Kamala Harris may be the Democratic candidate, but it’s Nancy Pelosi who continues to wield significant influence over the party, a fact she underscored during her speech tonight at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
“I know that Vice President Harris is ready to take us to new heights,” declared the veteran Congresswoman representing California’s 11th district during her primetime speech at the packed United Center. “Politically, she is astute and strategic in winning difficult elections, quickly securing the nomination with dignity and grace and choosing Tim Walsh as our vice president,” Pelosi continued, offering her highest commendation to the political strategist.
Pelosi, now 84, is widely seen as the driving force behind the movement to usher 81-year-old Joe Biden off the political stage, particularly after his poor performance against Donald Trump during the CNN debate on June 27. A seasoned politician with deep roots in the Democratic Party, Pelosi has dismissed rumors of her involvement in Biden’s departure from the race.
Despite her denials, few believe the claims of innocence from the author of The Art of Power. This skepticism is likely why Pelosi began her speech with a lengthy “Thank you Joe!” in an attempt to smooth over any lingering resentment within the party.
For the time being, Pelosi even chose to downplay her own role in the legislative successes of the past three years, all of which she had a significant hand in pushing through Congress.
“On January 20, 2021, with the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, we established one of the most successful presidencies of modern times,” Pelosi stated.
“And we quickly proved that Democrats deliver – millions of jobs, stronger infrastructure and rural broadband, a Biden Child Tax Credit, rescuing human pensions, honoring our veterans, bold climate action, lowering the cost of prescription drugs,” she enumerated. “All thanks to President Biden’s patriotic vision of a fair America doing so with liberty and justice for all.”
While Pelosi had high praise for one president, she did not hesitate to harshly criticize another.
“January 6 was a perilous moment for our democracy,” she said, referring to the former president she had long opposed, Donald Trump. “Never before had a president of the United States so brazenly assaulted the bedrock of our democracy, so lethally embraced political violence, so willfully betrayed his oath of office,” Pelosi told her fellow Democrats, recalling the attack on Congress, where many MAGA insurgents were specifically targeting her.
Pelosi seemed to rush through her speech, which lasted less than five minutes.
{Matzav.com}