Pelosi: Time to Move on to Economy

Pelosi: I know how to count votes and I don't go to the table and say I have to have it all my way." Pelosi says Congress has always been a messy place.

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Satan Sandwich with a Side of Satan Fries

I wish there were a way to punish (outside of voting) our Congressional "leaders," particularly the republicans, who turned raising the debt ceiling into a national nightmare, for the collective anxiety they caused our nation.

In an interview with ABC News' Diane Sawyer, Pelosi said she will "absolutely" vote yes on the compromise package, even though she agreed with one colleagues' characterization of it as a "Satan sandwich."

"It probably is – with some Satan fries on the side," Pelosi said.

Still, Pelosi said she's supporting it – and believes a sufficient number of House Democrats will follow suit – because the deal extends the debt limit for 18 months without any cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid, and it establishes a balance of cuts between discretionary spending and defense. ABC

Political Theater! See Politicians Mock the Nation!

The political theater going on today is extraordinary!
What is Boehner even talking about? Obama asked for a compromise bill, not a tea party bill.
Mark his words: Mitch McConnell says the country will not default. "That is not going to happen."

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Extraordinary. Extraordinary!

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Nancy Pelosi: "I will not yield to you." She asks: Why with this one president, this time, would we put up barriers to raising the debt ceiling? Good question.

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Pelosi and Boehner Address 112th Congress Video

Boehner, who speaks at the 27 minute mark, gets weepy. Like I've said before, I like Boehner's weepiness. I'm familiar with weepiness. I see it as a sign that he's all in, never mind whether he's right or wrong. People whose emotions are on the surface tend to be genuine. Although, a double standard exists. Pelosi couldn't get away with a consistent flow of tears.

House Passes DREAM Act 216-198

See who voted yes and who voted no (mostly republicans) here. The DREAM Act helps undocumented children, who were brought to the U.S. by their parents, gain a path to citizenship by entering the military or going to college.
The Senate takes up the DREAM Act on Thursday, but it's expected to fail there.

Nancy Pelosi gaveling:

Pelosi Has Votes to be House Minority Leader But...

Both Mark Shields and David Brooks say that Nancy Pelosi is an effective leader and that she has the votes to be the House minority leader but that politically, she shouldn't.

Brooks doesn't expect Michele Bachmann to get very far in her quest for a leadership position, which is good to hear. He says republicans need to stick with a humility theme. Mitch McConnell obviously doesn't feel that way. Pundits and the media fail to realize that there's something deeper to the republican opposition of Obama. It's more personal, visceral.

Brooks concludes Obama has little chance of winning re-election in 2012 because he's not loved in Ohio. I don't believe this nation was as ready as it thought it was for a Barack Obama. People asked for change and when they got it either it was too little or it was too much, depending on which side of the fence you're on. Then there is the majority of Americans who didn't even bother to vote. Turnout was low compared to 2008, when 132 million voted; 82 million voted in the 2010 midterms and most of the voters were white.

Pelosi and Gates on This Week Video

Goodbye Jake Tapper. Hello Christane Amanpour.

See the Pelosi transcript here.

Pelosi Says We Can Still Blame Bush

Pelosi says we can still blame Bush. I think she's right. But the point isn't to blame Bush and therefore deflect responsibility from the Obama administration.

The point is Obama gets the blame for what he inherited from the Bush administration. When Obama took office, our country collapsed in many different ways.

Obama has done nothing but clean up one disaster after another. The financial meltdown clearly was caused by the lack of government oversight.

Keeping up with the Joneses also helped lead to the meltdown. If mortgage brokers were required to ask for proof of income to buy a house, we wouldn't be where we are today.

Obama hasn't been in office long enough to cause any of the problems we're seeing. Again, the point isn't to blame Bush. I think every president does the best he or she (someday) can. Some are more competent than others.

What good does it do to place blame? It doesn't solve any problem. But Obama shouldn't be blamed for what happened on Bush's watch.

Obama should get more credit for cleaning up and accomplishing what he has so far in a time of constant crisis. Obama has barely gotten a chance to tackle his agenda.

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Obama's Remarks at AAPI Reception May 24

Obama hosted a reception at the White House tonight for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month. He talks about the oil spill and immigration reform:

Obama Meets with Lawmakers on Financial Reform and Other Matters

The meeting is a bipartisan one.

Obama Calls for Another Bipartisan Meeting April 14

Obama with the gang in February

Obama is planning to meet with Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, according to Politico.

Coburn Criticizes Fox Defends Pelosi Says She's a Nice Lady

Speaking at an Oklahoma radio station, Sen. Tom Coburn defends Nancy Pelosi. Listen for yourself here. Could republicans be coming around to the error of their ways? I'd love to hear more of this kind of talk coming from the mouths of republicans. They'd certainly get more people to listen to them. Instead republicans seem bent on egging on tea party anger. Perhaps, this is just Tom Coburn's way. He has also called Obama a "wonderful man."

When discussing the short-term unemployment benefits extension that he is stalling, to the chagrin of Democrats, Coburn said he is "180 degrees in opposition" to Pelosi but that "she is a nice lady."

That comment drew boos and jeers from the crowd, but Coburn asked the crowd for calm and spoke about civility.
“Come on now. She is nice — how many of you all have met her? She’s a nice person,” Coburn said. "Let me give you a little lesson here. I hope you will listen to me. Just because somebody disagrees with you don’t [sic] mean they’re not a good person. And i want to tell you, I've been in the Senate for five years and I’ve taken a lot of that, because I’ve been on the small side — both in the Republican Party and the Democrat Party." The Hill

Nancy Pelosi Speaks on Recent Violence

Nancy Pelosi obviously did a little reprimanding in the House. She says it's inappropriate for Congress members to cheer on bad behavior. See Cantor's response here.

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Obama Signs Health Bill March 23 Live Stream

Obama will sign the health bill in a ceremony in the East Room at 11:15 am eastern. At 12:05, Obama will remark on the health insurance at the Department of the Interior. You can watch both here. WhiteHouse.gov and CBSnews.com will also have live streams.

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In attendance at the signing via Politico:

Vice President Biden, Vicki Kennedy, Connie Anderson, Ryan Smith, Marcelas Owens, Secretary Sebelius, Senator Reid, Senator Durbin, Senator Baucus, Senator Harkin, Senator Dodd, Speaker Pelosi, Representative Hoyer, Representative Clyburn, Representative George Miller, Representative Waxman, Representative Levin, Representative Dingell. Other members of Congress who supported the bill also will be there.

Nancy Pelosi: One of the Most Powerful Women in American History

I must admit my appreciation for Nancy Pelosi came halfway through the healthcare fun, when I could see her kicking major butt, when I could see how the republicans agonized over her tenacity, when I saw how she whipped. Was she good or what? She's easy to dismiss as eccentric and weird, but she's grown on me. I hope she gets her due.

"Most powerful woman in American history?" "World News" anchor Diane Sawyer asked Pelosi today, citing an article in The Economist. Pelosi, maintaining the smiling poker player's mask that is her trademark, paused for a moment before saying brightly, "That sounds good. I don't, I don't take it personally, except I take it as a compliment for all women." ABC Watch it here.

Read Pelosi's guide to healthcare here.

House Passes Senate Healthcare Bill Video

Obama watching healthcare pass

Nancy Pelosi used the Dingell Medicare gavel and made her final speech before healthcare passage tonight. It was all brilliant. Obama to Pelosi per Gibbs tweet:

President in Oval for congratulations calls...first up Speaker Pelosi...tells her "You've done what no other Speaker has done"

Final vote: 219-212. All republicans voted against it, including 34 democrats (SEE THE LIST HERE). We will be taking note of the dems, for sure.

There are two more votes tonight, the last is the reconciliation vote, which just passed. The reconciliation bill now goes to the Senate for passage sometime next week. Harry Reid says he has the votes--51 needed. Obama will sign the first bill, but NOT tonight. I don't know why. Other good news, student loan reform is expected to pass as part of the healthcare bill.

Nancy Pelosi:

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Democrats Locking Arms

This reminds me of the 2008 campaign, when on many occasions people counted Obama out. Obama is an endurance runner.

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Pelosi Gets Dingell Medicare Gavel

John Dingell tells of the gavel:

More Yes Votes But Stupak Could Ruin it All

First of all, the bill doesn't provide tax dollars for abortions.
That's been analyzed, but Bart Stupak has found something so obscure that he believes there is some sort of allowance in the bill for abortion. He has corroded the process. This bill is supposed to be about getting people health insurance. Healthcare never should've been about abortion. The fact that he's a democrat causing all this fuss about abortion makes it worse.
Making abortion political is what the republicans do.
But I suppose blame can also go to the left for inflaming the issue. They see abortion as a surgical procedure. Really?

I suspect once again it's about two ideologies battling it out to the bitter end to the detriment of all of us.
The irony is that Stupak isn't doing anything to prevent abortions. Politicians use abortion as an expedient tool to show that they're righteous. When if they really cared, they'd do something to help pregnant teens or they'd improve the foster system, or help make adoptions a better option, or something else that made sense.
But it looks like Stupak is still trying to worm a deal as of today (he cancelled an 11 am press conference), even though Pelosi said she was done with Stupak.
Obama's meeting with dems at the Capitol at 3 pm today. More vote flippers:

After struggling to collect votes earlier this week, Democratic leaders picked up some key votes on Friday. Reps. Suzanne Kosmas (D-Fla.), Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind.), Allen Boyd (D-Fla.), Harry Mitchell (D-Ariz.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.) and John Boccieri (D-Ohio) had all been undecided or leaning no, but they all say they will vote yes this weekend. The Hill

Obama Speaks at Friends of Ireland Lunch Video

Nancy Pelosi, who introduces Obama, used to drive me nuts, but her eccentricity is growing on me. I'll like her even more if she manages to get the votes for healthcare. Look at them in their green: