Nancy Pelosi visits USC, talks political gridlock

U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi spoke to nearly 200 USC students, faculty and guests Monday morning, discussing her rise to political office and the feasibility of bipartisanship in a Republican-dominated Congress.

The event was a part of the political science department’s Political Conversations series, a string of discussions that seeks to engage contemporary political leaders on trending issues from Washington. Pelosi has been the most prolific guest to date.

“Thank you so much for the invitation to be here,” Pelosi said during the event’s opening. “USC is a beacon of light in the world of education and research.”

Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics Robert Shrum, a longtime friend of the congresswoman, hosted the conversation. Pelosi, who affectionately referred to Shrum as “Shrummy” throughout the event, spoke candidly on her initial hesitations regarding entering political leadership when she was a member of the Democratic National Committee in the 1980s.

“We [all] have to take responsibility for the direction of our country,” Pelosi said. “[But] I had absolutely no intention of running for office … I was more behind-the-scenes.”

The aversion to campaigning, however, did not last long. Pelosi would go on to be elected as the representative of California’s 5th Congressional District in 1987 (now she represents the 12th) and later as the first woman speaker of the House from 2007 to 2011. She described her political escalation as “going from housewife to House speaker” and from “kitchen to Congress.”

The discussion quickly shifted to the current political landscape, where Pelosi currently serves as the House Democratic leader and the Republicans hold the majority in both the House and the Senate.

The topic revolved heavily around the possibility of bipartisanship, and Pelosi described her stance as hopeful, but was critical of the opposing party’s current behavior. She described the Republican Congress as being more concerned with “obstructing” rather than “legislating,” and described its nature as “anti-governance.”

Pelosi stressed, however, that there is recent precedence for the two parties to work together in some capacity, something she witnessed when the Democratic Party held a majority in both houses under President George W. Bush from 2006 to 2008.

“For two years, we worked with President Bush and got a great deal,” Pelosi said, specifically mentioning the raising of emission standards and amendments to the Voting Rights Act, among other pieces of legislation.

Not unconscious of her audience, the congresswoman also stressed the need for proper education funding, speaking disparagingly of Republican-recommended cuts.

“[Cutting education] is one of the dumbest things you could do,” Pelosi said, citing a Republican desire for reductions in Pell grants (need-based money for undergraduate education) to lower the national deficit. “Nothing brings more money to the treasury than the education of the American people.”

Pelosi’s frustration with the Republican Party was evident during the discussion, and the conversation wasn’t without subtle jabs at the GOP. She described the Republicans in Congress as being anti-governance, anti-science and anti-Barack Obama.

“They have a trifecta of justification for shutting down government [and] not lifting the debt ceiling,” she said. “That’s what we’re contending with.”

Shrum, who was a Democratic political consultant before coming to USC, was also not without choice words for the opposing party.

“There is a visceral hate of Barack Obama and a belief in the Republican Party that he is not a legitimate president,” he said. Pelosi advised those in the audience who were members of the GOP to change their party from within.

In the second portion of the discussion, Pelosi took questions from the students and faculty in the audience. A student questioned the congresswoman on whether Congress’ current state of gridlock is a modern phenomenon or indicative of age-old political tensions.

“There’s always been a healthy difference of opinion … [but] I have never seen it this bad,” Pelosi said.

She elaborated that today’s Congress is worse than the political divide that existed in the 1990s, or what she referred to as the politics of “personal destruction,” during which the Republican-led House in 1998 impeached former President Bill Clinton.

In an interview with the Daily Trojan following the event, Pelosi discussed matters pertinent to students at USC, such as the escalating cost of college and how her party’s focus is on eliminating hindrances to the access of federal aid money.

“We have to recognize that the United States has to invest in our future by investing in our young people and your education,” she said. “From my experience now, most young people don’t really care about [political] parties so much, and that’s okay, as long as we have shared values we’re fighting for.”

The congresswoman concluded by reflecting on the desire for increased participation among college-aged students in the political area, and that the turnout at Monday’s event was indicative of a demographic willing to get involved.

“The fact that this many people showed up for a discussion of the political stuff and how to be involved and how to be effective, it gave me hope and I hope it gave them hope.”