Pelosi on The Today Show: "I'm a Conservative Catholic"

The Today Show

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Matt Lauer just completed an interview with Nancy Pelosi. After some standard stuff about her "historic" role as the first woman to lead a congressional party, Lauer asked a a pretty probing question:

"When Republicans chose Newt as their leader, Democrats were quick to say they had gone too far right. Why shouldn't the Republicans now say that in choosing you, the Democrats have gone too far left?"

Pelosi answered by stating that while she represented her district in SF (implying that she was being very liberal in representing a very liberal district), she will lead "right down the center" of the Dem caucus.

She then added the following statement: "When people call me a liberal, I call myself a conservative Catholic."

I had heard Pelosi make the same statement in an interview yesterday, so this clearly seems to be a standard part of her defense to the charge that she's too liberal to lead successfully.

I'm not Catholic, but I have to assume that many true "conservative Catholics" will be upset by hearing Pelosi claim that label. It is hard to imagine an authentic conservative Catholic supporting unrestricted abortion, including partial birth abortion, as does Pelosi.

Pelosi failed to vote to ban PBA even when an exception was included for the life of the mother. I think it is thus fair to categorize her as a pro-abortion extremist. Given that record, to go on national TV and call herself a conservative Catholic seems the height of gall and duplicity.

As a sidenote, Pelosi also trotted out what the Dems have apparently decided to make their new theme: "Safety and Soundness," apparently some combination of national security and economic progress. Instant nominee for the "Lamest Political Slogan of the Decade."

[BlessedBeGod]

She then added the following statement: "When people call me a liberal, I call myself a conservative Catholic."

If she's a Catholic, she now needs to go to confession. Quick.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Her repeated claims of being a "conservative Catholic" are perhaps Pelosi's first major political mistake as leader.

First, it's a blatant, provable untruth, given the clear position of the Church on abortion, and her clear record of support for unrestricted abortion including PBA.

It's bound to outrage many people. And it's hard to imagine what new friends it's going to win her, given how obviously untrue it is. So, beyond the question of the ethics of misstating the truth in such an obvious manner, it would seem to be a political mistake.

For that matter, it might even turn off some of her liberal supporter!

[IronJack]

I call myself a conservative Catholic.

Riddle: If you call the tail a leg, how many legs does a dog have?

Answer: Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it so.

[Constitutional Patriot]

"I'm a Conservative Catholic"

Yeah...and I'm the Easter Bunny. Who wants to be Spiderman?

[IronJack]

Actually, this is a classic example of the cognitive dissonance that marks the Democrats, their perpetual state of denial. I move that we refer to Ms. Pelosi as "Disso-Nancy."

[ChadGore]

[mware]

No way is she a conservative Catholic.

She is for abortion, against a ban on partial birth abortion. No practicing Catholic would condone infanticide

[demkicker]

"It is hard to imagine an authentic conservative Catholic supporting unrestricted abortion, including partial birth abortion, as does Pelosi.

Pelosi failed to vote to ban PBA even when an exception was included for the life of the mother. I think it is thus fair to categorize her as a pro-abortion extremist. Given that record, to go on national TV and call herself a conservative Catholic seems the height of gall and duplicity."

And naturally Matt Lauer didn't guffaw, or at least challenge her absurd claim. Another example of the elite media ignoring the Emperess with no clothes. Surprise, surprise < /not>

[rmgatto]

"Safety and Soundness." HAH! The party of bank examiners. "Lame" is an understatement.

[goldstategop]

The fact Pelosi feels compelled to position herself as a conservative in a liberal party speaks volumes about where the country is politically. If liberalism were really a winning philosophy you betcha Pelosi wouldn't describe herself as conservative-anything. Lo and behold it looks like Rush has made some progress and perhaps the day is not far off when even a leftist like Pelosi will agree with him!

[Calvin Locke]

He he. I'm almost, I repeat, almost, pining for the days when Clinton was pulling this feces. I'm already missing Gephardt.

Both are better story tellers on their worse days that Nancy is on her best.

[MarkT]

In the off chance that the Archbishop of the San Francisco Diocese heard her comment, she may actually face some cannonical and then political problems. She raised the issue of her so-called Catholicism - it is now the obligation of the Archbishop to refute publicly the public declaration of a public person who maintains such a demonstrably false fiction. The Archbishop will lose credibility if he does not act - failure to act, to right wrongs about which it is aware has gotten the Catholic Church into the mess it is right now - witness the molestation cases presently wending their way thoughout the land in various judicial forums. The public rebuke of her for her positions and her statement should not redound well to her politically.

[copycat]

Still like "Pelosifer" and the "Nancy Boys."

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Maybe Pelosi could get away with calling herself a "conservative Catholic" when she was running for Congress in San Francisco.

But that's not going to fly under the harsh glare of the national spotlight (how's that for a cliche!?)

I predict she is going to be called out on this, hard, by leading national conservative Catholics, from people such as William F. Buckley to Bill Donahue of the Catholic League.

[Calvin Locke]

I thought when Drudge had both Pelosi and Jocko's pictures up, there was some resemblence. Maybe they both use doctors from the same med school.

[Skywalk]

What a disgusting liar. This would be akin to me calling myself a leftist environmentalist Baptist. WHAT THE HELL?!?!?

[DWSUWF]

"..."When people call me a liberal, I call myself a conservative Catholic."..."

LOL!

She can call herself a Conservative, Negro, Time-travelling, Cyborg Catholic if it pleases her to do so...

But that won't alter the fact that she's a G.D. stinking LIBERAL enemy of the Constitution of the United States.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Agreed. Her claim of being a conservative Catholic, beyond being false, is clearly a rookie political mistake. You don't go on TV the day after being elected and tell a preposterous lie that is so easily refuted.

For those concerned that Pelosi was very liberal but nevertheless a skilled political warrior, she has shown herself to be very clumsy in her first foray.

[goldstategop]

Friends and Freepers, consider that Pelosi gave conservatism an unexpected lift! I can just see Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton go bananas!!!

[Dick Vomer]

We're conservative nuns!!!!!

[goldstategop]

hehehe... I can just see the Sex And The City girls come out of the closet and announce they're Republicans after all! :)

[cgbg]

I hate to break it to you Catholics out there, but the Lavender Mafia has infiltrated your church so thoroughly that Pelosi's statement may not be as crazy as it sounds. :-(

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Actually, I forgot to mention that in the latter part of the interview, she did call herself "a time-travelling Cyborg:

"I bring you wonderful news from the year 2008," she said. "President Rodham sends you her greetings!"

[ClearCase_guy]

"Safety and Soundness," ... Instant nominee for the "Lamest Political Slogan of the Decade."

And they laughed at Compassionate Conservative.

[Skywalk]

LOL! HILARIOUS!!!

[goldstategop]

How long before the hard core Left dumps Pelosi in the event she does announce she's really a Blue Dog at heart?? ;-)

[goldstategop]

I guess Pelosi will tell us next she's a Compassionate Conservative. ;-)

[smiley]

Is there a MR. Polass anywhere?

[cgbg]

To Pelosi any Catholic that dosen't practice sodomy during Mass is a conservative Catholic. :-(

[DWSUWF]

"...Actually, I forgot to mention that in the latter part of the interview, she did call herself "a time-travelling Cyborg:..."

LOL!

[goldstategop]

Yeah and next Arnold Schwarzennegger will be her running mate in 2008.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

"Safety and Soundness," apparently some combination of national security and economic progress. Instant nominee for the "Lamest Political Slogan of the Decade."

Does anyone remember Laurence Olivier as the fiendish ex-Nazi in "Marathon Man", torturing Dustin Hoffman while asking him repeatedly: "Is it safe? Is it safe?"

For their next campaign, perhaps the Dems can use clips of that, while questioning the wisdom of W's policies!

[genefromjersey]

"Safety and Soundness" should not be under-rated as a political slogan !

It appears to me, an increasing number of woman voters are endorsing- no - make that demanding socialism as a way of life : the celebrated " Nanny State " .

The selection of folks like Pelosi is a signal from the Democrats that they will go along with " Nanny-ism " ; and you can bet your bottom dollar they will buttress that signal by pushing for a female presidential candidate !

[Aquinasfan]

She's as Catholic as Osama.

To be a Catholic, one must assent to the teachings of the Church. A Catholic may dissent in ignorance, but once presented with the Church's teaching on a particular issue a Catholic must assent to the teaching in obedience to Church authority. Failure to assent to Church teaching signifies the lack of the theological virtue of faith and thereby represents a de facto rejection of Christ and His Church. Heresy is defined as the obstinate, post-baptismal refusal to obey Church teaching. From the Catechism:

Abortion

2270 Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person -- among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.(71)

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. (72)

My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth .(73)

2271 Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law:

You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish .(74)

God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.(75)

2272 Formal co-operation in an abortion constitutes a grave offence. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. 'A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae' (76) 'by the very commission of the offence', (77) and subject to the conditions provided by Canon Law . (78) The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society.

2273 The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil society and its legislation:

'The inalienable rights of the person must be recognized and respected by civil society and the political authority. These human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they represent a concession made by society and the state; they belong to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his origin. Among such fundamental rights one should mention in this regard every human being's right to life and physical integrity from the moment of conception until death.'(79)

'The moment a positive law deprives a category of human beings of the protection which civil legislation ought to accord them, the state is denying the equality of all before the law. When the state does not place its power at the service of the rights of each citizen, and in particular of the more vulnerable, the very foundations of a state based on law are undermined. . . As a consequence of the respect and protection which must be ensured for the unborn child from the moment of conception, the law must provide appropriate penal sanctions for every deliberate violation of the child's rights.' (80)

2274 Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being.

Prenatal diagnosis is morally licit, 'if it respects the life and integrity of the embryo and the human foetus and is directed toward its safeguarding or healing as an individual... It is gravely opposed to the moral law when this is done with the thought of possibly inducing an abortion, depending upon the results: a diagnosis must not be the equivalent of a death sentence.' (81)

2275 'One must hold as licit procedures carried out on the human embryo which respect the life and integrity of the embryo and do not involve disproportionate risks for it, but are directed toward its healing, the improvement of its condition of health, or its individual survival.' (82)

'It is immoral to produce human embryos intended for exploitation as disposable biological material.' (83)

'Certain attempts to influence chromosomic or genetic inheritance are not therapeutic but are aimed at producing human beings selected according to sex or other predetermined qualities. Such manipulations are contrary to the personal dignity of the human being and his integrity and identity' (84) which are unique and unrepeatable.

 

[PJ-Comix]

This is all part of the President Jeb Bartlett ploy. On West Wing, the liberals favorite (non-real) President will sometimes make a big show out of participating in the RITUALS of the Catholic Church. They recently showed some scenes of a church choir, with "President" Bartlett in attendance, singing at High Mass and "President" Bartlett carefully crossing himself. That is what passes muster for being religious in liberal-land.

I'm sure Pelosi attends church (for PR reasons) and also goes thru the rituals as "President" Bartlett does but does it really mean anything except that it allows Pelosi to make the ridiculous claim that she is a "conservative Catholic?"

[governsleastgovernsbest]

"Safety and Soundness" should not be under-rated as a political slogan !

Perhaps you're right, but I still don't think it's nearly as catchy as "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!", not to mention "54 40 or Fight!"

[xsmommy]

She can call herself a Conservative, Negro, Time-travelling, Cyborg Catholic if it pleases her to do so...

Great response!!!

[PJ-Comix]

"Safety and Soundness," apparently some combination of national security and economic progress. Instant nominee for the "Lamest Political Slogan of the Decade."

It will rank right down there with WIN---"Whip Inflation Now" back in the Disco Era.

[goldstategop]

Granted it may be a fraud but imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Pelosi wouldn't be favorably using the adjective conservative if this were really a 50-50 nation. She's a smart cookie to see that there aren't enough liberals in this country to take her any higher than San Francisco.

[Carolinamom]

All this dem celebration and drum beating about Pelosi's being "the first woman who..." is the prelude to their on-going build-up for Hillary's being the first woman president campaign. The constant talk of whether Hil will or won't run is getting the public used to thinking about the possibility of her election. Nationwide "Listening tours", IMO, won't get her what she wants this time.

[mewzilla]

Pelosi was supposed to appear on FOX & friends this am, and suddenly cancelled out. Pelosi had something in her eye.

Who's afraid of the big, bad FOX? Big, bad FOX... Big, bad, FOX...

[PJ-Comix]

Does anyone remember Laurence Olivier as the fiendish ex-Nazi in "Marathon Man", torturing Dustin Hoffman while asking him repeatedly: "Is it safe? Is it safe?"

I heard there was a definite decline in visits to dentists' offices after that flick came out.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

WIN: Whip Inflation Now.

Excellent entry in the all-time annals of lame political slogans. Let's hope "Safety and Soundness" does for Pelosi what WIN did for Gerald Ford!

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Excellent, excellent point. As we used to say about some girls back in college, "all show no go."

[AFPhys]

CONSERVATIVE CATHOLIC ... LOL...

I'm a conservative Catholic, Nancy... your beliefs violate nearly every part of my religion, from published reports.

You are NOT a conservative, and you may not even be a Catholic when your bishop discovers this claim.

[PGalt]

Nazi(National Socialist)Pelosi is a propagandist.

[mystery-ak]

Don't expect that to happen....example...Ted Kennedy and Chris Dodd..I've never heard the Church come out and denounce their stand on abortions.

[McGruff]

"I'm a Conservative Catholic"

Yeah right, and I never had sexual

relations with that woman.

[Aquinasfan]

She raised the issue of her so-called Catholicism - it is now the obligation of the Archbishop to refute publicly the public declaration of a public person who maintains such a demonstrably false fiction. The Archbishop will lose credibility if he does not act - failure to act, to right wrongs about which it is aware has gotten the Catholic Church into the mess it is right now - witness the molestation cases presently wending their way thoughout the land in various judicial forums. The public rebuke of her for her positions and her statement should not redound well to her politically.

There's the rub. This nonsense has been going on in Massachusetts for thirty years. Kennedy and Kerry have always called themselves Catholics (and the Globe never misses a chance to mention this fact) yet they have never been challenged by the bishop or cardinal here. It's simply nauseating.

But putting my nausea aside for a moment, what is truly tragic is the fact that generations of Catholics have grown up assuming that it's "OK" to be Catholic and "pro-choice." How many lives have been ruined by their bishops' refusal to speak out?