[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 5 (Friday, January 18, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E38]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN MEMORY OF CARMEN WARSCHAW

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 18, 2013

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, today, the people of California mourn the 
passing of a political legend of unsurpassed wit, a political leader of 
unyielding will, and a force for progress--for women, for Democrats, 
for our state and our country, Carmen Warschaw.
  Carmen believed in the power and promise of our democracy. She 
believed that politics was about people, that the political process 
should be a force for good, that elections should produce leaders of 
bold vision and strong values, courage and character. She believed all 
Americans bore a responsibility to participate, to vote, to make our 
voices heard. She believed we all had the ability and the obligation to 
make a difference--whether in a campaign, in our schools, or in our 
communities. And she never hesitated to act on her beliefs.
  I was on the foundation of these principles that Carmen made her 
mark. It was on the basis of these values that Carmen built her legacy.
  She left footprints on the lives and careers of countless political 
figures--as a fixture at every Democratic National Convention from 1948 
to 2008; as the Democratic Party's Chairwoman in Southern California; 
as a power broker in state government. She was never afraid to go toe-
to-toe with the most powerful people in our state, whether a governor 
or a state party chair. She would, in the words of her alma mater, 
always ``fight on.''
  She was a pioneer. The daughter of immigrants, she became the first 
woman to lead the state's Fair Employment Practices Commission, 
standing firm for civil rights, equality, and justice for all.
  She was a philanthropist to her core, investing in the causes of Los 
Angeles' Jewish community; supporting the state and people of Israel; 
endowing chairs and backing research at USC--the school where she met 
the love of her life, Louis.
  She loved music and the arts, and was surrounded by them in her 
beautiful home. She loved sports, and could regularly be found on a hot 
summer day in her seat behind the home dugout at Dodger Stadium.
  She was intensely loyal, fiercely independent, extraordinarily wise, 
and unabashedly proud of her heritage, her values, and her political 
activism. Indeed, it was only fitting that Carmen would pass away on 
November 6, 2012--Election Day. In characteristic fashion, she had 
already voted, leaving one last, indelible mark on history.
  To borrow a phrase from Jewish tradition, Carmen Warschaw was a 
``woman of valor.'' May she forever be an example of grace, passion, 
and commitment to all of us. May her memory be a blessing to all who 
knew her. May it be a comfort to her daughters, Hope and Susan, her 
grandchildren and great-grandchildren, her friends and loved ones to 
know that so many share in their grief at this time.

                          ____________________