Pelosi strikes back at critics, especially Republicans
The House Minority Leader said she is a frequent target because she is one of ‘the most effective leaders’ in Congress
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday struck back at critics blaming her for Democrats’ recent losses in special congressional races, saying that she was a target because of her effectiveness.
Republicans “want to go after the most effective leaders,” the San Francisco Democrat said at a news conference. “I don’t think any party should allow the opposite party to choose their leaders.”
Pelosi has faced a growing chorus of criticism since Democrat Jon Ossoff came up short in Tuesday’s Georgia special congressional election — the latest in a string of defeats for the party. Ossoff weathered a barrage of TV ads tying him to Pelosi — and featuring caricatures from Pelosi’s San Francisco district.
Some Democrats in Congress have publicly questioned Pelosi’s leadership in the past few days, asking whether she’s a drain on the party. Republicans — including President Donald Trump — have professed their glee that she’s still minority leader.
But Pelosi on Thursday didn’t sound like she was going anywhere. She has the “overwhelming support” of her caucus, she said.
“I love the fray,” Pelosi said. “Many times I had not really wanted to run again, and (Democrats) called on me to do so. This time I did. The election of Donald Trump, this takes the knowledge and experience I have — immodestly — to make this fight.”
And she played down the significance of the Georgia race, pointing out how Ossoff reduced a 25-point Republican win in 2016 to a four-point win. “This is good news for us,” she said. “It shows where the vulnerability is on the Republican side.”
“We don’t agonize, we organize,” she added.
Democrats should focus the political debate on policy, she said, like the GOP’s unpopular health care legislation. Republicans “don’t want to go there, they want to go to San Francisco and a cable car.” The ads attacking Ossoff featured his face on a cable car.
Pelosi professed her love for her district, quoting a song about the City by the Bay. “It’s not about me, necessarily; they like to target my district, the City of Saint Francis.
“I see their insult on my city as the bankruptcy of values on their party not to recognize the greatness of the city I represent,” Pelosi said. Contact Casey Tolan at 510-208-6425.