Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Pragmatic Liberalism: Marc Sandalow on Nancy Pelosi

http://www.readexpress.com/read_freeride/2008/04/pragmatic_liberalism_marc_sandalow_on_na.php (http://www.readexpress.com/read_freeride/2008/04/pragmatic_liberalism_marc_sandalow_on_na.php)

"SHE'S ALMOST AS FAR LEFT as any member of Congress," says author Marc Sandalow of Nancy Pelosi. "Prior to her Speakership, in 20 years in Congress, the only vote she took that disappointed the left was her vote in favor of NAFTA in 1994. On every other major issue, she's been on the left."

"Just recently she was on the floor of the House arguing in favor of transgender rights," Sandalow said. "Now, the transgender rights did not get adopted by the House. In a move that a lot of gay leaders were mad at her about, she dropped transgender rights from a gay, lesbian, bisexual job discrimination bill. Her view is, 'We push for what we can get. How many Speakers of the House have gone to the floor and spoken in favor of transgender rights?' Whether the issue is gun control or needle exchange, she is a progressive. That said, she is the leader of 234 House Democrats and some are from districts that aren't as liberal as her own. She leads as a pragmatist."

Hells Belles, she is not as liberal as we are.  Miss Nancy is the conservative political-machine candidate, not some grass roots liberal.  Yeesh.

To be more precise, the United States has two major political parties: one of conservatives, and one of neo-conservatives.  :P

Nah, its only has one.  Money and corporate interests or the party of corporate interests and money.

Just because the two groups each serv(ic)e corporations doesn't make them the same party.  Even though all corporations strive to make money, there are some rules that allow certain businesses to thrive (perhaps at the expense of others) and other potential rules that would turn the tables.  As an example, tough monopoly legislation can be considered anti-corporate, but smaller/medium businesses need it to compete with the big dogs.  Also, the farm bill and other related subsidies are designed to keep the cost of producing food low (and reliable), but fruit growers typically do not benefit in the way certain other foods (including meat) are catered to; as such, people don't tend to buy as much fruit as they would on an even playing field.  This matters to corporations, because certain ones profit while others struggle.

I respect the point that from the perspective of consumers and individuals, Republicans and Democrats are both heavily disappointing, but I have a hard time not going a step further and finding the Republicans positively atrocious.

Oh I for one would not want the absolute horror of one party to take away from the Big-League SUCK factor of the other party. 

Had Miss Nancy represented her district she would have been leading the fight for hearings, impeachment and against the war.  But she got punked by the DLC, and to the degree that she does not represent the people of San Francisco and Marin, she does represent the corporations and the huge money behind them quite well.