KUDOS: President Obama had kind words yesterday for outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who hopes to become minority leader. (Bloomberg)
KUDOS: President Obama had kind words yesterday for outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who hopes to become minority leader. (Getty Images)
President Obama offered Nancy Pelosi a lifeline yesterday, as she insisted that last week’s Republican rout had nothing to do with her own unpopularity.
Amid grumbling about Pelosi’s bid to become House minority leader, the president told reporters during a news conference in Seoul, South Korea, that Pelosi had made an “outstanding partner” through his first two years in the White House and suggested that he didn’t support Democratic calls for a leadership shake-up.
“Speaker Pelosi has been an outstanding partner for me,” Obama said. “[Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid has been a terrific partner in moving some very difficult legislation forward.”
Pelosi, who was elected speaker in 2007, plans to run for minority leader even after she officially hands the gavel to Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) in January.
Some Democrats want a leadership change, arguing that the liberal San Francisco rep is too polarizing.
Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) called her “politically toxic.”
Meanwhile, in an interview with National Public Radio, Pelosi said she retains “overwhelming support” from the Democratic caucus. She blamed the Democrats’ historic Election Day losses on economic woes, not her performance.
“We didn’t lose the election because of me,” Pelosi said. “Under any circumstance, when you have 9.5 percent unemployment, any party that cannot turn that into political gain should hang up the gloves.”