Dinner with Nancy
Nancy Pelosi gives me—and you—marching orders.
Recently, I found myself sitting at a small dinner table directly across from Nancy Pelosi. I’ve known the Speaker Emerita for some time now; I am a born and raised Cali girl who grew up a civics nerd and have participated in a number of political events by her side over the years. She is also, not for nothing, a big fan of my dad, having once told him (and me) that he was her first crush after she saw him in West Side Story. Get in line, Madame Speaker! (I feel I can make this joke somehow?!)
Not long ago, I heard Ms. Pelosi’s magnificent interview on The Ezra Klein Show. She was there to promote her book, The Art of Power: My Story as America's First Woman Speaker of the House, and spoke about a woman’s intuition and trusting your gut when it’s time to get things done. I knew she would be at an upcoming event I was co-hosting and wanted to bring her a copy of my anthology (and namesake of this very newsletter), Listening in the Dark: Women Reclaiming the Power of Intuition. I had only anticipated seeing her briefly at the event, slipping her the signed book (with a love letter of a dedication written inside), squeezing her tight and thanking her for, just, everything. I did all that as I’d hoped to, but then I found myself sitting directly across from her at the private dinner that followed the evening’s program.
We talked about many things (most of which I won’t share here out of respect for the off-the-record nature of the evening and for Pelosi herself, of course) but I will share the crux of what Ms. Pelosi implored us all to keep in mind and carry with us as we enter into these final months before Election Day: She talked about the idea of “owning the ground,” meaning we each need to do our part in this fight for democracy in whatever way we can, no matter how big or small. She urged us to convey that message to everyone who would listen—that we can’t just sit around and wring our hands with worry. It has to be all hands on deck, and not just for the very top of the ticket but through all three branches of government on every level. Own the ground: as in boots on it, showing up in every way possible not just for a presidential victory, but to help win the House and Senate so that Harris and Walz have the power to pass meaningful legislation.
Near the end of dinner, my friend Aviva built up the courage to ask Pelosi perhaps the most important question of the evening: Was she hopeful about the future and the election in November? She told us she was hopeful, yes, but reiterated that we cannot check out now nor can we let our friends, families, and communities check out either. She spoke about the new energy that’s been injected into the party since Biden’s extremely selfless and patriotic decision to leave the presidential race, and how palpable that influx feels—to see democracy happening in real time, to see people so engaged in the act and advocacy of it—but that we can’t get complacent. Not for one second. That hope should not and cannot be in place of action but in addition to it. We can’t hope our way to victory, to democracy, to anything, really. But we can use that hope to propel us forward with a little more joy and optimism in our work.
If we all do our part to leave it all on the field—by canvasing and phone banking, learning about our local down ballot candidates and proposals, talking to folks who are undecided or perhaps even uncommitted, becoming a poll worker, sharing resources and reminding people to check their registration and state ID requirements—then, as Nancy said to us, we’ll have no regrets about the outcome. I thought this was a participatory powerful sentiment—that if we end up losing in November, we’ll know we did all we could and won’t feel it necessary to rip each other apart with why’s and accusations about how it happened. We will stay united in the face of all that would inevitably come with a potential Trump second term.
It was getting late, and the Speaker Emerita said she would leave the rest of the discussion and the evening to us young kids. We stood up and said our goodbyes. Before she left, we snapped a photo together (the one at the top of this post). Then she held my hands and looked me in the eyes, sharing her final words to me of the evening, the spirit of which could be paraphrased by the famous quote by the late John Lewis: continue getting into good trouble. My hands still in hers and with every ounce of love and appreciation in me, I thanked her for everything she’s done and continues to do.
Let’s all keep Pelosi’s words in mind over the coming weeks as we see polls that might not be what we want them to be, or when we’re feeling numbed-out, scared, or unsure of where to begin or how to continue on with this work. Own the ground. Show up in the best way you know how, in whatever way you can. Leave it all on the field, and whatever tomorrow brings, remember: No regrets.
REMINDER: If you enjoyed this post and are interested in continuing the discussion, I hope you’ll join me for the first official virtual gathering of our new series, The Short and Sweet, which will take place over Zoom on Sunday, September 29th from 1-2pm ET. Our inaugural gathering will be a political decompression and discussion on how to turn election anxiety into action. (You are welcome to have your camera and microphone on or off and participate as much or as little in the conversation as you'd like to.) Bring something to write with, as the last few minutes will consist of a more tangible release of our collective election fears on paper. (Depending on how feisty I am feeling, I may or may not burn mine for dramatic effect.) The Zoom link will be sent to paid subscribers about thirty minutes before the start of the Zoom.
This article says a lot. Ms. Pelosi is still leading the way with more freedom of expression and meaningful reach.
Good advice - boots on the ground, time is of the essence, don’t be complacent. We can do this 🇺🇸
No regrets. I’m in. Thank you, Ms Tamblyn