There are a few political figures today more maligned by conservatives than House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, mostly because she has been so effective. From her guidance of the Affordable Care Act through Congress more than a decade ago to her steady hand through the tumultuous Trump era, she built a legacy that history will treat far better than it will her detractors.
But the 82-year-old Pelosi’s decision last week to step down as the House Democratic leader is the right one, handing off to a new generation during what is sure to be a confrontational reign by a slim Republican House majority. Whoever succeeds Pelosi should strive to provide the same stability and seriousness she brought to her post — which must include reining in the often-counterproductive instincts of the party’s hard left.
Pelosi in 2007 became the first woman elected to a top congressional leadership role. Since then, in her stewardship of House Democrats both as speaker and minority leader, she has built a historically diverse House caucus, elevating women, racial minorities and LGBTQ candidates into House seats and leadership positions in unprecedented numbers. At the same time, she has deftly herded the cats that make up her philosophically divided party, pushing through landmark legislation on health care, pandemic relief and infrastructure by convincing her perpetually dissatisfied fellow Democrats of the necessity of compromise and realism.
