{"id":44669,"date":"2025-10-22T13:34:40","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T20:34:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=44669"},"modified":"2025-10-22T13:34:42","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T20:34:42","slug":"we-must-win-the-house-a-one-on-one-with-nancy-pelosi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/10\/22\/we-must-win-the-house-a-one-on-one-with-nancy-pelosi\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We must win the House\u2019: A one-on-one with Nancy Pelosi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/users\/profile\/Adam%20Shanks\">By Adam Shanks | Examiner staff writer<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Oct 18, 2025 (SFExaminer.com)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the speaker emerita of the U.S. House of Representatives, refuses to be distracted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/politics\/scott-wiener-reportedly-sure-to-run-for-nancy-pelosis-seat\/article_579b3948-947e-49c9-9e1e-9e9754f2e5f7.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">questions about Pelosi\u2019s political future<\/a>&nbsp;ceaselessly circle her, she\u2019s adamant that her mind remains first and foremost fixated on one election \u2014 and it isn\u2019t in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pelosi joined labor leaders Saturday to put her political muscle behind the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/politics\/democrats-california-prop-50-push-doesnt-end-in-november\/article_24e4076e-8199-4d8d-8294-5478917c3dad.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">campaign for Proposition 50<\/a>&nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;a statewide redistricting measure that its Democratic proponents say is a counter to Republican gerrymandering in states such as Texas \u2014 which will be decided by voters on Nov. 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Saturday\u2019s get-out-the-vote effort for Prop. 50 coincided with the No Kings protests, in which millions of Americans were expected to demonstrate&nbsp;in cities throughout the nation \u2014 including San Francisco \u2014&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/10\/17\/us\/no-kings-protests-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">against President Donald Trump<\/a>&nbsp;and his administration\u2019s policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pelosi told The Examiner on Saturday that she won\u2019t announce whether she\u2019ll seek another term in 2026 until Prop. 50 is settled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/09\/14\/us\/politics\/nancy-pelosi-california-redistricting.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">advocacy for Prop. 50<\/a>&nbsp;\u2014 a measure framed by Democrats as a fight to protect democracy \u2014 comes days after Trump floated the idea of sending the National Guard into San Francisco. She\u2019s opting not to engage with the threat beyond a terse statement in opposition. Instead, she is calling out Republican-led cuts to health care and the Democratic Party\u2019s efforts to retake control of the House of Representatives in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Examiner sat down with Pelosi on Saturday to discuss Prop. 50, Trump and her own 2026 plans. This conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Have you decided whether or not you\u2019re going to run in 2026? And if you haven\u2019t decided yet, when will you make an announcement?&nbsp;<\/strong>I won\u2019t make any announcement until we get through November 4th. That is everything to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the thing. We must win the House. If you talk about \u2018no kings,\u2019 we must win the House to put a stop to this. We won\u2019t be able to get many things done, but we\u2019ll be able to stop a lot of the poison that he\u2019s putting there, and the best antidote to poison is to win the election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s a lot riding on this because this is the path to our winning the House. We will win the House regardless, but winning it big, and we want to win Nov. 4 big.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Even if the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/10\/15\/supreme-court-voting-rights-act-argument-00608340\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Voting Rights Act is gutted<\/a>? [The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in Louisiana v. Callais, a case that challenges the constitutionality of Section 2 of the act.]<\/strong>&nbsp;If that happens, that would be so shameful for our country, and it\u2019s such a departure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[In 2006] we&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/id\/wbna14059113\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote the Voting Rights Act<\/a>&nbsp;[extension] in our office, minority leader with the Black Caucus &#8230; I walked down the steps with Senator [Bill] Frist, who was majority leader at that time, in celebration. George Bush signed it. And what did these guys do? Years later they diminish Section 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is really so un-American. It\u2019s a shame what happened to the Supreme Court under this guy. Our founders could foresee a rogue president. They couldn\u2019t foresee a rogue Senate and a rogue court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m working very closely with labor to fund and to organize the outside mobilization. They have been fabulous in all of this, and also the governor with massive resources that we need, but he\u2019s really led the way on that. I just helped him a bit, but my focus had been more on the funding for the get-out-the-vote [effort].<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Can you walk me through those early days when this was first being formed?<\/strong>&nbsp;It wasn\u2019t that long ago that&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2025\/09\/29\/texas-redistricting-congressional-map-lawsuit-injunction-hearing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">they started in Texas<\/a>. If they didn\u2019t do that, we wouldn\u2019t have done that. We weren\u2019t planning this, no. We don\u2019t like midterm, mid-decade redistricting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The central opposition now is that \u201ctwo wrongs don\u2019t make a right.\u201d If you\u2019re out knocking on a door, how do you explain to somebody that, in this case, two wrongs do make a right?&nbsp;<\/strong>Well, it isn\u2019t about two wrongs making a right. It isn\u2019t about two wrongs. That\u2019s a talking point for the Republicans, but that ain\u2019t what the fact is. They committed a wrong, we\u2019re in self-defense, and that\u2019s what this is \u2014 self-defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you think if somebody comes to punch you in the face and you punch them back, that\u2019s two wrongs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>I don\u2019t know. I\u2019m a coward. I\u2019ve never gotten into a fistfight.&nbsp;<\/strong>This is not \u201ctwo wrongs.\u201d This is self-defense and democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ex \/\/ Top Stories<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/culture\/halloween-2025-event-guide-sf-events-to-visit-in-october\/article_984dd75f-4ea8-4600-9e1e-60eb78010fe0.html#tncms-source=top-stories-article\">10 fang-tastic SF events to check out this Halloween<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The City is filled with frights, delights and festive fun this month<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/politics\/salesforce-ceo-sorry-for-calling-for-national-guard-in-sf\/article_8914560e-5172-4ef9-ae1b-ea5a314339d6.html#tncms-source=top-stories-article\">Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says he\u2019s sorry for calling for National Guard in SF<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff apologized for calling for National Guard policing in San Francisco after criticism from politicians and a longtime ally\u2019s rejection<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/politics\/trump-targeted-sf-joins-legal-fight-against-troop-deployment\/article_06ef1b0e-7b3d-4c4e-bb2f-f2b025056dce.html#tncms-source=top-stories-article\">SF joins fight against Trump troop deployment in cities<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The City joined a group of more than 40 localities pleading with the Supreme Court to stop president<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Do you feel like the message is resonating? Are you confident heading into November?<\/strong>&nbsp;I\u2019m confident we will win, but I want to win big. I want to win big. The support is there, we just have to get it out. That\u2019s the whole thing about all this, is you can convince everybody, but unless they\u2019re voting, you\u2019ve only had a conversation. Get out that vote. Own the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>We touched on it a little bit, but can you articulate for me why it\u2019s so important that Democrats have the majority in the House after 2026?&nbsp;<\/strong>More now than ever. Elections were elections. You get the results, you live with that. You compromise on this and that. But in this case, our democracy is at stake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The current leadership of the House \u2014 Congress, even, but just talking about the House \u2014 has shredded the Constitution when it comes to the separation of power as being the exquisite beauty of our Constitution. Separation of power &#8230; that is central to not having a king.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s the genius of our founders. They didn\u2019t want a king. Separation of power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You\u2019ve focused on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/politics\/government-shutdown-prompts-nancy-pelosi-health-care-warning\/article_f1d2671b-4690-4cf1-a395-60b32565d242.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">preserving healthcare<\/a>. How important is it to you to negotiate that as part of a path out of the [federal government] shutdown? What is the best approach out of a shutdown?<\/strong>&nbsp;What we\u2019re doing here is about health care, but we were talking about separation of powers, saving our democracy, free and fair elections, rule of law, independent judiciary \u2014 remember that? \u2014 freedom of the press, all of those things \u2014 they\u2019re all at stake in this election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You save democracy and the Constitution at the kitchen table \u2014 taking down prices, not allowing cost of health care to go up, to address the issues that relate to the cost of living for America\u2019s working families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So from the standpoint of health care &#8230; When we passed [the Affordable Care Act] it was -6% in popularity. You know what it is now? 30-something to 60-something [percent] in favor of the Affordable Care Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So they\u2019re messing with something that is right there at the kitchen table. It\u2019s about their health, people\u2019s health. It\u2019s also about their financial health, because they\u2019re gonna be getting notices now that say your healthcare is going to go up either double or triple \u2014 thousands of dollars difference that people just can\u2019t afford. So from a standpoint of the health and financial health of the American people, this is a fight we must win. But from a standpoint of what it means politically? We fully intend to win the house. We\u2019re going to win it anyway. This November 4 gives us a boost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>One could argue that kitchen-table issues and the rising cost of living were major reasons why Trump won reelection. How do Democrats better control those rising costs of living?<\/strong>&nbsp;Well, the difference is between lies and truth. He didn\u2019t do anything &#8230; He had one goal \u2014 tax breaks for the richest people in America. That was his goal when he was president the first time, and [he] didn\u2019t accomplish anything except tax breaks for the rich, adding $2 trillion to the national debt. This time it\u2019s $4 trillion to the national debt to give even a bigger boost to the richest people in corporate America. That\u2019s why they go up there and kiss his butt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is life or death. I will say this in relationship to my crudeness. Being a mom, my whole purpose in even being in politics is the children, for the children, for the children, for the children. Donald Trump is the worst president America\u2019s children have ever had, whether it\u2019s their health, their education, the economic security of their working families, a clean safe environment \u2014 including gun safety \u2014 in which they can thrive in a world of peace in which they can reach their fulfillment. Forget it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The worst, the worst, exceeding anybody in terms of being the worst president of the United States for children. So that\u2019s part of my fight too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s who we are. That\u2019s what we\u2019re there to do, to lower the cost of living for them by starting out by not increasing their health-care costs, which is what he is doing, and not engaging in unexplainable tariffs that will add to the cost of living just because he feels like throwing his substantial weight around \u2014 literally and figuratively. Again, this is who we are. This is for working families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What we\u2019re doing with our labor mobilization is about swing voters in swing districts with working families. This is for them to call the shots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>It\u2019s No Kings day. This week there\u2019s been talk about Trump&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/politics\/trump-floats-sf-action-after-da-rejects-calls-for-troops\/article_33af8b14-55c3-416a-97aa-de9e2fa6cef3.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sending the National Guard<\/a>&nbsp;to manage things in San Francisco. You put out a fairly terse statement yesterday, and it reminded me of your response to the Presidio, Alcatraz. Reject my premise, [but] it seems like you\u2019re not really willing to engage in a prolonged tit-for-tat, rhetorical back-and-forth on these issues.<\/strong>&nbsp;That may be so. I mean, your interpretation may be how you see things. However, the reason we didn\u2019t take his bait on these things is health care, Medicare, Medicaid \u2014 that is what is essential to America\u2019s working families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He\u2019s a notion monger. He throws out notions. He doesn\u2019t even really understand what they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>But&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/government\/us-appeals-court-wont-allow-deployment-national-guard-illinois-while-it-weighs-2025-10-16\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tell that to Chicago<\/a>. It was more than just a threat or a notion in Chicago.<\/strong>&nbsp;He ought not to even think about coming to San Francisco. Everybody knows that\u2019s a tit-for-tat with him. But when he throws his things out, he wants us to divert our attention from the kitchen table. That\u2019s what he wants us to do, but we\u2019re not doing that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No, we\u2019re talking about the rising cost of health care because your members have decided in favor of the wealthiest people in America instead of America\u2019s working families. Give them a tax break, really? Really?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[It\u2019s] not that I don\u2019t want to engage with him. I\u2019ve probably engaged him more than almost anybody, in my history of it all &#8230; you\u2019re not gonna divert attention away from what is important to America\u2019s working families.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the speaker emerita of the U.S. House of Representatives, refuses to be distracted. As&nbsp;questions about Pelosi\u2019s political future&nbsp;ceaselessly circle her, she\u2019s adamant that her mind remains first and foremost fixated on one election \u2014 and it isn\u2019t in 2026. Pelosi joined labor leaders Saturday to put her&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/10\/22\/we-must-win-the-house-a-one-on-one-with-nancy-pelosi\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44669"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44669"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44669\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44673,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44669\/revisions\/44673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}