Pelosi to Liberals: Cheer Up, Shut Up

Get on board, says speaker, and don't expect amendments
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 30, 2009 9:05 AM CDT
Pelosi to Liberals: Cheer Up, Shut Up
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. pumps her fists after she announced a retooled health care overhaul bill, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009, on Capitol Hill in Washington.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

The health care bill Nancy Pelosi unveiled yesterday may not be as liberal as some of her colleagues would like, but she says they’d better get over it. The speaker intends to keep debate to a minimum, and squash any attempt to add an amendment that would strengthen the public option, but lose votes, she tells Politico. “I’m not big on showing weakness. It’s not my thing,” she explains. “I don’t like to have predictable losses.”

Passing the bill would still be a victory, she argues, and should be done quickly. “On any given day, success that upsets business as usual in Washington can be perishable.” Besides, this isn’t the end of the road for health care. “We are not passing a bill, shutting the door, turning out the lights and walking away. We will have other legislation.” (More Nancy Pelosi stories.)

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