http://businessandmedia.org/articles/2008/20080731045727.aspxPelosi: San Fran 'Mischaracterized' by Right as 'Out of Mainstream'
House Speaker claims 'exploiters' villainize city because they don't want to nation to follow lead in 'living wage,' health care and environmental 'value.'
By Jeff Poor
Business & Media Institute
7/31/2008 8:52:43 AM
San Francisco isn't a liberal bastion that is out of step with the rest of the country. That's just all right-wing spin attempting to suppress any notion of the economic "fairness" of San Francisco, according to California Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi spoke at an event hosted by Politics & Prose, a Washington, D.C., bookstore at the Sixth & I Synagogue to promote her book "Know Your Power: A Message to America's Daughters." Bookstore co-owner Carla Cohen asked Pelosi why San Francisco was demonized by the right wing of the Republican Party and why that was used in a manner to create the idea the Speaker was a "crackpot marginal leftist." Pelosi told the audience she had a theory it was based on economics.
"I have this theory about why they try to say that about San Francisco," Pelosi said. "Because – I think it all comes down to economics – follow the money."
Pelosi proposed San Francisco was demeaned because of a fear that people around the country may see the Golden Gate city as the vanguard of how government policies can improve the lives of the classes in society.
"I won't go into my political speech about how the middle class has been ripped off," Pelosi said. "But what I say is the following – they like to characterize/mischaracterize San Francisco that is a place out of the mainstream because I think they don't want to follow our lead in this respect."
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