Christine Pelosi on ‘The Nancy Pelosi Way’

RULING THE WEEK

DON’T MESS WITH MAMA — No, Christine Pelosi says she did not let the speaker of the House give any advice, or even take a peek at drafts and galleys of her new book, “The Nancy Pelosi Way: Advice on Success, Leadership and Politics from America’s Most Powerful Woman.”

“She’s an Italian mother!” laughs Pelosi, the second-oldest of five children of the California Democrat. In fact, the speaker hasn’t yet read the new book, which hits shelves in December. “I had her edits in my head — and I can already tell what she’s not going to like,’’ Christine Pelosi said in a sneak peek interview this week with POLITICO’s Carla Marinucci. “She kept saying, ‘How’s this book coming along?’ And I’d say, ‘Great.’”

GETTING A SEAT AT THE TABLE: The most politically active of four Pelosi daughters, Christine — a former San Francisco prosecutor who serves as chair of the California Democratic Party Women’s Caucus — says growing up in the orbit of the powerhouse congresswoman has been a daily lesson in persistence, focus, determination and stamina.

The recent viral image of her diminutive mother as the only woman with a seat at the Cabinet table — literally standing up to President Donald Trump — is just one of the many reasons, Christine says, she believed it was time to relay “how Nancy Pelosi does things” and how women in business and politics can claim their own “seat at the table.”

SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM CHRISTINE: Nancy Pelosi’s bits of advice that began as the “momily” are now known to her grandchildren as a collection of “Mimi-isms.” On fighting: “You play rough, you get hurt.” On getting teased: “Don’t take the bait. Never.” On family competitions in cards and backgammon: “First you need to learn how to play the game. Then you need to learn how to win the game.”

On arguing: “You don’t always have to set the world straight. You can be right but you don’t always need to gloat about it.” On luck: “There is no luck. The harder I work, the luckier I get.” On keeping secrets: “I’m a member of the MYOB (Mind Your Own Business) Club. Nobody knows what I have in my pocket.” On dating: “Never say no—he might have cute friends,” and the ultimate: “Never date a cheap man—if he’s cheap with his money, he’s cheap with his emotions, and he’s cheap with his love.”

Good Friday afternoon. Anna Palmer, here, filling in for Elizabeth Ralph. A big thank you to Carla Marinucci for sending us her interview with Christine Pelosi and to Maya Parthasarathy for spearheading the “What Rulers are Reading” section.

MORE FROM CARLA’S INTERVIEW WITH CHRISTINE PELOSI…

-- THE ‘ITALIAN MOM’ STYLE: “One thing that parents bring to politics is the ability to organize,’’ Christine Pelosi says. “If you have five children, you know that at 8 a.m., they have to be fed, clothed, lunch ready, and in their uniforms, with the quarters lined up for the bus — or you have complete chaos. … You have to do it every single day whether you are tired or not.’’ And “if you’re in office, there is no mystery: You get elected, you have to have a system.”

-- KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON: In late night phone calls, before crucial votes like on the Affordable Care Act — “her sixth child” — “I can’t tell you how many times she has said to me, ‘Be calm. I have a plan,’” Christine says. And her plan inevitably is to “focus on getting to 218’’ — the votes needed to get things done, her mother says. The Nancy Pelosi Way is about “knowing when to weave — and knowing when to whip. And she just calmly keeps weaving. She knows the people she leads.”

SHE SHOULD RUN LAUNCHES NEW PROGRAM -- She Should Run, the nonpartisan group that encourages women to run for office, launched its “National Conversation: Role Call,” holding a first-look event Wednesday night at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in D.C. for 100 people, including actor and director Amber Tamblyn, Birchbox CEO Katie Beauchamp and Ellevest exec Rachel Chamberlain. The new initiative is focused on helping people identify what role they can play to help tackle gender inequality.

WOMEN RULE HITS THE ROAD … Anna was in Milwaukee on Thursday night to moderate a Women Rule conversation with Navistar’s Julie Ragland, who chairs the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee. The event, in partnership with the National Manufacturing Institute as part of its STEP Forward program, was held at the Harley Davidson Museum. Ragland talked about choosing to go into the male-dominated field of IT, how she navigates her current role as a change agent in her company and how IT can be a good field for women thinking about the next act in their careers.

2020 WATCH -- “Kamala Harris on Revenge Porn, Economic Justice, and Why She’s “Sick and Tired of These Out-of-Touch Politicians,” with Cosmo’s Jessica Pels

-- “‘ok billionaire’: Elizabeth Warren is leaning into her billionaire battle. Psst, rich guys: It might be better for you if you stop talking about Elizabeth Warren,” by Vox’s Emily Stewart

WHAT RULERS ARE READING

ON THE HILL -- “Women Running for Office Have to Worry About One More Thing: Their Phones,” by Isabella Grullón Paz: “The young women in the room knew the story of the California legislator and first-time candidate who did the unexpected in 2018: She beat a Republican incumbent and became the first Democrat elected in her district in decades. That could be me, they thought, reflecting on her victory. That was part of why they were there. They also knew what had happened to her after she won: the way her personal life was used against her. That could be me, too, they thought. …

“‘There was already so much fear in running for office as a woman, because we’re not taught that we can do it enough,’ said Ayah Zideyah, 22, the Denver fellow for Ignite, who attended the conference. ‘And now there’s just so many different things that a woman has to worry about,’ she said. ‘There’s this feeling of, ‘Who can we trust?’’ … Groups that are training the next generation of women and L.G.B.T.Q. candidates are worried that the episode could deter women and minorities — who statistically face more online harassment and scrutiny — from running for office.” NYT

COURT WATCH -- “Is the Supreme Court’s Fate in Elena Kagan’s Hands? She’s not a liberal icon like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but, through her powers of persuasion, she’s the key Justice holding back the Court’s rightward shift,” by New Yorker’s Margaret Talbot

AROUND THE WORLD -- “Saudi Arabia listed feminism, atheism, and homosexuality as forms of extremism. Then they (sort of) took it back,” by Miriam Berger: “Over the weekend, Saudi Arabia’s State Security released a video on Twitter listing feminism, homosexuality, atheism and more than three dozen other categories as forms of extremism. ‘Don’t forget that excess of anything at the expense of the homeland is considered extremism,’ the video warned according to Reuters, which first reported the story. Such ‘extremist behavior’ is grounds for imprisonment and flogging, the government-aligned newspaper Al Watan reminded readers in a follow up report on Monday.

“The classification came in stark contrast to the American ally’s aims to rebrand itself as reforming some of its policies and welcoming western tourism and business. By Tuesday, the oil-rich kingdom was distancing itself from the move. … That, though, did not quell fears that the kingdom is seeking to expand and formalize its ways to silence dissent at a time when protests for reform are rocking other Arab countries, like Iraq and Lebanon.” WaPo

-- “Women in Gambia Describe Torture After Ex-President Called Them Witches,” via NYT ... “A pregnant firefighter hated watching Australia burn. So she raced to the front lines,” via WaPo

TOP OP-ED -- “Politics is finally a coed sport. So, what rules apply?” by Ruth Marcus: “It can’t be that a female candidate gets to clobber a rival — ‘running in the wrong primary’ [which Elizabeth Warren accused Joe Biden of] was pretty tough — but can’t be hit back. As the Biden campaign pointed out, he has used similar language about men, calling John McCain ‘an angry man’ in 2008, for example. The woman in the arena has to be able to take a punch as well as throw one.

“At the same time, it is naive not to acknowledge that some words applied to a male candidate are loaded with implied derision when applied to a woman. ‘Angry Bernie Sanders’ is a more palatable nickname than ‘Angry Elizabeth Warren.’ Two things can be simultaneously true: Biden is not being consciously sexist in using the A-word, and yet his use of the word when applied to Warren carries risks seen and unseen. Gender is an ancient minefield with explosives still to be detected, much less defused.” WaPo

WOMEN AT WORK -- “Meet the Immigrants Who Took On Amazon,” via Wired … “California sued again for requiring women on company boards,” via AP … “McDonald’s Lawsuit Targets ‘Pervasive’ Culture of Sexual Harassment” via NYT

-- BLOOMBERG: “Don’t Ask Larry Ellison About Women’s Pay at Oracle,” by Anders Melin: “The biggest Silicon Valley companies have responded to complaints about unequal pay by disclosing the gaps between men and women doing similar work. But not Oracle Corp. The software giant’s board, led by founder Larry Ellison, 75, says it’s a waste of time and money because the company is already committed to equal pay for equal work.

“Heather Smith, the vice president of sustainable investing at Pax World Funds who’s pushing to make the figures public, isn’t buying it—and neither is a majority of Oracle’s outside investors.

“For a third consecutive year, Pax is calling on Oracle to produce a report identifying whether a gender pay gap exists and how to fix it. The petitions are part of a broader effort by Pax, fund manager Arjuna Capital and the $208 billion New York City Pension Funds to push many of the largest U.S. companies to make such disclosures. The proposal will be up for a vote at Oracle’s annual meeting on Nov. 19.” Bloomberg

#METOO LATEST -- “University of Illinois Is Stifling NPR Reporting on Sexual Misconduct, Critics Say,” by Karen Zraick: “An investigation published in August by NPR Illinois and the nonprofit outlet ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network found that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign had repeatedly protected the reputations of professors who had been accused of sexual misconduct. Along with the articles, they asked people who had experienced sexual misconduct at Illinois colleges and universities to share their stories via an online form. The form specified that the accounts would not be shared or published without permission.

“NPR Illinois reported that after the investigation was published, the university, which owns the license for the station, said that its journalists could not promise confidentiality to students, employees or faculty members in the University of Illinois system who contacted them to report sexual misconduct. The journalists were considered ‘responsible employees,’ meaning that they were required to pass on the allegations to the institution because of Title IX rules, the university said. Title IX is a 1972 civil rights law that protects people from sex-based discrimination in education programs or other activities that receive federal funds.” NYT

FEMINIST FICTION -- “An Overlooked Novel from 1935 by the Godmother of Feminist Detective Fiction,” via The New Yorker

NEWS YOU CAN USE -- “Which jobs affect women’s heart health the most?” by Maria Cohut: “[Women] who performed social work were 36% more likely to experience heart health problems than those with other occupations, and retail cashiers had a 33% higher risk of cardiovascular issues. Nurses, psychiatrists, and home health aides had an up to 16% higher likelihood of developing heart problems. Among these, nurses, in particular, had a 14% higher risk of cardiovascular problems.

“Yet the team also found an association between some occupations and a lower risk of cardiovascular health issues. Thus, female real estate brokers and sales agents had a 24% lower risk of heart problems than those in other lines of work, while administrative assistants had an 11% lower risk of cardiovascular issues.” Medical News Today

SPEAK UP -- “How to — Literally — Sound More Confident and Persuasive” via NYT

HISTORY DEPT. -- “The History of Women’s Terrible Pockets,” by Kassondra Cloos: “As it turns out, storage previously wasn’t sewn into clothing; women would wear pockets on a belt around their waist, usually beneath their skirts—sort of like a stealth fanny pack. They would access these pockets (which were often made in pairs, much like we have two hip pockets today) through slits in the outer layer of their dress. ...

“Over time women’s pockets changed with evolving fashion. As dresses became more formfitting, it became harder to conceal bulky pockets underneath them. Toward the end of the 1700s, women’s storage options shifted from pockets to reticules or small purses. This is because pockets would ruin the silhouette of the dress, according to the Victoria and Albert Museum, an art and design museum in London.” Outside

WILD -- “Senior Trump official embellished résumé, had face on fake Time cover,” via NBC News

PERSPECTIVE -- “The queue for women’s toilets is a feminist issue,” by Lezlie Lowe: “This isn’t about applying lipstick — a ridiculous trope that suggests lineups for women’s loos are created by hordes who just want to primp and preen. There are simply more of us in there, more of the time. Women empty their bladders more frequently than men and take longer — an average start-to-finish time of 60 seconds for men, but 90 for women. Women also visit the toilet for more reasons, such as changing tampons, and we care more often for children or adults who need our assistance.” The Guardian

WOMEN RULERS

TRANSITIONS -- Ria Tabacco Mar will be director of American Civil Liberties Union’s Women’s Rights Project. She replaces Lenora Lapidus, who passed away earlier this year. … Roula Khalaf will become the first woman to lead the Financial Times, taking over for Lionel Barber. … Hun Quach is now senior director of government relations at Under Armour. She previously was VP of international trade at the Retail Industry Leaders Association.

OPPORTUNITY -- Applications are available now through November 19 for the fifth-annual flagship Tory Burch Foundation Fellows Program. Fifty women entrepreneurs will be selected for the year-long Fellowship. They will receive a $5,000 grant for business education and access to the Foundation’s community of women-owned businesses. Apply here

WISDOM OF THE WEEK -- Jenifer McShane, director and producer of Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops, “It may sound obvious, but I believe you cannot underestimate persistence in any field, but definitely in independent documentary filmmaking. Much of life’s ‘success’ involves putting one foot in front of the other and showing up no matter how often you experience rejection. Equally important is trust. Trust between the filmmaker and subjects is key to the entire process. At the end of the day, I am trying to tell as authentic a story as possible – their story, not mine.” Learn more about Jenifer’s work here

IMPACT PARTNER CONTENT -- Earlier this month, the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative partnered with POLITICO Women Rule to host more than 100 people in a conversation on “Women Leadership in Air, Space and Technology.” Program participants included Ellen Stofan, Director of the National Air and Space Museum, Anna Palmer, POLITICO Women Rule Editorial Director, and Kathryn D, Sullivan, a former NASA astronaut and the first American woman to do a spacewalk.

In a wide-ranging discussion, panelists addressed why diversity in STEM matters, how women are changing the field, and what advice they have for early-career women who will lead the coming decades of space exploration. Learn more about the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative here

MARKETPLACE -- Each month, we highlight a female founder by sharing her company’s story. This November, we’re featuring 2019 Women Rule Summit Marketplace participant Ann Mashburn, an Atlanta-based designer and retailer in partnership with her husband, Sid Mashburn.

“I wish I had known at the beginning that even after twenty years together, it would be so hard and an entirely new thing to work with my husband! I also didn’t realize how the creativity and thrill of starting something new would totally overcome the fear I had in the beginning. You always need a healthy sense of risk, but once you jump in, it becomes easier to manage your apprehension.” Use code WOMENRULE for 15% off your first Ann Mashburn purchase in-store or online

Women Rule is produced by POLITICO in partnership with our founding partners, Google and the Tory Burch Foundation. To learn more visit Women Rule and #RuleWithUs on social.