CNN Airs Pelosi Puff Piece: Democrat ‘Places a Premium on Family Values’

Apparently deciding that one puff piece on a Democratic leader isn’t enough, Wednesday’s "American Morning" featured a virtual DNC press release on incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her childhood city of Baltimore. Reporter Andrea Koppel noted that the Congresswoman comes from a neighborhood "full of proud American-Italian Catholics" and that Pelosi hopes voters will recognize the fact that she "places a premium on family values." The piece featured no criticism of the soon-to-be Speaker, only praise for her "historic moment":

Andrea Koppel: "Now, as Congresswoman Pelosi walks into the history books, becoming the first female Speaker of the House, she plans to pay tribute to her Baltimore roots. Professor Matthew Crensen says the visit could help her refashion her image."

Matthew Crensen (John Hopkins professor): "That she's not just a well-dressed lady from San Francisco, who is married to a millionaire, that she came from a working-class ethnic, religious neighborhood, that she's one of them."

Koppel: "And with Democrats set to take control of Congress this week, that message, that Pelosi places a premium on family values, is one that she, and her party, hope will resonate with middle-class America..."

Earlier in the segment, Koppel noted how Pelosi has been "labeled" a liberal by Republicans. (Labeled? According to the American Conservative Union, the San Francicso Democrat has a lifetime score of three.)

John Roberts: "Well, incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says that she's going to waste no time in pursuing her legislative priorities. CNN's Andrea Koppel is live on Capitol Hill with more on the first woman to ascend to the post. She's promising a 100 hours of action right out of the blocks here, isn't she?"

Koppel: "She absolutely is, John. You know, to celebrate, because this is a celebration for many of her supporters, her aides have set up, basically, several days of festivities designed to highlight the historic moment that will happen tomorrow. It will include a trip that Pelosi is going to make later this week to her hometown of Baltimore, where she'll visit the row house she used to live in, and where officials are going to rename a street after her. Long before Nancy Pelosi first ran for Congress and Republicans labeled her a liberal from San Francisco, this was her home, the gritty East Coast port city of Baltimore. Little Nancy, as she was known back then, was the youngest of six children born to Nancy and Tommy D'Alesandro, and their only girl. Lena Palmer lived just down the street."

Lena Palmer (Little Italy Resident): "Her mother was so happy when she got her. She had all boys, and she kept having children until she got Nancy."

Koppel: "The year was 1940, and Tommy D'Alesandro, a former insurance salesman, was riding high, a powerful Democrat on Capitol Hill, representing Baltimore's ‘Little Italy,’ a tight-knit working class neighborhood of brick row houses, full of proud American-Italian Catholics."

(Not mentioned in the story is that her father was also the Mayor of Baltimore.) With friends like CNN, the Democratic leadership hardly needs press secretaries.

A transcript of the segment, which aired at 7:19am on January 3, follows:

John Roberts: "Well, incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says that she's going to waste no time in pursuing her legislative priorities. CNN's Andrea Koppel is live on Capitol Hill with more on the first woman to ascend to the post. She's promising a 100 hours of action right out of the blocks here, isn't she?"

Andrea Koppel: "She absolutely is, John. You know, to celebrate, because this is a celebration for many of her supporters, her aides have set up, basically, several days of festivities designed to highlight the historic moment that will happen tomorrow. It will include a trip that Pelosi is going to make later this week to her hometown of Baltimore, where she'll visit the row house she used to live in, and where officials are going to rename a street after her. Long before Nancy Pelosi first ran for Congress and Republicans labeled her a liberal from San Francisco, this was her home, the gritty East Coast port city of Baltimore. Little Nancy, as she was known back then, was the youngest of six children born to Nancy and Tommy D'Alesandro, and their only girl. Lena Palmer lived just down the street."

Lena Palmer (Little Italy Resident): "Her mother was so happy when she got her. She had all boys, and she kept having children until she got Nancy."

Koppel: "The year was 1940, and Tommy D'Alesandro, a former insurance salesman, was riding high, a powerful Democrat on Capitol Hill, representing Baltimore's ‘Little Italy,’ a tight-knit working class neighborhood of brick row houses, full of proud American-Italian Catholics."

Tommy D'Alesandro: "On Sundays, when you walked down the street, you could smell the sauce coming from -- permeating from all these houses."

Koppel: "D'Alesandro's oldest son, also named Tommy, remember those as tough times when his family's front door was always open and all six D'Alesandro children had to take turns manning a desk to help their father's constituents."

Tommy D’alesandro III(Pelosi brother): "Nancy began to meet people from all walks of life at the age of 13, and to deal with the problems of society at the age of 13."

Koppel: "A lesson in grassroots politics Nancy and her brothers would never forget. Now, as Congresswoman Pelosi walks into the history books, becoming the first female speaker of the House, she plans to pay tribute to her Baltimore roots. Professor Matthew Crensen says the visit could help her refashion her image."

Matthew Crensen (John Hopkins professor): "That she's not just a well-dressed lady from San Francisco, who is married to a millionaire, that she came from a working-class ethnic, religious neighborhood, that she's one of them."

Koppel: "And with Democrats set to take control of Congress this week, that message, that Pelosi places a premium on family values, is one that she, and her party, hope will resonate with middle-class America, John."