GOP keeps the heat turned up on Pelosi: Speaker's foes likely to sling mud until something sticks

[DeepModem Mom]

San Francisco Chronicle: GOP keeps the heat turned up on Pelosi
Speaker's foes likely to sling mud until something sticks
Edward Epstein, Chronicle Washington Bureau
Thursday, May 10, 2007

Washington -- Firebrand Republicans would have you believe that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi might have engaged in corruption for her husband, tried to grab a luxury "Air Force Three'' jetliner for her personal use, consorted with an American enemy in Syria and disrespected the top American general in Iraq.

These and other charges Pelosi has faced reflect the rough political atmosphere in the Capitol, and experts say that even though the Republican allegations generally fade after a few days, they won't stop.

The reason, the experts add, is that Pelosi, as a San Francisco liberal, remains a prime villain to the GOP base. Her critics know that attacking her rallies the faithful, and they hope that one of the charges eventually will stick and cause Pelosi serious trouble.

Such attacks have happened in Congress over the past two decades, going back to the time of Speaker Jim Wright in the late 1980s. The Texas Democrat was forced out of office in a scandal surrounding earnings from his autobiography. Since then, top congressional lawmakers have faced partisan assaults that have brought down such once-powerful figures as Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich and Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

"The Republicans feel that if the American people just knew more about Nancy Pelosi, they would see she is too radical and too secular for America. They will keep throwing mud until something hits,'' said UC Berkeley political scientist Bruce Cain, who directs the university's Washington center.

"Pelosi has proven to be a more effective and popular speaker than Republicans anticipated, so it is no surprise that she has become a target of attacks and unsubstantiated rumors,'' said Thomas Mann of Washington's Brookings Institution, co-author of "The Broken Branch, How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track.''

"I have yet to see anything with Pelosi that is even semi-tangible evidence of transgression,'' said Mann's co-author, Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute. "They are just trying to reinforce the notion of Pelosi as a wild-eyed liberal,'' which is a strategy Republicans tried unsuccessfully last fall in their campaign to keep their House majority.

Larry Sabato, University of Virginia political scientist, said Pelosi's popularity in national polls practically mandates that Republicans attack her. "They're trying to lower her very high favorable ratings. Pelosi has become a very positive symbol for the Democratic Party, and the Republicans are trying to do something about it -- and sooner rather than later.''...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/05/10/MNGUKPOGKH1.DTL

[sallyseven]

1. Republicans have met their match

and nothing they say can influence the American Public who see them as bush bots. It is not becoming seeing them bent over in front of bush. That is why 11 repukes want him to change. He should leave and take those ba rds Cheney and Gonzo with him.

[Alexander]

2. Making up shit about a Democratic leader?

Kinda sounds familiar...

[DeepModem Mom]

4. And just look at him! Undefeated and unbowed. nt

[OHdem10]

3. GOP stay on Point--no matter what one thinks,

About the GOP--they somehow manage to keep their goals
in sight and on message to get to the goal.

Cutting to the chase, the GOP know it is not in their
interest to permit any Democrat to become admired by Americans.

As soon as any Democrat starts to "shine the tiniest bit"
their well-oiled machine goes into attack mode. Knock them
(Dems) off the radar before they show any ability.

Our party ignores this too often for their own good, methinks.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Keep this in mind about Speaker Pelosi ......

.... she grew up and participated in a powerful local political family. In what is essentially a one party (Democratic) state, most of the political fights in Maryland, at least back when she was growing up, were between Democrats. They'd *figuratively* have knife fights to the death, but smile and hug in public. That's much harder to do than have a clearly partisan struggle in public.

Make no mistake ..... our Speaker knows how to take care of herself.

[pscot]

6. All in a spirit

of bipartisan cooperation, of course.