Nancy Pelosi, the first female speaker of the House, is beginning a new career at age 86, teaching at the University of California, Berkeley's Nancy Pelosi Institute for Representative Democracy. While she plans an active retirement, some observers suggest her career was characterized by partisanship and the centralization of power.
Pelosi's tenure was marked by significant legislative battles and a notable shift in the power dynamics within the House of Representatives. She is credited with pushing the Affordable Care Act through the House on a party-line vote in 2010. According to critics, this move contributed to a significant electoral defeat for her party and the subsequent rise of the Tea Party movement. Despite these electoral consequences, Pelosi maintained her leadership position, ruling her caucus with a firm hand.
Eight years later, she reclaimed the speaker's gavel following Democratic midterm election victories. During this period, she was a vocal opponent of President Donald Trump and initiated impeachment inquiries. One such inquiry began in September 2019, prior to any stated evidence of wrongdoing by critics. A notable partisan moment occurred when Pelosi tore up a copy of President Trump's 2020 State of the Union address, an action described as a highly partisan gesture.
Questions have also been raised regarding the financial growth of Pelosi and her husband during her time in office. Furthermore, a year after her second tenure as speaker began, Pelosi's decision not to enhance security measures around the U.S. Capitol has been cited by some as a contributing factor to the events of January 6, 2021. The subsequent establishment of the January 6 Committee, appointed by Pelosi, has been described by critics as a one-sided effort to assign blame to former President Trump while evading accountability for her own role.
According to this perspective, Pelosi leaves Congress having presided over an era of increased division and dysfunction. The naming of the institute at UC Berkeley has been met with suggestions for alternative titles, such as 'The Pelosi Institute for Partisanship in the Pursuit of Power,' reflecting a view that her career prioritized political power over unity or reform.
Pelosi first served as speaker from 2007 to 2011 and then again from 2019 to 2023. Her 2010 push for the ACA led to the loss of the House majority in the subsequent midterm elections. Her second tenure as speaker was largely defined by opposition to the Trump administration and the events surrounding the January 6 Capitol riot.