Nancy Pelosi-palooza: Democrats praise lawmaker’s career at California convention

Nancy Pelosi-palooza: Democrats praise lawmaker’s career at California convention Officials at California Democratic convention celebrated the former House speaker’s advocacy as she prepares to retire It was a “Nancy Pelosi-palooza” in San Francisco over the weekend, as thousands of California Democrats gathered in her beloved city by the bay, a place the former speaker of the House has represented in Congress for nearly four decades. They were there to attend the state party’s annual convention – but with Pelosi retiring at the end of her term, it was also a days-long celebration of a woman many Democrats regard as a living legend. A video salute during the general session charted her rise from a stay-at-home mom to the US House of Representatives, where she shattered the marble ceiling and became the first – and to this day only – woman to wield the speaker’s gavel. Tote bags were emblazoned with her silhouette in every color of the rainbow – a nod to her trailblazing advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community. It also included one of her favorite aphorisms: “We don’t agonize, we organize.” In her own remarks at the convention, the 85-year-old offered little reflection on her career. Instead, Pelosi, whom her longtime political ally Senator Adam Schiff described as being “almost allergic to recognition”, was characteristically focused on the future of the party she helped build and lead. She expressed “absolute certainty and confidence” that Democrats would capture the House majority in November – propelled by California’s new congressional maps that she helped deliver in a resounding victory last fall – and that her successor, Hakeem Jeffries, would become the next speaker of the House. “Trump’s reign of terror must end,” she declared. Over dinner and fine California wine on Saturday evening, a slate of prominent Golden state Democrats , including the revered labor leader and civil rights activist, 95-year-old Dolores Huerta, praised Pelosi her success in twisting Republi...