The new face of the Democratic Party has a Betty Crocker hairdo and an indestructible polyurethane smile. She looks like a Brady Bunch mom, and votes like Barbra Streisand's more radical sister.

Meet Nancy Pelosi, the new House Minority Leader.

Too harsh? She's just lucky she's a protected species of way-liberal Democrat.

If Rep. Pelosi of the People's Republic of San Francisco were a Republican, she would be called "bomb thrower,'' "very dangerous,'' "radical geek,'' "pompous thug,'' "ruthless'' or "a poster child for extremism.''

Nuking Newt

That's how Rep. Newt Gingrich was greeted as the new Republican leader of the House in 1995. Newsweek's cover featured him as a cartoon Grinch: "How the Gingrich Stole Christmas.''

But this year, Newsweek went soft and snuggly. "Despite all the worry that Pelosi ... is too liberal,'' the Nov. 18 issue says, "her positions on most domestic issues don't differ much from party moderates.''

As Bill Clinton might say, it depends on your definition of "moderates.'' If Rep. Pelosi is moderate, Fidel Castro is a Kiwanis Republican.

Rep. Pelosi is a member of the Progressive Caucus, which is a kissing cousin of the Democratic Socialists of America.

The Progressive Caucus wants to spend $200 billion more on social programs. Its members include fringe left Democrats John Conyers, Barney Frank, Henry Waxman, Maxine Waters, socialist Bernie Sanders, Eleanor Holmes Norton and the Baghdad boys, David Bonior and Jim McDermott, who took a road trip to Iraq to kiss up to Saddam and trash President Bush.

Condit yes, war no

Rep. Pelosi was the only leader in her party to endorse the re-election of Rep. Gary Condit. At least she's consistent. She opposed hearings on the Clinton intern scandal and voted against all four articles of impeachment. She supports gay marriage, abortion, higher taxes and welfare for immigrants who are "not yet'' citizens. She wants to outlaw guns, abolish the death penalty and reverse welfare reform. She opposes "legal rights for fetuses,'' meaning unborn children who are killed in attacks on pregnant women. She opposed the Homeland Security bill and urged Democrats to block "risky tax cuts.''

She was the only leader in her party who voted against the war with Iraq.

Yet so far, I have not read a discouraging word about her in the big media. Instead she is described as a "moderate.''

But wait, I did find one less-than-flattering comment:

"She is liberal, far too liberal on issues such as Second Amendment issues ... Gay marriages? I am sorry; now that may be an issue that's hot in San Francisco, but not in the rest of the country."

That's from Dick Harpootlian, chairman of South Carolina's Democratic Party.

"Her face is one we don't want shown in South Carolina,'' he said.

Meet the new face of the Democratic Party.

E-mail pbronson@enquirer.com or call 768-8301.