Alexandra Pelosi wants you to know that her new HBO documentary "Pelosi in the House" is not a love letter to the outgoing speaker of the House — who happens to be her mother — as she made clear from the start of our "Salon Talks" conversation. In fact, as Alexandra told me, her mother was not happy with some of the clips in the film. Given that Alexandra had open access unavailable to most other filmmakers and journalists, she was able to film the longtime speaker in her pajamas talking to both Republican and Democratic leaders as she tried to make deals.
The film vividly shares the backstory of how Nancy Pelosi was "born into politics," given that her father, Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., served eight years in Congress and then 12 as mayor of Baltimore. In fact, Nancy Pelosi became the first daughter of a member of Congress to be elected to the House in her own right, breaking a glass ceiling years before she became the first female House speaker. "My mother would say public service is a noble calling," Alexandra told me.
