Pelosi Blasted Progressives for Alienating Asian and Hispanic Immigrants With ‘Loose Talk of Socialism’: New Book
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Reporters Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns’ new book “This Will Not Pass” continues to make headlines as the insider account of the end of the Trump administration dishes the dirt on the 2020 election.
Punchbowl news published some particularly spicy excerpts on Friday from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was interviewed twice by Martin and Burns for the upcoming book.
Pelosi voiced her frustration with having to “beg” her Democratic colleagues to give her the gavel yet again, according to the book:
The experience of begging for support was wearing on her. .. Pelosi was the only Democrat in the chamber — the only Democrat alive — who had already served as Speaker, who had shown she could do the legislative arithmetic and twist the necessary arms to get things done.
“‘At this point in my life, I don’t need this,’” Pelosi is directly quoted as saying.
The excerpt from the book continues:
“Her victory in holding onto the speakership, ‘seemed like a joyless one.’ Pelosi expressed “her frustration with unusual vehemence that day, discussing her political future in a way she rarely did around colleagues. ‘You couldn’t pay me a billion dollars to run for Speaker again,’ Pelosi said.”
Additionally, Pelosi had some strong words for other members of her caucus. The longtime leader reportedly criticized progressive leaders in the House for the Democrat’s poor showing in the 2020 election, in which the party lost 13 seats.
Punchbowl notes that Pelosi “privately blamed progressives for nearly costing Democrats the House and said AOC and Jayapal were fighting to be ‘queen bee’ of the left.”
“In a few strictly confidential conversations she pointed a finger leftward,” Martin and Burns write.
The book adds:
“Pelosi told one senior lawmaker that Democrats had alienated Asian and Hispanic immigrants with loose talk of socialism. In some of the same communities, the Italian Catholic speaker said, Democrats had not been careful enough about the way they spoke about abortion among new Americans who were devout people of faith.”
“During the infrastructure vote, Pelosi was angry “and in private she vented about the progressive blockade that had forced her to cancel the infrastructure vote. … She told another House Democrat that Pramila Jayapal and Ocasio-Cortez were vying to be the ‘queen bee’ of the left, but that their reward might be serving in the House minority after the next election.”
Pelosi also shared her lack of faith in President Joe Biden’s Chief of Staff Ron Klain.
“Not all Democrats shared Biden’s admiration for Klain; some party leaders grumbled about his hard-charging manner and expansive intellectual confidence,” the authors wrote. “The Speaker of the House was one of those Democrats. Late in the 2020 campaign, Pelosi grew openly annoyed when an adviser urged her to consult with Klain about health care legislation. What, she asked, does Ron Klain know about anything?”
