ABC Election Night: Admiring Nancy Pelosi; Claiming GOP Split on Taxes, ObamaCare and Stimulus
Shortly after ABC News projected the Republican takeover of the House of Representative, co-anchors George Stephanopoulos and Diane Sawyer, plus Democratic contributor Donna Brazile, waxed effusive of Nancy Pelosi, the object of so many voters' ire. "President Obama called her a rock, the rock for the White House," Sawyer enthused.
Sawyer also twice admired how Pelosi once said she took the job "to be in the arena," exclaiming: "She will not be a footnote in history, no matter what happens." Stephanopoulos quickly agreed: "That is absolutely right." He invited Brazile to offer her testimonial:
She has been a phenomenal Speaker, regardless of what the Republicans and Tea Parties have said....This is a woman who fought to restore America's families. I have full support of Speaker Pelosi, and I'm very sad tonight.
Conservative commentators Dana Loesch and George Will politely disagreed. Loesch: "She did a great job for Democrats, but whether or not that's interpreted as a great job for what the rest of America wanted, well, I think that they let their voices be heard on that tonight."
Earlier, contributor Matthew Dowd - who co-anchor Diane Sawyer touted as a "spinbuster" who "worked for Republicans and Democrats, who can't get away with anything when he is watching" - tried to suggest that Republicans were fractured on issues such as the stimulus, repealing ObamaCare, and opposing a tax hike:
The seeds of what we're seeing tonight are sowing some problems they may have in the Congress, which is, there is no consistent policy prescription that we're seeing tonight. There's not a consistency on whether or not you should keep the Bush tax cuts. There's not consistency on whether you should repeal health care. There's not a consistency on negative view on the stimulus package. And so while Republicans right now are picking up, they're going to have some problems lassoing what's going to go on in Congress.
Here's more of ABC's prime time coverage from November 2:
# 9:36pm ET
MATTHEW DOWD: It's interesting to me right now is that you have Democrats - I mean Republicans, obviously - picking up, picking up in the House, picking up in the Senate. But I think Republicans - the seeds of what we're seeing tonight are sowing some problems they may have in the Congress, which is, there is no consistent policy prescription that we're seeing tonight. There's not a consistency on whether or not you should keep the Bush tax cuts. There's not consistency on whether you should repeal health care. There's not a consistency on negative view on the stimulus package. And so while Republicans right now are picking up, they're going to have some problems lassoing what's going to go on in Congress.
# 9:58pm ET
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: We now do know, based on our projections, that Nancy Pelosi, just two years ago - four years ago - coming in as the first woman Speaker of the House will not be returning as Speaker of the House.
DIANE SAWYER: And she has said already, I took this to be in the arena, I am prepared for this. I wouldn't do anything differently. She has said she was there, there for health care, she was there to be the first female Speaker, and she will not be a footnote in history no matter what happens.
STEPHANOPOULOS: That is absolutely right....
# Returning after a local break-in, 10:01pm ET:
STEPHANOPOULOS: Just before we went to break, Donna Brazile, I was about to come to you. This marks the end of a four-year tenure as Speaker of the House for Nancy Pelosi.
DONNA BRAZILE: And she has been a phenomenal Speaker, regardless of what the Republicans and Tea Parties have said about Nancy Pelosi. We've seen more legislation passed in the 111th Congress: health care reform, Wall Street, financial regulatory reform, student aid reform. There's no question that she has led the Democratic caucus at a time when the American people clearly wanted something done about jobs. I think with Speaker Pelosi going down tonight, American women should know that this is a woman who fought to restore America's families. I, I have full support of Speaker Pelosi, and I'm very sad tonight.
DANA LOESCH: To Donna's point, she did a great job as to what she was supposed to do, which is get the congressional Democrats' agenda through. But whether or not that's what the mainstream Americans wanted, I think we saw tons of polling data over the past year - they didn't want the extreme health care agenda, they didn't want a lot of the stuff. She shepherded it through anyway. She said you had to pass the bill so you could find out what was in it. I mean, I think that Americans - she did a great job for Democrats, but whether or not that's interpreted as a great job for what the rest of America wanted, well, I think that they let their voices be heard on that tonight.GEORGE WILL: Nancy Pelosi's tenacity and pugnacity were successful. But they were in the service of passing legislation that was unpopular. That's why she had to be so tough and skillful, and the bill has come due tonight. ...SAWYER: But as we know at one point President Obama called her a rock, the rock for the White House. And she did tell me, as I said earlier, she did tell me, 'I came here to be in the arena,' and she said you have to take the attacks and you have to learn how almost, to enjoy it.
- Rich Noyes is Research Director at the Media Research
Center. You can follow him on Twitter here.
