On Her Own

Pelosi Doesn't Care About Critics

"I’ll take the hit."

Nancy Pelosi’s fortunes are staggeringly divided: She’s the most powerful woman in American political history while remaining so unpopular—the House Speaker’s approval rating in her home state of California is down to 34 percent. Such unpopularity might make another politician worry, but New York magazine reports in its new cover story that she just keeps smiling. A close associate admits she pays little mind to the opposition: “Nancy really doesn’t care about Republicans, because she doesn’t believe the whole bipartisan thing exists. Her attitude is, ‘God bless their souls, but these people don’t believe in global warming. They just don’t agree with us.’” Perhaps the secret to her power is her ability not to care, about the Republican Party, or about the media. “I’ll take the hit,” Pelosi is known to say.