Time Magazine cover for November 7, 1994:

Yesterday on the ABC’s evening news show ‘World News,’ anchor Charles Gibson said of Pelosi, “perhaps even more symbolic, the new speaker was on the floor for a time holding her six year-old grandson, all the while giving directions on how events were to proceed. It seemed the ultimate in multi-tasking; taking care of the children and the country.”Today’s New York Times: “In a day of transition and pageantry, exultant Democrats on Thursday took control of both houses of Congress for the first time in a dozen years and elected the first woman to be speaker of the House.”

The NYT did though find two Republicans to write upon:

Mr. Boehner sat glum and unmoving in his seat for much of the hour it took to record the vote that put Mrs. Pelosi in the speaker’s chair. The former speaker, J. Dennis Hastert, now just a Republican member of Congress from Illinois, stood hunched and hulking by the back rail of the chamber.

Today’s Washington Post: “Democrats took control of the House and Senate after 12 years of nearly unbroken Republican rule, with resolute calls for bipartisan comity and a pledge to move quickly on an agenda of health-care, homeland security, education and energy proposals. Sen. Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), the soft-spoken son of a hard-rock miner, took the helm of the Senate, after a closed-door session in the Capitol’s stately Old Senate Chamber.”Republicans, you see, perfect the politics of anger and they sulk, hunch and are generally glum people. Democrats, on the other hand, are exuberant, soft-spoken and family people. Do Republicans even have families? Oh, that Cheney guy does. His daughter is gay though. Senator Kerry reminded us all of that.

Flashback to the ‘Today Show’ in 1994: Katie Couric asked Bob Dole, “is someone, anyone, going to have to muzzle the new Speaker a bit?”

What’s been curious is that many media organizations are playing up Nancy Pelosi as being the first female speaker. Indeed she is, and good for her, but I don’t recall a similar sympathetic trump card played when a black woman was nominated for U.S. Secretary of State. Instead racial cartoons were drawn of her from a handful of followers of the ‘party of civility.’

Yes, there clearly is a difference, but that’s just because Newt was angry and Pelosi is a mother and grandmother.

And finally! Civilty is back in the House, or at least maybe after the first 100 hours when Democrats allow Republicans to present alternatives to the DNC agenda, an agendy they’ve already backtracked upon. Of course when part of their campaign agenda was reneged upon a mere three weeks after winning seats in both the House and Senate, maybe they’ll be just as disjointed as a Cindy Sheehan fasting program?

UPDATE: CNN reporter Dana Bash: “A moment to savor.”

Doug Ross @ Journal linked with The Future of the New York Times - Illustrated...