Nancy Pelosi Gave a Long, Long Speech About Immigration

Nancy Pelosi, official congressional photo

Earlier today, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi gave an eight-hour speech on the floor of the United States House of Representatives, during which she advocated the plight of immigrants who came to the United States as children, usually through no fault of their own, and who now seek citizenship or legal status. These people are often called "dreamers." This policy has caused great controversy, and President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign condemned unauthorized immigrants, sometimes referring to them as "snakes." I blogged not long ago about Mr. Trump's use of an obscenity to describe immigrants from third-world countries. 

Ms. Pelosi's very long speech was filled with quotations from letters that immigrants had written, discussions about contributions that various immigrants had made, and so forth. That's fine, as far as it goes, but a normal speech on that topic, using those materials, would attract little public attention.

We notice what is different. It is unusual for anyone to give such a long speech in the House, and the speech's length gained attention. Here are a few headlines:

CNN: "Nancy Pelosi Marathon Speech on DACA Sets Record"

Bloomberg: "Pelosi Marathon Speech on Immigrant Breaks 1909 House Record" 

Even Fox News: "Pelosi-Buster: House Democratic Leader Speaks for Record 8 Straight Hours Demanding Immigration Vote"

Her speech's purpose was to ask Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to bring a bill about the immigrants, and to allow an open amendment process. Not too many years ago, that would have been a routine request, but in today's hyper-partisan environment it is unusual for congressional leaders to open the floor like that. 

Although the speech's content and delivery were fine, the speech gained attention because it was different. When we do something different, get noticed. A quick look at Pelosi's website shows that she has recently given various other speeches and made various other statements, often on important topics, none of which attracted much notice. So, her rhetorical technique was effective.

 


Pelosi's Democratic colleagues gave her a standing ovation, maybe because they like her message, maybe because they admired her stamina, maybe because they knew she was representing their opinions with force, but most likely all three.  

The hashtag #GoNancyGo took off on Twitter, encouraging people to tune into her speech on C-Span. Usually, short speeches are best. This time, length counted. 

Rep. Pelosi's recent statements from https://pelosi.house.gov/news