Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power

by Susan Page

Overview

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! 

The definitive biography of Nancy Pelosi, the most powerful woman in American political history, written by New York Times bestselling author and USA Today Washington bureau chief Susan Page.
 
Featuring more than 150 exclusive interviews with those who know her best—and a series of in-depth, news-making interviews with Pelosi herself—MADAM SPEAKER is unprecedented in the scope of its exploration of Nancy Pelosi’s remarkable life and of her indelible impact on American politics.
 
Before she was Nancy Pelosi, she was Nancy D’Alesandro. Her father was a big-city mayor and her mother his political organizer; when she encouraged her young daughter to become a nun, Nancy told her mother that being a priest sounded more appealing. She didn’t begin running for office until she was forty-six years old, her five children mostly out of the nest. With that, she found her calling.
 
Nancy Pelosi has lived on the cutting edge of the revolution in both women’s roles and in the nation’s movement to a fiercer and more polarized politics. She has established herself as a crucial friend or formidable foe to U.S. presidents, a master legislator, and an indefatigable political warrior. She took on the Democratic establishment to become the first female Speaker of the House, then battled rivals on the left and right to consolidate her power. She has soared in the sharp-edged inside game of politics, though she has struggled in the outside game—demonized by conservatives, second-guessed by progressives, and routinely underestimated by nearly everyone.
 
All of this was preparation for the most historic challenge she would ever face, at a time she had been privately planning her retirement. When Donald Trump was elected to the White House, Nancy Pelosi became the Democratic counterpart best able to stand up to the disruptive president and to get under his skin. The battle between Trump and Pelosi, chronicled in this book with behind-the-scenes details and revelations, stands to be the titanic political struggle of our time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538750698
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	04/20/2021
Pages:	448
Sales rank:	42,486
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.80(d)

About the Author

Susan Page is the award-winning Washington Bureau chief of USA Today, where she writes about politics and the White House. Susan has covered seven White House administrations and eleven presidential elections. She has interviewed the past ten presidents and reported from six continents and dozens of foreign countries. In 2020, she moderated the vice presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris. Her first book, The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty, was an instant New York Times bestseller. She lives in Washington, D.C.

Table of Contents

Introduction: A Change of Plans 1

Chapter 1 Tommy the Elder and Big Nancy 17

Chapter 2 Welcome to America 35

Chapter 3 Little Nancy and the Favor File 44

Chapter 4 Scandal 63

Chapter 5 A View of the Capitol 78

Chapter 6 "Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance" 94

Chapter 7 Runway 111

Chapter 8 Sala 126

Chapter 9 Earthquake 149

Chapter 10 "I Don't Think These Boys Know How to Win" 167

Chapter 11 War 182

Chapter 12 Leader 194

Chapter 13 Meltdown 207

Chapter 14 PelosiCare 223

Chapter 15 Back in the Wilderness 244

Chapter 16 Pelosi v. Trump: Round One 260

Chapter 17 The Speaker and the Squad 279

Chapter 18 "You Have Come into My Wheelhouse" 298

Chapter 19 The Coronavirus Campaign 324

Epilogue: The Lessons of Power 346

Acknowledgments 361

Notes 363

Interviews 429

Bibliography 433

Index 439

About the Author 453

Editorial Reviews

05/07/2021

As the first woman elected to a leadership position in the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi has made history. But, as best-selling author Page (The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty) shows, Pelosi's standing as Speaker of the House and within the Democratic Party is also proof of her ability to remain in leadership through four presidents and during multiple national security, financial, and political crises. Page provides a full biographical history of Pelosi, showing that her childhood as the daughter of a powerful Maryland politician planted the roots for her mastery of political tactics. Based on interviews with dozens of Pelosi's colleagues, including opponents, Page describes intriguing behind-the-scenes anecdotes showing her skillful efforts to produce landmark legislation on controversial topics. The author examines Pelosi's congressional and leadership record in detail and offers insight into the Speaker's relationship with her party, especially newer progressive members of the Democratic Caucus. Page also devotes attention to the contentious relationship between Speaker Pelosi and former President Trump. Featuring interviews with Pelosi herself, this account offers a more insider-y perspective than Molly Ball's 2020 biography of the Speaker, though each book can stand alone. VERDICT Page has written a comprehensive biography of Pelosi that follows her entire career in politics and describes how early family experiences influenced her policies and political leadership style.—Jill Ortner, SUNY Buffalo Libs.

Library Journal

2021-05-04
The dazzling achievements of a trailblazing politician.

Page, Washington bureau chief for USA Today, draws on a prodigious number of interviews with figures including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Newt Gingrich, Ilhan Omar, and John Boehner; Nancy Pelosi’s colleagues, friends, co-workers, and adversaries; and interviews with Pelosi herself to create a balanced, informative biography of a woman widely hailed as “a master of the inside game of politics.” Born in Baltimore in 1940, Nancy D’Alesandro grew up steeped in public service. Her father was a Maryland Congressman and later Baltimore’s mayor; her savvy, ambitious, pragmatic mother “organized the grass roots.” Politics, Page notes, was “the family business.” A year after graduating from Trinity College in 1962, she married Paul Pelosi, and in 1969, the couple and their growing family moved to San Francisco for Paul’s work. While raising five children, Pelosi became involved in local politics, prompting San Francisco’s mayor to tap her for the city’s library commission. At the age of 35, Pelosi “discovered that she liked having an official position, being able to convene hearings, to cast votes. She began to think about her possible political role in a different way.” In 1987, she won her first election. Early in her career, in Armani suits and stiletto heels, Pelosi was “routinely underestimated” by the male-dominated political world. But she quickly, and repeatedly, demonstrated her power: She was supremely organized, adept at fundraising, and laser-focused on success. A major force in passing the Affordable Care Act, Pelosi, Obama told Page, is “tougher than anybody in the world.” As one reporter put it, she wielded “an iron fist in a Gucci glove.” Page elaborates on Pelosi’s impressive public career rather than on her personal life. “I’m as private a person as there is, a shy one,” Pelosi told Page, when she deemed a question intrusive. Private, to be sure; shy, not believable.

A brisk, well-researched life.

Kirkus Reviews

Long considered one of America’s finest journalists, Susan Page’s newest book cements her reputation as one of our foremost political biographers. In exploring the remarkable life of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Susan has painted a compelling portrait of determination, resilience, and patriotism that is the essence of American democracy.”

—Former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright

"Impressive in scope, elegant in style, and extremely judicious in its use of evidence, Susan Page's MADAM SPEAKER is a must-read biographical portrait of the indomitable Nancy Pelosi. Page, one of America's most admired journalists, has a gift for delivering fresh behind-the-scenes anecdotes and recapturing watershed historical moments in colorful prose. Every page sparkles with revelations. Pelosi is the true power broker of our time. Highly recommended!"—Douglas Brinkley, bestselling author of AMERICAN MOONSHOT: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race

"In this story of power, resolve and intrigue, Susan Page has a subject equal to her inordinate talents. She takes us behind the scenes with the Speaker of the House—the most powerful woman in American history—and shows us how Nancy Pelosi conquered a world of guys."—John A. Farrell, New York Times bestselling author of RICHARD NIXON: THE LIFE

“Nancy Pelosi is a tough, ruthless, and energetic practitioner of the acquisition and use of political power. Anyone seeking to understand the House of Representatives and the House Democratic Party has to start with Speaker Pelosi. Susan Page has written that lesson plan for all to read.”—Newt Gingrich

"With her biography of First Lady Barbara Bush and her new book about Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Susan Page has distinguished herself as a chronicler of women public figures who defied odds, raised eyebrows, and ultimately found that being true to themselves and not worrying about what others thought or said about them was the key to success and happiness as they defined it. As with her first biography, MADAM SPEAKER will be a resource to historians and anyone who wants to understand the influence this powerful, sometimes controversial, occasionally ruthless, and fiercely determined woman has had on our national life."—Dana Perino, New York Times bestselling author of AND THE GOOD NEWS IS...

"Scoopy and insightful."—The New York Times

“[MADAM SPEAKER provides] a much deeper understanding of, and appreciation for, the work it takes for a woman to harness, maintain and wield authority that was once reserved exclusively for men."—Washington Post

"Even longtime watchers of House Speaker Nancy Nancy Pelosi will learn something new about the most powerful woman in the country—and how she got that way—from...MADAM SPEAKER."—Los Angeles Times

"Page delivers a worthwhile and documented read...MADAM SPEAKER makes clear that the speakership was not a job Pelosi spent a lifetime craving but it is definitely a role she wanted and, more importantly, mastered."—The Guardian

"MADAM SPEAKER traces Pelosi’s life and work in a readable, engaging biography that takes us from Pelosi’s Baltimore upbringing through her current term as speaker in the Biden administration. [A] valuable overview of a singular American politician. The definitive biography of the House Speaker."

—USA Today

“Insightful book on a consequential woman in Washington. It’s a terrific read.”—Peter Baker, The New York Times

“I can’t imagine what a pleasure it must have been to be working on this.”—Mika Brzezinski, MSNBC

“Great biography...[Page’s] new book is excellent.”—Jake Tapper, CNN

“...great book.”—Andrea Mitchell, MSNBC

“... very interesting, definitive biography... go out and buy it.”—Jonathan Karl, ABC News

“A fascinating read...I think we all thought we knew a lot about Nancy Pelosi, but [Page] managed to find out a lot more."—Judy Woodruff, PBS NewsHour

“A balanced, informative biography."—Kirkuss

From the Publisher