Byron York: Pelosi's Partisan Parting Shot

Pelosi continued being arrogant yesterday and is still refusing to acknowledge that she and her tactics in the House played a huge part in the loss by the Democrats in the mid term.  Byron York nailed Pelosi in his assessment today -- she was partisan to the end.  The look on her face when someone voted for Hoyer was priceless, she was shocked and tried her best to smile while he had a shocked look but with a grin.

The voting for Speaker turned out to be very interesting yesterday with John Boehner getting 241 votes from Republicans (Boehner did not vote); Pelosi 173, and then the fun began shortly after the voting started as 19 Democrats refused to vote for Pelosi. Some of those 19 like Dan Boren were not about to take the heat they received last time from voting for Pelosi for Speaker.

While not being formally nominated Heath Shuler (NC) received 11 votes: Altmire (PA), Boren (OK), Cooper (TN), Donnelly (IN), Holden (PA), Kissel (NC), Matheson (UT), McIntyre (NC), Michaud (ME), Ross (AR), and Shuler (NC). John Lewis (GA) received two votes: Barrow (GA) and Giffords (AZ). The funniest came out of California where Cardoza voted for Costa and Costa voted for Cardoza -- Pelosi couldn't even keep all of her own state. Other Democrats receiving one vote were Cooper (TN) - Kind (WI); Kaptur (OH) - Lipinski (IL); Hoyer (MD) (look on his face was priceless) - Schrader (OR); Answered Present: Bishop of GA.

Can imagine those who voted against Pelosi were breathing a sigh of relief as she droned on and on about herself and how well she did as Speaker before introducing Speaker Boehner. If people like Boren and Altmire had voted for her, they would have started off in the hole with voters.

Her remark about the size of the gavel that Boehner was using did not go unnoticed since she carried one much bigger from the House Office Building to the Capitol with a huge smirk last year. She is one of the most arrogant people we have ever seen in the House. Very happy to know that she now has to fly commercial as the Speaker's plane has been given back to the Air Force.  It is no longer sitting at Andrews AFB waiting for "Queen" Pelosi to fly family and friends to and from California and who knows where else. Right there is a huge savings. Now if we could just ground Obama, it would be a start on the deficit being solved.

This article from Byron York is a sample of what is being said across the net -- it wasn't only us that thought Pelosi was classless and wanted it all about her yesterday while introducing the new Speaker, but now the person we consider the number one political correspondent has weighed in with his comments:

Pelosi's partisan parting shot

By: Byron York 01/05/11 4:18 PM
Chief Political Correspondent
Washington Examiner

At mid-day Wednesday, it fell to now-former Speaker Nancy Pelosi to introduce her successor, John Boehner, as he was sworn in as Speaker of the House. Some might have forgotten, but four years ago, on January 4, 2007, it was Boehner (not the departing Dennis Hastert) who introduced Pelosi when she first became Speaker. A look at the two speeches -- Pelosi introducing Boehner and Boehner introducing Pelosi -- shows striking differences. Boehner's 2007 speech, coming after Republicans were trounced at the polls in November 2006, was self-effacing, gracious, and non-partisan. Pelosi's 2011 speech, coming after Democrats were trounced at the polls in November 2010, was self-serving, sharp, and partisan.

Start with Pelosi introducing Boehner. The outgoing Speaker began with some boilerplate about the importance of the occasion and then turned to a subject she has addressed many times in the past four years: herself. Her time as the first woman Speaker, Pelosi said, "means that more doors are wide open for all of America's daughters and granddaughters." Then Pelosi cast herself as the defender of America's children in general, "their health, their education, the safety of the air they breathe, the water they drink, and the food they eat."

Pelosi then launched into a list of Democratic legislation -- college loans, financial regulation, and, especially, national health care (which she referred to as a "patient's bill of rights.") that was passed during her time as Speaker. That led to a recitation of Obamacare talking points. "It means children with pre-existing conditions can get coverage; young people can stay on their parents' plans until age 26; pregnant women and breast and prostate cancer patients can no longer be thrown off the insurance rolls; our seniors are paying less for needed prescription drugs; [and] taken together, this will save the taxpayers $1.3 trillion," Pelosi said.

She wasn't finished. Pelosi touted the Lilly Ledbetter Act, veterans' legislation, and ended on a commitment, not observed during her time in the Speaker's chair, to evaluate every piece of legislation on the basis of whether or not it creates jobs. Only then did Pelosi offer a few kind words for Boehner.

Contrast that with Boehner's speech introducing Pelosi on January 4, 2007. It was about 40 percent shorter and began with Boehner celebrating Pelosi's achievement as first woman Speaker. "Today marks an occasion that I think the Founding Fathers would view approvingly," he said. "And my fellow Americans, whether you are a Republican, a Democrat, or an Independent, today is a cause for celebration."

Boehner then looked back to the day in 1995 when Republicans took control of the House. After a brief tribute to Hastert, this is what he said -- all of what he said -- about the GOP time in power:

There were some great achievements during those 12 years that followed; there were also some profound disappointments. If there is one lesson that stands out from our party's time in the majority, it is this: A congressional majority is simply a means to an end. The value of the majority lies not in the chance to wield great power but in the chance to use limited power to achieve great things.

There were no laundry lists, no talking points. Following that brief statement, Boehner went on to pay tribute to "the battle of ideas" that takes place in a democracy, and then he handed the gavel to Pelosi. That was it.

Quite a difference from Wednesday's ceremony.

Read more from Byron York at the Washington Examiner