Nancy Pelosi's rise to be Speaker of the House is historical in that she is the first woman to ever be Speaker of the House. That fact hasn't been lost on her, as she and the media continue to reference it. She has referred to her rise in power as "breaking through the marble ceiling" and hopes that she will be a role model for "daughters and granddaughters."
I'm not denying it's a big deal, but I'm not quite ready to bestow accolades on Pelosi just yet. Call it a character flaw, but I've never been one to think that the first to do something is an automatic ticket to my respect. I look at what impact it had being the first to do something. The first doctor to successfully perform a heart transplant is pretty significant. The first doctor to sneak out for an afternoon tee time? Not so much.
Let's not forget not every first isn't successful. Bill Clinton was the first Baby Boomer President and his Presidency was riddled with scandal, lies, and mediocrity. The first woman to be Secretary of State, Madeline Albright, was ineffective. (She was tricked by Kim Jong Il!) The first version of "Gigli" still stinks. Get the picture?
So, I'm going to withhold judgment on Pelosi being Speaker of the House until we start seeing results. If she comes across and accomplishes some significant initiatives, she'll earn my respect. If she doesn't do much, her "breaking through the marble ceiling" becomes little more than a historical footnote.
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2 comments:
I think in giving her the credence of a "footnote in history" is bestowing too much credit on her.
Marcie
If things in Washington keep going the way they're going, we're going to have a whole bunch of hysterical footnotes....
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