For years, Nancy Pelosi had been an active volunteer for the Democratic Party, becoming chair for Northern California, head of the state party and chair of the host committee for the 1984 Democratic National Convention.
As she raised her five children, she never planned for a career in politics. That is until San Francisco’s Congresswoman Sala Burton announced that she was too ill to run for reelection and encouraged Pelosi to succeed her.
Four of Pelosi’s five children had gone off to college, but her youngest, Alexandra, was a senior in high school.
Pelosi asked her, “What do you think?” “Mother,” Alexandra scoffed, “Get a life.”
Nancy Pelosi did just that — rising to become the first woman to serve as Speaker of the US House of Representatives and the most powerful woman in American political history.
Now, in The Art of Power, Pelosi describes how, through persuasion, perseverance and meticulous organizational skills, she transformed our health care system, ensured the passage of the 2008 economic rescue plan and earned her reputation as the most effective Speaker in history.
She joins us to discuss wielding power, standing her ground and being animated by the “good” fight.
She will be in conversation with her daughter, documentary filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi.