Nancy Pelosi discussed past, present, future of American democracy

By Lauren Whitby
April 11, 2024

On Monday, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi visited Arizona State University as part of the Democracy at Work series hosted by The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. 

Pelosi began her career in politics in 1987 when she won a special election to represent the city of San Francisco in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was the 52nd Speaker of the House and the first woman in our country's history to hold the title.

At the event, she was in conversation with David Axelrod, political commentator, host of The Axe Files and the former chief strategist and senior advisor to President Barack Obama. The two discussed the current state of America’s democracy and the power of the next generation in upholding a democratic government among other topics, such as the Affordable Care Act, the economy and immigration.

A ‘kaleidoscope’ of representatives

In the almost forty years that Pelosi has been in politics, she has seen significant changes in the Democratic and Republican parties’ abilities to compromise and respectfully disagree on policies. For example, she explained voting in the U.S. Congress was quite different a few decades ago.

“I always say that our tapestry, what we want, we as Democrats, depends on everybody being in the color and the mix and the rest, so that's from our standpoint,” she said. “How we deal with the other side is more like a kaleidoscope.” 

At times, the left and right sides of the room would oppose each other on a certain bill, but in other instances, the votes would be divided up differently. Votes were less predictable and would vary regionally, generationally or otherwise. It wasn’t strictly about party affiliation.

“And when we competed with each other it was dynamic, it was intellectual,” she said. “I couldn’t wait to engage in debate on the difference of the role of government.” 

She recalled working with the late Sen. John McCain (R) and how he would tell her to “keep on fighting,” regardless of whether they agreed or not.

Pelosi has been on the front lines of current political turmoil, having been a victim in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection as well as having had her home invaded and husband, Paul, attacked by an extremist on Oct. 28, 2022. 

“January 6th was a terrible day — a terrible, terrible, day — in our country, assaulting our Capitol, the beacon of liberty to the world, assaulting our Constitution,” said Pelosi. 

“This is a day that we confirm and certify the electoral vote for President of the United States, taking that down, assaulting our democracy, our Constitution, our Capitol, and the rest.” 

Pelosi’s husband is still recovering from being attacked with a hammer over a year ago.

“I feel terribly guilty because, obviously, he was there looking for me, and my dear husband became the victim.”

According to Pelosi, the attack is not something her husband discusses openly even with her, but the doctor at the federal trial for the attack shared that Paul was “a centimeter away from death.”

Both of these events are evidence to her that America’s primary political parties have lost their ability to have civil dialogues and work together to find realistic solutions.

Hope for the next generation

In regard to the current political climate and upcoming election, Axelrod asked Pelosi, “What gives you hope?”

Pelosi addressed the many ASU students in attendance with her response: “The future is yours. And the fact that many of you want to take responsibility for it gives us all hope.”

She encouraged young people to identify the issues that are important to them and think strategically about how to bring about change.

“This is a democracy; know your power,” she said. “Know your ‘why.’ My ‘why’ was one in five children in America goes to sleep hungry at night. One in five children in America lives in poverty. I couldn’t stand that as a mother of five myself.”

When Pelosi was first elected to represent California in 1987, there were 23 women in the U.S. House of Representatives: 11 Republicans and 12 Democrats. Now, almost forty years later, there are 92 Democrats and 34 Republicans, making up 29% of the 435 seats, according to the Center for American Women and Politics.

Pelosi became the first female Speaker of the House in 2007. In her first meeting as Speaker with President George W. Bush, she recalled, “No woman had ever been to a meeting like this before in the White House.”

“While [Bush] was speaking, all the sudden, I’m getting closed in on my chair. And then I realized Susan B. Anthony, and Lucretia Mott, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth, and Alice Paul were all on the chair with me, and I could hear them say, ‘At last we have a seat at the table.’ 

“And I realized, I mean, I’m standing on their shoulders, we all know that, but that others are standing on mine.”

To young women in the audience, Pelosi said, “You can make anything happen in a democracy, and it’s so necessary. You’re so needed, because nothing is more wholesome in the whole process than the full participation of women in politics and government.”