Bay Curious Presents: The Speaker

Bay Curious

This episode explores the political origins of Nancy Pelosi, focusing on her unexpected 1987 run for Congress in San Francisco. It details h

Key takeaways

• Pelosi's 1987 campaign was triggered by the death of Congresswoman Sala Burton.
• She faced significant opposition from progressive candidates like Harry Britt, who viewed her as an out-of-touch elitist.

Main topics

• Nancy Pelosi's 1987 Congressional run
• San Francisco political machine

Notable quotes

I don't think you have to be sick to be a doctor or poor to understand the problems of the poor.

Conclusion

The episode provides a deep dive into the formative political years of

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:01) From KQED. The firehose of news from America can feel like a lot these days. Speaker 5 (0:08) If you're trying to figure out what to make of it all, we got you. Speaker 1 (0:12) I'm Katie Simpson. And Speaker 5 (0:13) I'm Paul Hunter. We're correspondents here in Washington. Speaker 1 (0:16) Working just around the corner from where much of the action is taking place. Speaker 5 (0:20) Two blocks from the White House. Speaker 1 (0:22) And that's the name of our podcast. Speaker 5 (0:24) For top-notch analysis of U.S. politics from a Canadian perspective. Find Two Blocks in the White House every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 6 (0:33) Including YouTube. Who is going to win control of Congress this November? And what is it going to mean for the final two years of Donald Trump's disruptive presidency? I'm Susan Glasser. I'm Jane Mayer. And Speaker 2 (0:46) I'm Evan Osnos. We host the Washington Roundtable on the New Yorker's Political Scene Podcast. Speaker 6 (0:51) We're following what key races could tip the balance of power in Washington this fall. We're also going to go deep on the influence of dark money and tech billionaires. So Speaker 5 (1:01) join us in the run-up to the midterms in 2026. Subscribe to The Political Scene wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 5 (1:11) The Wired Newsroom is known for award-winning reporting on how technology shapes our world. On Wired's Uncanny Valley, we take that curiosity even further. Each week, journalists from Wired break down the biggest stories in tech while speaking directly with the people building, challenging, and reshaping the future. Is the AI boom sustainable? How do you protect your privacy in an age of constant surveillance? Uncanny Valley tackles the questions driving today's tech debates and lighting up your group chats. Listen to new episodes every Thursday. wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 1 (1:42) Hey, everyone. Olivia Allen Price here. It's that time of year again. We've got glossy cardstock filling our mailboxes, red and blue yard signs all around the neighborhood, and those spammy political text messages that just keep on coming. Election season is here. Next week on Be Curious, we'll be starting our PropFest series, where we break down all those complicated propositions on the California ballot. We cut through the noise and get at what's really up. There are 14 propositions this year, so we're dedicating two weeks to PropFest to cover them all, then back to regular programming on October 15th. But if politics is your jam, don't stop there. There is so much more on offer from KQED. Like The Speaker, a new limited-run podcast series about the life and career of Nancy Pelosi, reflecting on it all as she exits public office. Nancy Pelosi... She is so many things. Trailblazer, lightning rod, first woman speaker of the House, mother of five. To some, she's an out-of-touch elitist. To others, a champion for democracy. This podcast dives into all of those facets. Episode one looks at the moment that she stepped into public life in 1987, as a twist of fate thrust her from behind the scenes of the Democratic Party into San Francisco's political arena. with the city in crisis in the midst of the AIDS epidemic. We're going to play the first episode now, and if you dig it, be sure to subscribe to The Speaker. Enjoy. Speaker 2 (3:19) Hi, I'm Scott Schaefer. I've been covering politics for nearly 30 years, especially here in San Francisco. Speaker 2 (3:28) As a reporter, I've watched a lot of people rise from San Francisco into the national arena. Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris, Dianne Feinstein. But no one has fascinated me more than Nancy Pelosi. Trailblazer, power broker, lightning rod, first woman ever Speaker of the House. Speaker 5 (3:46) Tonight on Express, the campaigning has been intense. Speaker 2 (3:49) I remember watching her way back in 1987. That was the first time she was running for Congress here in San Francisco. Speaker 5 (3:57) We do have 14 candidates here, so can we keep this discussion on an even scale? Speaker 2 (4:01) This is from a televised debate hosted here at KQED, the public media outlet where I work. All the candidates are sitting on risers, lots of poofy, teased hair, wide-framed glasses. And Pelosi is in the front row, perfect blowout, wearing a purple blazer. Speaker 5 (4:18) I think this is the most hilarious thing that a woman can come into this district from outside of it and buy this election. Speaker 2 (4:23) Pelosi's critics, mostly other Democrats, call her a wealthy socialite. They say she's the establishment pick. Speaker 5 (4:30) And what we have is we have in this election somebody saying, the machine backs me, I've got a million bucks, I don't live in your district, I've never met many of you slobs. but I'm going to be your new leader because I got bucks and I'm powerful. Speaker 8 (4:44) How can she relate to people like me, a single parent, working mother? Why can't she relate? Let me answer that. Speaker 5 (4:52) Let's let Nancy answer. Speaker 8 (4:53) I don't think you have to be sick to be a doctor or poor to understand the problems of the poor. I have spent my life committed to the ideals of the Democratic Party. Speaker 2 (5:05) It's an interesting moment. Pelosi turns their argument around, saying that she's the right candidate precisely because she's been working behind the scenes. She knows the game inside out. I Speaker 8 (5:16) believe that I will be the best and most effective representative for San Francisco because I have worked in that arena for 25 years, both at the local, state, and national level. I have worked with the members of Congress long before they went to Congress and long since. I have persuaded them on votes. both by one-on-one persuasion and by mobilizing in their districts. Speaker 2 (5:36) Last year, Pelosi announced she was retiring. As a journalist, I started thinking about how she went from being relatively unknown to one of the most formidable politicians of her generation. And about the role she's played leading up to this political moment. A moment where faith in the Democratic Party and public trust in U.S. institutions are at their lowest in decades. And she agreed to talk. a series of five interviews. Okay, we're going to put you right there by where the red light is. Fortunately, Speaker 3 (6:07) this is not visual because I got off the plane. Our Speaker 2 (6:11) first interview, she had just gotten off a cross-country flight. She was also nursing a cold. But I knew how to get things started on the right foot. We brought you some chocolates. I'm glad Speaker 3 (6:20) I'm seeing that. I'm going to go right into it, okay? I think I should test them. Speaker 2 (6:27) Nancy Pelosi is kind of a tough interview. I've done it many times before, usually about a political issue. She's always warm and gracious until you ask something that annoys her. And then she lets you know it. Speaker 3 (6:39) I don't feel that way at all. I don't even know why you're asking that question. Speaker 2 (6:42) She can be loyal to her talking points. Frustrating. How do you want people to remember your legacy? Speaker 3 (6:49) Not so fast on the legacy. We have to win the house, which we will do. Speaker 2 (6:53) She'll completely deny the premise of your question. One of the changes that a lot of progressive voters and candidates are pushing for is a ban on individual stock trading by members of Congress and their families. And you opposed that for many years. No, I Speaker 3 (7:07) didn't oppose it for many years. I opposed it when they suggested it. And then the caucus said they won it and I supported it. Speaker 2 (7:14) But I figured this is the time right now, before she leaves office, to really reckon with the force that is Nancy Pelosi. Speaker 2 (7:25) From KQED, this is The Speaker, how Nancy Pelosi changed the face of power. This is the inside story of her rise and what she did when she got there, as told by the people who were in the rooms where it all happened. Speaker 3 (7:41) Nancy always would talk about winning and how to win. I said, Mr. President, we're so excited about doing it. healthcare, but understand this, it's going to be carpet bombing, take no prisoners, you name it, total warfare. Speaker 5 (7:57) She is comfortable with power and exercising it. Nancy exists in the arena. I've often described it with a Speaker 4 (8:07) little bit tongue-in-cheek because I'm not going to accuse anybody. I want to make clear here that I'm not slandering anybody. I'm not accusing anybody of any criminal activity. But she reminded me of a mafia boss. That's how she ran the place. Speaker 3 (8:18) They were going to get a bullet in my effing brain. You know, they used the F word a lot about me throughout the whole thing. They were going to hang the vice president. Gallows for him. Speaker 2 (8:31) Today, how Nancy Pelosi got to Congress. She had been the ultimate insider, working for years as a high-up official in the Democratic Party, forged by San Francisco politics, but also an outsider, a woman, a mother of five kids, behind the scenes. Had you not ever considered running before? I had zero interest in Speaker 3 (8:52) running for office. Why? It was like, did you not want to go skydiving? I mean, think of it. I loved public service. And I was the ultimate volunteer, the chair of the California Democratic Party. Speaker 2 (9:05) There she was, diligently working behind the scenes, until a twist of fate tested what she was made of. Speaker 2 (9:18) Nancy Pelosi never planned a run for public office. But in 1987, San Francisco's Congresswoman, Sala Burton, was dying. She was a big woman. She was like shrunk up on cancer. That's John Burton, Sala's brother-in-law, part of the family's political operation. Let me set the scene here. The Congresswoman is on her deathbed. She hasn't yet endorsed a successor. But her endorsement is priceless. Her family has held this seat since the 60s. Speaker 5 (9:49) She calls the group of us back to her hospital bed where she's just like, and she tells us, I'm not going to run again. I'd like you to support Nancy Pelosi. She starts going into Nancy Pelosi. She's operational. She's right on the issue. She's this, she's that, she's that. And I walk out and I says, is she bullshitting or what? Speaker 2 (10:14) John Burton didn't see Nancy Pelosi as a candidate. She was the Democratic fundraiser, organizer, behind the scenes. But Sala saw something else. She saw Speaker 5 (10:25) in Nancy Pelosi a tough, strong, determined, liberal, caring for people person. I mean, it was just, I walked out and I said, holy, my God. Speaker 3 (10:37) Sala, she said to me, I'm going to ask you if you will run for my seat, and I need to know your answer now. Speaker 2 (10:47) Pelosi told Sala she had to check with her