Nancy Pelosi Says She’s ‘Needed Now More Than Ever’ As Minority Leader

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the House Democrats minority leader, has been a frequent topic of conversation among news sites and conservative blogs since her party receded to a record level after the November 4 election.

Politico notes that Democrats lost 12 seats in last week’s “bloodbath,” and The Hill adds that under Pelosi’s oversight, the party has conceded 70 seats while President Obama has been in office.

Conservatives are quick to place most of the blame on Pelosi’s handling of her Majority Leader role in 2008, when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed with no Republican support.

Now more than a week removed from the Election Night loss, there has been rumblings from within her own party that it’s time to step down as Minority Leader of the House.

In a recent interview published on Politico Wednesday, the news site asked her outright to address the failings, to which Pelosi said she is “needed now more than ever.”

“Quite frankly, if we would have won, I would have thought about leaving…. It’s always time for fresh leadership, but my members have asked me to stay. If they want me to stay, I stay. If they don’t want me to stay, I won’t stay.”

Nancy Pelosi also said that the election results were “not a Republican wave” as much as they were the failings of Democratic voters to engage.

“We have to engage people in voting again. Two-thirds of the electorate did not vote in this election the other night,” Pelosi said. “That’s shameful.”

Pelosi added that Democrats need to “provide an inspiration” to get people to the polls.

“It’s not just registration. You can’t just go up to someone and say, ‘Will you register to vote?’ You have to have an inspiration. It’s not just registration, it’s the whole engagement of it,” she said.

Pelosi did admit that Democrats lost the election and “offered congratulations” to the Republicans, but ultimately believed the loss was more due to President Obama’s successes than his failures.

“I don’t think it was a failure of his message; it was the extent of his success. Let’s say it in a more positive way. This president has accomplished many great things… You know there is always an October eclipse. We couldn’t catch a break.”

The Minority Leader added that she believes “distractions” like Ebola and ISIS upended the president’s popularity throughout the month of October and brought about the election results.

Do you think Nancy Pelosi should stay on as Minority Leader?

[Image via Nancy Pelosi Facebook]