Pelosi implies her critics should be jailed

[Wiregrass Willie]

"Look," she said, the chicken breast on her plate untouched. "I had, for five months, people sitting outside my home, going into my garden in San Francisco, angering neighbors, hanging their clothes from trees, building all kinds of things -- Buddhas? I don't know what they were -- couches, sofas, chairs, permanent living facilities on my front sidewalk."

Unsmilingly, she continued: "If they were poor and they were sleeping on my sidewalk, they would be arrested for loitering, but because they have 'Impeach Bush' across their chest, it's the First Amendment."

(skip)

Though crediting activists for their "passion," Pelosi called it "a waste of time" for them to target Democrats. "They are advocates," she said. "We are leaders."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/09/AR2007100902006.html

[mmonk]

1. That pesky first amendment. What were the founding fathers thinking?

[Ian David]

2. Maybe she should yell "Palomino" at them and they'll leave? n/t

[Solly Mack]

3. "If they were poor and they were sleeping on my sidewalk, they would be arrested for loitering..."

...

...


...



wow

[ThomCat]

14. I hope that quote haunts her for the rest of her life.

x(

It really shows how mean-spirited and elitist she is. I'm incredibly disappointed, but not surprised, that this is the type of person who climbed up to the speaker position.

[Lerkfish]

15. gee. Maybe if they were homeless, a dem would try to get them help instead of arresting them?

but I'm a dreamer, I dream.

[Solly Mack]

16. I'm as speechless now as I was when I first read it

my reaction is still..wow

[Lerkfish]

18. yeah, me too. I feel I woke up in the superman comic about Bizarro world

me am democrat me against the first amendment me am arresting homeless

[supernova]

19. That really bothers me

:-(

I don't expect our "leaders" to talk like that about other members of the human race who happen to have a lot less resources that they do.

[roguevalley]

30. a regular humanitarian, isn't she

[kurth]

4. Her Royal Highness is annoyed

[AndyA]

5. Moral to story: Nancy, if you can't deal with this, you shouldn't be in the position you're in.

And it would appear you're in over your head, since you don't appear to get anything done except fetch coffee for Bush, and get his slippers and newspaper for him.

Step aside and let someone with courage, vision, and a sense of right and wrong have a chance. You're a waste of time, Nancy, and your words mean nothing now. Your actions have proven you'll do nothing to hold Bushco accountable for their actions, and you'll do nothing to put a stop to it.

You are as much the problem as he is, Pelosi. Step down.

[bdamomma]

8. exactly, and by her recent appearances something is definitely

wrong with her demeanor. Just my opinion, I think someone or something is bothering her.

[A wise Man]

9. I agree 100%

[BlackVelvet04]

6. If they are on a public sidewalk that is one thing....

but going into her garden on her property is another. Free speech isn't a license to trespass. If it were me and they were trespassing on my property they would go to jail.

[w4rma]

7. I don't see the implication. (nt)

[Ikonoklast]

10. I wonder what BushCo has on her

I firmly believe that every politician of any note, of any party, has been wire-tapped and is being blackmailed by these fascists.

Nancy Pelosi is co-operating with the regime, and is now using their rhetoric. She could be Hillary's running mate.

[bananas]

11. That's what some people wanted when Cindy camped out at "The Western White House"

Nancy, I'm embarrassed for you.

[LostInAnomie]

12. You know who would be willing protect her from these loitering menaces?

About 150K troops in Iraq.

[mmonk]

13. .

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

[NaturalHigh]

17. So Madame Speaker, if they were poor and were sleeping on the sidewalk...

would you support their arrest? Frankly, I expect the representatives who work for us to support policies to help eradicate homelessness rather than punish the homeless.

[Phillycat]

20. "If they were poor and they were sleeping on my sidewalk, they would be arrested for loitering,"

SERIOUSLY????

:banghead:

[bluedog]

23. but.........isn't that true?

we have people arrested all the time here...for loitering.......

[Phillycat]

25. Of course it's true. That has nothing to do with it.

That's a heartless thing to say, for a supposed liberal Democrat.

[EFerrari]

41. Yes, it is true. Gavin Newsom said he'd solve homelessness

and he is. He's turning homeless people into inmates! Voila!

[in_cog_ni_to]

21. Leaders my ass.

Since when, Nancy?:eyes:

[Annces]

22. She said something similar to this in

one of the early clips they showed of her, where a working woman asked her how she could identify with their financial problems, and she said something about how you don't need to be sick to understand the need for healthcare. I was a little taken aback, it seemed like a cold response, and growing up in money can be something some people cannot rise above in how they perceive the world.

But she is the first female Speaker, so that is a triumph.

[FiveGoodMen]

35. Can't tell if that was sarcasm

"But she is the first female Speaker, so that is a triumph."

If she does the job poorly, then it's no triumph at all.

Neither for the country -- which needs a good leader in the House -- nor for women's status in America -- which could be hurt if the one woman to rise to this position ends up failing at it.

But maybe that was really your point.

[Annces]

37. Well it seems to me

that the women who will make it to the top first will be rich and/or compromisers, but they are still paving the way.

I am not being sarcastic. I think she is doing good with her presence. There is the invisible wall you know, and she made it through another tier.

[robinlynne]

24. no she doesn't. she implies that the people "standing in front of her home"

should be jailed. still terrible, but different.

[spanone]

26. part of the gig nancy, are you up to the task?

[BeHereNow]

27. Time to construct a DIRECT DEMOCRACY, cause we've got no representatives.

Why didn't Pelosi just cut to the chase and
say, "Let them eat cake."
Fuck Pelosi and the rest of her corporate fed piggy associates.
BHN

[MsRedacted]

28. Look as a local --I'm not real happy with her, but it's her house. Do you think

that maybe they could leave her personal residence alone. Ultimately she is on our side. Why are her own people torturing her this way?

Do they think personal harassment will get them what they want? They need to move public opinion--outside of San Francisco. So that other representatives feel pressure. Not harass Nancy Pelosi.

I'm sorry but I just think that Pelosi is ultimately a good guy, I don't like all her decisions -- but I don't know what she is facing day to day.

And I don't think that sitting in HER front yard, like angry children who can't have their way is a good use of their time.

Go sit in Lieberman's yard. Go sit in the yard of every dem who voted with the repukes. Write your congress person and say Pelosi should no longer be speaker.

But why harass her at home. If anything -- go sit outside her office.

On edit: I am quite sure this will get me flamed.

[LWolf]

29. They have protested outside her office.

http://xpress.sfsu.edu/archives/news/008908.html

I agree that they shouldn't be "going into her garden," if that's what they did. THAT is trespassing. I did try to find a news story about protesters in front of her home, and all I got was her statement quoted in this thread. Perhaps it hasn't been as pervasive as she's making it sound, or perhaps it hasn't been recent; you'd think there would be some press about people bringing their sofas and "permanent living facilities" to the sidewalk in front of her house. "Her" front sidewalk, you know. Or perhaps I just didn't spend enough time googling. :shrug:

Protesting in front of her home, though, on public sidewalks and streets, is NOT trespassing, and is legitimate. She's not listening. Citizens have a right to expect their reps to listen, and when they don't listen to phone calls and letters, crowds gathering outside the places they are in do send a clear message.

Wishing that they could be arrested like the homeless can, instead of having to respect 1st amendment rights, is blatantly anti-democratic, and deserves more than criticism.

She's earned demotion and replacement, imo.

[MsRedacted]

31. Agreed. If they are staying on the "public" areas. But I am sure I've read/heard

in the local news that it's gone well beyond that. I'm thinking it was local TV news.

And I still htink they'd be better off protesting in front of other dems offices.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not real happy with her -- but I am not sure anyone else would or could have done things differently.

And I think it's nuts that impeachment is off the table.

I think the dems in general are (expletive deleted). I just beleive that Pelosi is more of a reflection of what's going on with other dems -- that someone who is leading the other dems to being (expletive deleted).

[LWolf]

33. She's certainly not the only one, it's true.

It's her position of power that is focusing more anger on her.

[FiveGoodMen]

36. How can you TELL she's on our side?

You say, "Ultimately she is on our side," but how can you tell?

Would you have expected a wish to arrest the anti-war people (and probably the homeless, too) from someone on our side?

Would you expect someone on our side to go on Charlie Rose and call the BFEE a "lovely, patriotic family"?

Would you expect someone on our side to refuse to even consider impeachment?

Would you expect someone on our side not to try harder to stop a war that clearly should never have been started?

I'm not convinced that she's on our side at all.

[MsRedacted]

38. She has been for a long time, why would she change now?

You think a conservative can get elected in San Francisco?

[FiveGoodMen]

39. She HASN'T been for a long time.

Don't care that it's SF. Don't care that she's officially a Dem. Don't care who you think can get elected there.

I've already outlined why it doesn't look like she's one of us, and you sidestepped every point.

[Beelzebud]

42. Torture? They are "torturing" her?

LOL

Poor Nancy. Tortured by anti-war protesters.

[MLFerrell]

32. "We are leaders."

How dare that fucking traitor / corporate-whore even begin to suggest that she is a "leader"?

Fuck you, Nancy. You can burn in hell with * for all I care.

[TornadoTN]

34. For the first time, I'm just beyond words

I'm usually one that typically stands behind our elected dems, but this statement is so far beyond what I would except from anyone on our side that I've found myself with a complete inability to formulate my thoughts into words. I've reconstructed her statement just to make sure I wasn't missing something but unfortunately I, along with all of you, heard her correctly. If they were on her property or damaging it in someway, then I could understand - but this is obviously not what this is about - look at her words about the poor, the first amendment, "Impeach Bush", etc.

I'm infuriated and speechless. I'm going to take a little while to calm down and collect my thoughts on this.

[Beelzebud]

40. Her statements prove why people NEED to be protesting her sorry ass.

[Flabbergasted]

43. "They are advocates," she said. "We are leaders."

Another way of saying "They are toilets," we are "We are the pissers."


:shrug:

[Blue-Jay]

44. OMG! She was eating a chicken breast!

[FunMe]

45. Bring in more Buddhas! And Christs! And Krinas!

Little Miss Sociate from the SF Heights needs to awake to reality. She works for We The People and she, like bush and cheney, have FAILED us.

It's time to step aside. Or else whe will face humiliation with HER DEFEAT in 2008.

One good thing: the pressures is getting to her!
"It seemed that only the antiwar advocates had the power to wipe the smile off Pelosi's face."
GOOD!

So bring in more Buddhas! And Christs! And Krinas! And INCREASE the protest and pressue.

[Fridays Child]

46. I'm pretty sure that Milbank doesn't like Pelosi, at all, and I don't like her, either. But....

...I suspect that those particular comments may have been taken somewhat out of context. So, I won't condemn her for them.

However, this direct quote angers me: "We have to make responsible decisions in the Congress that are not driven by the dissatisfaction of anybody who wants the war to end tomorrow." That comment demonstrates either Pelosi's disregard for her constitutional duties or her ignorance of them, and neither case is acceptable.