Pelosi: I fully expect to be speaker 5 weeks from now

Trying to drum up Democrats in lead-up to midterm elections, Nancy Pelosi tries to excite Democrats, reminds voters of accomplishments.

By JPOST.COM STAFF, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nancy Pelosi hands 311 AP (photo credit: AP)
Nancy Pelosi hands 311 AP
(photo credit: AP)
US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi told a group of journalists that Democrats must go out to "defend the empire," according to a New York Times report published on Sunday.
The house speaker warned that health care, and all of the reforms passed by Democrats would be under threat if Republicans take congress in November, and called Democratic Party members to action over the weekend. Speaking to a small business group, she said that she is not "yielding one grain of sand."
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In the weekly briefing, Pelosi said that she believes the Democrats have a chance to retain their congressional majority. A week before, speaking to a women's group in New York, Pelosi said that she "fully expects to be speaker of the House five weeks from now," the paper reported.
At the New York appearance, Pelosi said that the voters must make a choice between the failed policies of the past and a better future.
According to the report, Pelosi said she was not worried because, "you have to understand what fighters our members are."
She attributed the Democrats' current political problems to their unwillingness to "play patty-cake" with powerful, corporate interests, saying that Democrats chose instead to pass the healthcare overhaul, new financial regulations and regulations on carbon emissions.
Democrats have come out with an aggressive campaign to try to define the new agenda, hoping to put a dent in the momentum Republicans have gained as Obama's polling numbers have slumped amid a sluggish economy.
With one month remaining before the mid-term elections, analysts expect Republicans to make major gains in both houses of congress.