Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the Democratic Speaker of the House, attempted to downplay the various members of her own party for a drastic change regarding leadership.
As part of a Tuesday interview on “Andrea Mitchell Reports” from MSNBC, Pelosi chose to try and hand wave quite a few calls sounded by various House Democrats running in very highly contested districts that are calling for new leadership within the House. Pelosi claimed that she was not at all worried about their statements if that is what it takes for them to scratch out a victory in their upcoming midterm election races. However, Pelosi tried to be smooth and play both sides of the aisle, stating that generational change is required, but experience is far more important.
“I say just win, baby. Just win,” stated Pelosi. “If that’s what you have to say to win, fine, and we will not in any way do anything but totally support [you] — mobilization-wise, message-wise, money-wise — for those people to win their races. Yes, we need generational change. Of course we do. But in some cases there’s no substitute for experience.”
“If they’re after us — look, just win, that’s all I’m saying to people,” she went on. “Just win your races, because nothing less is at stake than our democracy, nothing less is at stake than our planet, nothing less is at stake than our freedoms, a woman’s right to choose … there’s so many things at stake in this election.”
“These are very valued members of Congress,” stated Pelosi about the various member. “We respect them for what they believe and what they do, we want them to be re-elected. I don’t have any problem with anybody criticizing me.”
The comments from the speaker cropped up in response to Elissa Slotkin, a Democratic Michigan congresswoman, who sounded the horn for newly elected leadership as part of an interview that aired last week. “I have been very vocal, including with my own leadership in the House, that we need a new generation and we need new blood, period, across the Democratic Party, in the House, the Senate, and the White House,” expressed Slotkin, going on to add, “I think that the country has been saying that.”
Slotkin also told the story of how she was a member of a small Democrat group that refused to give their vote for Pelosi to take her role as Speaker when Democrats took control of the house back in 2018 and claimed to stand by that choice. “I would love to see new leaders. I would love to see some midwestern leaders in there, right? That’s been important to me, is, reflect the middle of the country, we’re here, too. But, I do think new blood is a good thing.”
