Nancy Pelosi Wants to Be House Speaker Again to Provide ‘Check and Balance on the President’

Nancy Pelosi and Donald Trump
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo/Evan Vucci

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told the Chicago Tribune editorial board on Tuesday that Democrats need to take back the Chamber in November’s midterm elections so she may be restored as speaker of the House to provide “a check and balance” on President Donald Trump.

Although Pelosi did not credit Trump for any of the many accomplishments of his short tenure as president, including — in the board’s words — his role in the economy, which is now “roaring.”

The article also noted her stance seems to ignore “joblessness at a record low for Hispanics and near a record for African-Americans.” 

“She didn’t go there,” the article said.

“You would think everything is good” was what Pelosi said to the board, which further reported: 

From her perspective, the country was on a better path during the era of President Barack Obama (and Speaker Nancy Pelosi). They passed the Affordable Care Act, which Pelosi still believes is the best course for providing quality health care to the most people. Side note: Obamacare, while well-intentioned, is tottering.

Obama and Pelosi also teamed up on 2009’s massive spending package, the American Recovery, and Reinvestment Act, which used government money to jump-start infrastructure projects and other economic activity after the financial crisis. Pelosi said Democrats in the next Congress if in the majority, could work with Republicans on a new infrastructure bill to help more people get better jobs. 

“If you are going to improve the economy of the country, it’s not about trickle-down economics,” Pelosi said, making an apparent reference to Trump’s tax reforms. “It’s about increasing consumer confidence.”

Breitbart News reported on Wednesday that “buoyant consumer sentiment boosted retail sales more than expected in July, while bigger than expected productivity gains point toward lower inflation and possible wage gains.”

“Pelosi said voters should deliver House control to her Party to act as a check and balance on the president,” the Tribune board wrote. “But she didn’t dwell on the point.”

“She said Democratic candidates need to sell their own priorities and not rely on vilifying Trump,” the board wrote. “After all, focusing on Trump didn’t work for Hillary Clinton in 2016.”

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