Republicans and Democrats alike paid tribute to House SpeakerNancy Pelosion Wednesday as the longtime lawmaker’s official portrait was unveiled and placed on the walls of the U.S. Capitol.
A ceremony to mark the occasion was emotional, as Pelosi — dressed in all white — told the crowd her members “had the courage to elect a woman speaker,” according toThe New York Times.
TheTimesreports that the unveiling ceremony brought together a host of names, from ex-cabinet members and television anchors to former PresidentBarack Obama, who made a virtual appearance in which he described Pelosi as “one of the most accomplished legislators in American history.”
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RepublicanJohn Boehner, who served as House speaker from 2011 to 2015, even “teared up” at the event, with theTimesreporting he spoke of Pelosi as a role model to his own daughters.
“Game recognizes game,” Boehner said, “and the fact of the matter is no other speaker of the House in the modern era, Republican or Democrat, has wielded the gavel with such authority or with such consistent results.”
In her own remarks, Pelosi joked that she “would have been a little disappointed if he didn’t get emotional,” a nod to Boehner’s penchant for public displays of emotion.
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Others in attendance at the event — including Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who is currently campaigning to succeed Pelosi when Republicans take over the House in January — demonstrated that the California Democrat’s legacy trumped politics, at least for one moment.
Pelosi first became speaker of the House — a role that would eventually define her political career and further carve a path for women in congressional leadership — in 2007. She assumed the role again in 2019, stating at the time that she would only serve a maximum of four years in the role.
She led Democrats through two impeachment hearings, an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, multiple legislative landmarks and a 2022 midterm season in which her party exceeded everyone’s expectations.
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Calling herself “a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a devout Catholic” and “a proud Democrat,” Pelosi said her rise in the House was a surprise even to her.
“Never would I have thought I’d go from homemaker to House speaker. In fact I never intended to run for public office,” she said. “Mommy and Daddy taught us through their example that public service is a noble calling and that we all have a responsibility to help others.”
She continued: “A new day is dawning on the horizon and I look forward, always forward, to the unfolding story of our nation – a story of light and love, of patriotism and progress, of many becoming one,” Pelosi said, earning a standing ovation and embraces from her colleagues, many of whom could be seen wiping tears from their faces at the close of the speech.
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Pelosi said she would, however,continue to serve as a member of the House, “speaking for the people of San Francisco, serving the great state of California and defending our Constitution.”
source: people.com
