U.S. Congressional Politics

The Dining Room Table Affair

Congress' New Marijuana Champions Introduce Legalization Bill

Like the changing of the seasons and the movement of the moon and sun, so too is the march of time marked by the annual show of members of Congress introducing marijuana legalization bills.These bills go nowhere -- there's no way to force a bill to be heard by a committee -- but since they were intr ... More >>

Nancy Pelosi to Appear on 30 Rock Series Finale

For two years now, there hasn't been a more consistent platform for satire than Congress -- what with "legitimate rape," a budget committee chairman who lies about his marathon time, legislation protecting the words "Under God" in the pledge, and a feeble orange-skinned ring leader named Boehner. W ... More >>

San Francisco Millionaires Join Scores of Rich People to Demand Higher Taxes on Wealthy

There's a bunch of bargaining chips currently being passed back and forth between President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner as they seek to reach a budget deal before the county slides down the much-feared Fiscal Cliff. Perhaps the most notable involved tax rates for the wealthy: generally sp ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

Nancy Pelosi Says She'll Keep Her House Leadership Role (Update)

Update (Nov. 14): Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi announced this morning she will stick around as the House Minority Leader. Nobody in the House is challenging her on this one -- she's loved by her fellow Democrats. San Francisco should be stoked -- she's our powerful pipeline to the White House.(Origina ... More >>

John Dennis, Libertarian Republican, Makes Night of The Living Pelosi Film

John Dennis, the Republican vying for Rep. Nancy Pelosi's House seat, grew up in a housing project in Jersey City, New Jersey. The son of a longshoreman and city hall clerk, he remembers those days vividly, remembers how the building deteriorated over the course of his childhood. The broken elevator ... More >>

True Blue

Nancy Pelosi Is Least-Liked Congressional Leader, Poll Shows

Remember that scene in the The Sandlot when Smalls said he didn't know who the Great Bambino was, prompting all the other kids to incredulously list off the rest of Babe Ruth's many nicknames? The Sultan of Swat! the Colossus of Clout! The King of Crash! And so Smalls, not wanting to seem ignorant i ... More >>

Pi in Your Face

Nancy Pelosi Investment Allegations Spur Congress to Address Insider Trading

Nancy Pelosi​Members of Congress are taking up legislation this week aimed at dealing with allegations that a form of "insider trading" is taking place among lawmakers whose knowledge of pending bills could give them a leg up in the stock market.The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) ... More >>

Mitt Romney Will Win Republicans Over By Teaming Up With Nancy Pelosi

Mitt Romney is all set to be the Republican nominee for president, except for one stubborn hitch: Republican primary voters -- like most people -- don't like him, perhaps because he's actually an actor playing a presidential candidate on a soap opera in 1986. Instead, lately, lots of Republicans se ... More >>

Media Companies Outspend Tech Giants in Fight Over SOPA

Can content pirates be stopped?​The tech industry has been paying quite a bit of attention to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), a bill wending its way through the U.S. Congress that would allow media companies to pursue legal remedies against online search engines and social networks that link to ... More >>

Pelosi Takes Shots at GOP, Lobbyists for Targeting Occupy Protesters in 'Message War'

​House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is rallying Democrats to defend the sundry Occupy movements that have sprung up across the country, appealing in a fundraising e-mail for money to help combat a "message war" against protesters orchestrated by GOP-connected lobbyists.Pelosi's e-mail was provoked ... More >>

Congress Rules That Pizza Sauce Is a Vegetable

Alan Cowan / ShutterstockSource of many vital nutrients. Apparently.​Criticize the Obama administration if you will for being too soft on GMOs or too hard on legal pot dispensaries, but it seems to be on the marks when it comes to school lunch. The USDA, under the administration, has been working ... More >>

60 Minutes Expected to Air Investigation of Pelosi Stock Investments

Nancy Pelosi​Indications from the Beltway media world are that 60 Minutes is preparing to air a segment exploring legislative actions House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi oversaw that might have benefited her husband's stock investments.According to multiple news reports, 60 Minutes reporter Steve K ... More >>

Copyright Fight the Subject of Juvenile Flamewars

​To the uninitiated, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce might sound like a larger version of local chambers of commerce: something like the Elks or the Rotary Club, where dull businesspeople get together for dull meetings to eat rubber chicken and to "network." But the U.S. Chamber is the largest lobb ... More >>

List: Why Obama Visited LinkedIn

Newsweek Retracts Pelosi Quote Slamming Obama, White House

​The days might have passed when U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi was the most powerful woman in Washington, but the San Francisco Democrat and House Minority Leader is still one of the capital's heaviest hitters. So many eyebrows shot up yesterday when Newsweek and the Daily Beast published a story in whic ... More >>

Nancy Pelosi's Role in the Fall of Anthony Weiner

A force to be reckoned with ... still​When Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi was the Speaker of the House, she was fighting big battles like healthcare reform and bank bailouts. But since being demoted to the minority leader in Congress, her political agenda contains far less pressing items, like bringin ... More >>

Nancy Pelosi's Wealth Just Keeps Growing

What the hell does she know about being broke?​While the rest of us have been languishing in what seems like a never-ending recession, one of top San Francisco lawmakers just keeps getting richer. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi's (D-San Francisco) personal wealth grew by 62 percent over the last year, ... More >>

John Boehner, GOP Speaker, Stops in S.F. Tonight

Please don't leave your heart in San Francisco ​The fact that GOP House Speaker John Boehner is being hosted in the South Bay by high-powered tech executives this week begged the question: Does the pro-life pol truly define Silicon Valley -- home of the limousine liberals?What question never cross ... More >>

Pelosi Edits Her Own Honorary Resolution, Says It Didn't Honor Her Enough

Needs more attention​Here's some fodder for Republicans who believe Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi's arrogance knows no bounds. The Democratic National Committee kindly wanted to honor Nancy Pelosi for all of her hard work as the former Speaker of the House. But apparently, their praise didn't go far ... More >>

Newsom Tweets His Support for Planned Parenthood; Asks Followers to Sign Petition

A message from Gavin Newsom​With the U.S. Congress on the precipice of stripping away federal funds for Planned Parenthood, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking Californians to sign an open letter opposing the controversial legislation. True to form, the former San Francisco mayor tweeted out a message ... More >>

Return to Sender

How Would Immigration Reform Look if the Feds Got Off Their Duffs?

Federal Legislation to Reform Crime Labs Proposed

Sen. Patrick Leahy would probably poll well here in Northern California​U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) says he will introduce legislation next year to reform the field of forensic science nationwide, a move that could potentially have implications for the San Franci ... More >>

Nancy Pelosi's Daughter to Lead Young Democrats

For Just $13 Per Hour, Nancy Pelosi's Daughter Will Teach You How To Lead The Public​Nancy Pelosi may no longer count herself the leader of Old Democrats -- thanks to an election that ceded the House to Republicans. But her family today captured leadership of the Young Democrats.The House minorit ... More >>

Don't worry, America. San Francisco knows what's best for you

List: What is Nancy Pelosi's next move?

Nancy Pelosi Running for Minority Leader

​Rep. Nancy Pelosi's team has been relegated to the minor leagues -- but she still wants to be the manager. In an announcement made via her Twitter account, the Speaker of the House announced she will be running for Democratic Minority Leader. Win or lose, it seems @SpeakerPelosi will be needing a ... More >>

Poll: Dems Abandoning Pelosi. Does Nancy-Challenger John Dennis Have a Chance?

Still just a dream​John Dennis may live in Pacific Heights, but his similarities to fellow posh neighborhood resident Nancy Pelosi end there. The Republican challenger to most-powerful San Franciscan Pelosi supports Proposition 19, wants a repeal of the Defense of Marriage act, and is even OK with ... More >>

List: What will President Obama's new political group accomplish in S.F.?

Matt Gonzalez Endorses John Dennis -- Nancy Pelosi's Republican Opponent

Matt Smith illustrationCome on in to my big political tent​Former San Francisco Supervisor Matt Gonzalez is endorsing Republican Congressional candidate John Dennis to highlight "points of agreement" between anti-war liberals and libertarian Republicans."There are points of agreement, and we ought ... More >>

How the Tea Party Is Screwing Over Republicans

Tea Party candidate Christine O'Donnell: "I'm not a witch"A new Harris Poll indicates that Democrats are gaining ground ahead of the November mid-term elections, and that the assortment of right-wing extremists who call themselves the "Tea Party" have something to do with this last-minute success.

Barbara Boxer Aide Marcus Stanley Busted for Pot

​Marcus Stanley, a senior economic adviser to Sen. Barbara Boxer, was busted for alleged marijuana possession as he walked into the Hart Senate Office Building in the nation's capital yesterday. He was, remarkably quickly, an ex-senior economic adviser. "Marcus Stanley is no longer with this offic ... More >>

Her House Divided

The most powerful female politician in the country now teeters between long-term victory and instant defeat.

Nancy Pelosi: Investigate Funding of Ground Zero Mosque Opponents

Nancy Pelosi says: Show me the money! ​Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi yesterday didn't quite manage to sidestep igniting a firestorm with Right Wing media types over the contentious plans to erect a mosque and Islamic Center not far from Ground Zero in Manhattan. Her vanilla answer about whethe ... More >>

Diane von Furstenberg Shills for Nancy Pelosi by Creating Hideous Tote Bag

The GOP has a new enemy: Diane von Furstenberg​Renowned fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, apparently not content with leaving the wrap dress as her lasting contribution to the progress of humankind, has entered the political arena this season with a bold new act of haute couture: a tote bag ... More >>

Election 2010: Democrats Look Safe in Bay Area -- For Now

Rep. Jerry McNerney: First off the island?​With all the sturm und drang gripping the Democratic party as the fall election approaches -- some observers are forecasting a Republican take-back of the House of Representatives, prompted by widespread anger over the economy and some of President Barack ... More >>

'Attack of the 50-Foot Pelosi' Is Latest Bizarre GOP Attack Ad

Monstrous Pelosi, ruthlessly destroying Republicans ability to concentrate​A new National Republican Congressional Committee ad airing in states such as Pennsylvania uses Pixar-style 3-D animation to depict Nancy Pelosi as a crazed 50-foot monster, once "confined to liberal San Francisco," but now ... More >>

Will SF Pride deliver a message to Pelosi on Sunday?

​The Town Hall meeting held in San Francisco last week may be the first of a series of contractions that give birth to a litter of community forums where the general public can meet with the advocacy groups and political leadership that represent the LGBT community.   Even though the mee ... More >>

BREAKING: Pelosi Speaking at City Hall at 11 a.m.

house.gov/pelosiHere to speak​We've just been informed that most-powerful San Franciscan Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, will make an appearance at City Hall in about 20 minutes.

Pelosi's Visit: Speaker Speaks Softly, Plugs Children, Walks Out Fast

Chris Roberts/The SnitchCares about kids!​Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi provided we miserable media wretches a small spark of excitement Monday morning when she visited San Francisco City Hall for a rare visit. Her focus: "Our children, our children, our children."In between ... More >>

Resolution To Support Gay Binational Couples Heads To California Senate

​A resolution supporting the federal bill that would allow gay U.S. citizens to sponsor their partners for a visa passed the California Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday and now heads to the Senate floor for a vote.Our cover story this week, "Worlds Apart," tells the story of three Bay Area coup ... More >>

Cash oils the city's political machine, even at its lowest levels

Against all odds, a radical S.F. Republican takes on Nancy Pelosi

Bonfire of the Profanities

An investigator who exposed dishonest savings and loan regulators in the '80s re-encounters an old rival in the latest banking crisis.

Is There a Speaker in the House?

Who’s Your Mimi?