Evans: I brought 2 books because you said if there was proof that Bush... (Pelosi rescinds Evans permission to question her)
Evans: You said that you would answer the question.
Pelosi: I said that if you hand it [the question] to me I would answer it for you but I'm not interrupting the program.
(Evans holds out Vincent Bugliosi's book, "The Prosecution Of George W. Bush For Murder"and Ron Suskind's book, "The Way Of The World" to Security to give to Pelosi)
Evans: (to Security) So you want to hand her this?
Evans: (to Pelosi) But if you're going to talk about upholding the Constitution and you're not upholding the Constitution..
Pelosi: Let me just say this to you. I take an oath of office to uphold the Constitution. Don't dare tell me that I don't do that.
Evans: That's what I just said.
At that point Evans was hauled away by Security and driven off the property of American Jewish University. She was spared arrest because Security heard Pelosi grant her permission to ask a question. Below is a photo of Jodie Evans attempting to hand the books to Pelosi. It was shot by Jason Leopold and Alan Breslauer who were seated in the rear of the auditorium. In this photo, Evans' similarity to the Statue of Liberty is eerie, as are the books' resemblance to the torch. A transcendent moment as Jodie tried to light Nancy's way.
Watching these two old friends and current political opponents square off in a public arena was a powerful moment for those who know their history. In 1976, when Pelosi was working on Jerry Brown's Presidential campaign, Jodie Evans, just 22 years old at the time, was Governor Brown's Director of Administration. The two women worked closely together. Pelosi, an ardent progressive, had been Evans' mentor. As Jodie has told me:
Nancy loved me. She taught me everything she knew.How sad that these former allies have hit such a dismal impasse. How far apart they have grown. Evans has been a political powerhouse on the national scene for over three decades. She ran Jerry Brown's 1991 Presidential campaign in which she instituted campaign finance limits and the first electronic fundraising effort that inspires grassroots fundraising today. Unlike Pelosi, who succumbed to the pitfalls of elected office, Evans has remained true to her progressive values. Evans tells me:
Nancy has fallen prey to her hunger for more power and doesn't honorably use the power that she has.A few nights prior to the book event, knowing Evans would be challenging Pelosi, I asked Evans how she would feel publicly confronting her friend. I told her I thought it would be painful. Evans' response was simplistic, yet profound. She said:
Friends don't let friends do the wrong thing.It doesn't get much clearer than that. In fact, that's the sentiment that drives most activists who push for impeachment, an end to the war, an end to corporate influence over government, an end to the military industrial complex and the prison industrial complex and an end to the disparity between rich and poor.
Patriots don't let their governments do the wrong thing!That's the message we'll be bringing to Denver and to St. Paul.
Patriots don't let their governments do the wrong thing!
Say it loud! Say it proud! Say it loud! Say it proud! Say it loud! Say it proud! Note: Here's the video of Peter Thottam and Jodie Evans addressing Nancy Pelosi at American Jewish University on Monday night - courtesy of Jason Leopold and Alan Breslauer:
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