Pelosi Aims To Recast Self, Party

The day after New Year's Day, Pelosi will visit Albermarle Street in Baltimore's Little Italy neighborhood, where she grew up as the daughter and sister of Baltimore mayors. The current mayor, Maryland Gov.-elect Martin O'Malley (D), will rename Albermarle "Via Nancy D'Alesandro Pelosi." She will drop by St. Leo the Great Roman Catholic Church and then eat dinner with her extended family at an Italian restaurant.

On Jan. 3, Pelosi will attend morning Mass at Trinity University, her alma mater in Washington, and then attend a tea in the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium for about 400 female politicians, supporters and activists. In the evening, she will be honored at a dinner at the Italian Embassy, where Bennett will perform.

The next day, Pelosi will participate in a nondenominational service at St. Peter's Catholic Church on Capitol Hill and then eat brunch with hundreds of supporters at the Cannon House Office Building and the Library of Congress. At noon, the House will convene to elect Pelosi speaker. That night, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will hold a fundraiser at the Building Museum, where 1,200 partygoers will pay $1,000 each to applaud Pelosi between performances by Jimmy Buffett, Carole King and Mickey Hart, among others.

Finally, on Jan. 5, Pelosi will hold what she is calling the "People's House" open house at the Cannon House Office Building. But it will be less welcoming than it sounds -- the event is by invitation only.

All the festivities, except the fundraiser at the Building Museum, are being funded by Pelosi's campaign chest.

Mike Murphy, a Republican political consultant and former adviser to Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), said the four-day extravaganza is excessive. "What? No fireworks?" he said. "I'm glad they canceled the tickertape parade. They probably couldn't find biodegradable tickertape and a hybrid convertible."

He said the schedule is "classic Pelosi."

"She's not known for a light touch," he said. "She has every right to throw a new-speaker celebration, but it's 500 percent from what is normal. It's an aggressive act to grab the spotlight. Sounds to me like there's nobody at the meetings saying, 'Maybe that's a little too much.' She's needs a deputy chief of staff from the 'It's Not About You' department."

"Instead of pinning medals on each other, maybe it's time for more seriousness and purpose," Murphy added. "Nobody voted for Nancy Pelosi as speaker; they voted for a change in Washington. For her to grab the spotlight seems like a cult of personality. I have a feeling that Steny Hoyer is probably having a quiet lunch with his family."

A spokeswoman for Hoyer said the Marylander, who will become majority leader on Jan. 4, will host a small reception in his office.