Pelosi will spend next weekend quietly tending to top party donors and political allies at a series of private events in Northern California.
The two-day “issues conference” starts next Friday night with a dinner for roughly 170 guests on the back lawn of Pelosi’s multimillion-dollar home in the fashionable Pacific Heights neighborhood in San Francisco.
The following day, Pelosi will shepherd her guests to a Napa Valley winery with buildings designed by world-famous architect Frank Gehry; the speaker and her husband, investor Paul Pelosi, own a nearby vineyard worth between $5 million and $25 million, according to her annual financial disclosure report.
And Pelosi’s staff notes that her California session will involve more than just schmoozing with the wealthy and well-connected. The speaker will lead policy discussions on health care, energy reform and the economy, among other topics. Scheduled to speak are Obama adviser David Axelrod, CNN commentator and former Clinton adviser James Carville and Mark Zandi, an economic adviser to Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign who has been providing advice to the Obama White House.
February 3, 2009, 12:17 PM ET Stimulus Expert Zandiackage Falls Short Mark Zandi has become the de facto chief economist to Congress in recent months as the fiscal stimulus package developed, participating in numerous hearings and conference calls. Democratic lawmakers use the name of the Moody’s Economy.com chief economist — a former adviser to John McCain’s presidential campaign — repeatedly to push their case.But the package lawmakers are moving falls short of what Mr. Zandi recommends.
The latest House stimulus package includes some effective provisions, such as a temporary tax cuts, he said. But other pieces don’t fit with what he’s been advocating — quick spending to boost the economy.
Sort of. She lives in DCThat idiot said today that she hadn't heard anything about the ACORN scandals....
Does she live in the US?