Profile: Nancy Pelosi, The Two-time First Woman Speaker of The U.S House of Representatives

From 2007 to 2011, Nancy Pelosi led the 111th Congress as Speaker of the House, the first woman to ever hold this position.

On January 3rd, Nancy Pelosi will likely assume her previously-held role as Speaker of the House. Pelosi first became House Speaker in 2007, on the heels of Barack Obama's historic election as the first black U.S President. She was, back then, the first Woman to ever become House Speaker, a role no other woman from either party has had since her.

Politics has always been an influence in Nancy’s life, as her father Thomas D’Alesandro was once the mayor of Baltimore, as well as a US Congressman. She grew up seeing how the game of politics was played and took the knowledge she gained to begin her own political career.

She was the first woman to lead a major congressional party, as well as the first female speaker of the United States House of Representatives. However, in the most recent mid-term elections, it looks a though she may be returning to the coveted position of House Speaker.

Although the Democratic majority is a very narrow one, there is the possibility that Pelosi may reacquire her speaker title. But to do so, she will have to put her bargaining skills, as well as negotiation skills to the ultimate test. Not to mention get to hustling behind the scenes.

Pelosi has more than made clear the fact that she does not intend to step aside in any manner, and stated that she thinks she is honestly the best candidate for the job—no question.

She may very well be the best person for the job, but taking a first glance at the basic arithmetic, she could very well find herself in an uphill battle. And as such, her gifts for negotiation and bargaining will be put to their hardest test yet.

There are a few ways in which Pelosi can get to become Speaker once more. One of which is convincing the House members to rally around a rival, as that rival is the only viable choice at this time. Pelosi needs to make sure that her opponents, and foes, know that in the end, she is the best and only choice.

Another weapon in her arsenal is her ability to remain open to bargaining. When Rep. Marcia Fudge was considering opposing Pelosi, she changed her mind.

Why? Pelosi struck a deal to restore a key House panel and made Fudge the chair. It is with this type of bargaining skills that Pelosi has learned can work out best for all concerned in the end.

Finally, through negotiation and bargaining, Pelosi has racked up a lot of allies. She learned early you can never have too many loyalists, or too many individuals indebted to you in some manner. The more guns you have at your disposal, when entering into any type of bargaining, the better off you will come out on the other side.

A master negotiator, Pelosi has managed to climb to the top of American politics. She has all but proved once again that she has the support of House Democrats.