In a single night, two of Washington’s most-powerful Congressional leaders –who’ve also been second in line to the Presidency – discussed how they carry themselves in public and why they carry themselves so differently.
Since Republicans won control of the House November’s election, Americans have become familiar with House Speaker John Boehner’s propensity to get emotional and even tear-up in front of cameras. Last night, he told NBC News, “It’s who I am. There are some things I feel very strongly about.” He continued, “You probably heard that I don’t take myself very seriously. But I take what I do very seriously. And when it comes to kids, when it comes to my own family, soldiers, I get, I feel very strongly that I want America to be the country that I grew up in.”
Conversely, last night on CNN’s “John King, USA,” House Minority Leader and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi described how she looks within herself: “I do introspection, but I don’t do public introspection.” She added, “I’m a very, shall we say, brutally harsh in any criticism. I’m an Italian Catholic. I carry every responsibility you can carry.” She continued, “I do know that what we did was important for our country to give leverage back to the people. And if we hadn’t done it, if we hadn’t done health care, if we hadn’t done Wall Street reform and the rest of it, we still would have lost the election because we had 9.5% unemployment.”