. Pelosi came in promising to fight and reform the system. The results have been quite the contrary — at times even seeming to go out of her way to make sure to please special interests and perpetuate the old established ways.

Much was expected from the first woman Speaker. But her deeds, or lack of, speak for themselves. Here are just a few examples:

If there was ever a reason for the Democratic Party’s take over of the Congress in 2006, the Iraq war, and the U.S. electorate’s opposition to it, would be it. Pelosi has done little to get us out of this awful war. Sure there has been vocal opposition, but at every important turn, Pelosi and other House leaders have bent to administration wishes on Iraq.

Immigration was her second big gaffe. There was an opportunity to reform immigration laws in this country. Pelosi could have driven this issue to produce fair and humane results. What we got was more of the same. People on Capitol Hill warned me that Pelosi did not want immigration reformed this year. They assured me that she felt it would polarize many and might affect democrats’ chances in 2008.

With Democrats now in charge of the committee system, much hope was expressed on a change of policy towards Cuba. Many expected at the very least for the cruel and what some consider unconstitutional restrictions allowing families to visit each other but once every three years to be overturned. The fact is those restrictions don’t seem to have much of a chance of a turnaround this year and Cuba policy only seems to get worse. Where has Pelosi been on this issue?

Pelosi promised that this year’s farm bill — legislation that governs agriculture, nutrition and our natural resources debated and renewed every five years — would finally see much needed reform. But succumbing to the wishes of special interests and rich farmers and ranchers, legislative leaders, led by Madame Speaker, just passed the House version of this year’s farm bill which again gives the lion’s share of the tens of billions of tax dollars spent yearly to the mega wealthy farmers and ranchers in the form of subsidies. The most needy, and small and minority farmers were literally swept under the grup with a few dollars and more broken promises. Conservation was also basically snubbed.

So after all the hoopla of November 2006, the possibilities and bright lights shown then for the democrats were now in power has turned to a succession of disappointments for all of us who had high hopes for Madame Speaker and her crew. Some might say she chose political expediency. Maybe, I might answer. But at this time, this country needs much more than expediency. It needs courageous leadership. There’s been none of that.

Some may claim that on several key issues republicans set up roadblocks to assure that Pelosi’s democrats did not succeed. That is true. At the same time, though, I did not see much fight in Pelosi’s forces while in the heat of battle. And that, my friends, may be the biggest difference between democrats and republicans these days. Right or wrong, republicans will scratch and claw when fighting for their issues.

I never thought I would say this, but Nancy Pelosi’s leadership in the House has been so horrendous that for the first time since George W. Bush (who has threatened to veto the farm bill) snatched the presidency in 2000, I found myself siding with him and Agriculture Secretary Mike Johann. Amazingly, it is the Bush administration pushing for reform when it comes to agriculture and nutrition, along with republicans in congress. Not allowing them the chance is Pelosi and friends.

People blame Bush for creating a system of corporate welfare favoring the rich. Pelosi’s farm bill, for instance, stacks right up there with Bush’s handouts to friends in Iraq. And when it comes to the agricultural dollars scheduled to be doled out over the next five years, Bush is the progressive reformer when you stand him next to Pelosi.