Pelosi Remarks at 2016 State Innovation Exchange National Legislative Conference
"Thank you, Nick [Rathod], for your very kind words of introduction. I accept that on behalf of my House Democratic Caucus who made all of those good things possible. I thank you for your warm welcome. I come here to say thank you to all of you for what you have done. Nick, thank you for being the organizer of so much and now of SiX. SiX gives us hope for how we go forward. And I'll talk about that now. So thank you all for SiX.
[Applause]
"Here we are in the aftermath of an election day that was supposed to turn out differently. My Republican colleagues have said to me that they were told on the morning of the election to be ready for a blood bath – that they would be losing the White House, the Senate and almost maybe the House, more than 20 seats in the House, perhaps we would take back the House. A little later in the day, they were told it's even getting worse, they told me. By six o'clock and after, it had reversed. It had reversed. We've had an election. We're talking about the numbers. They're saying: ‘Oh, it's a rejection of what we stand for; we went too far this way or that way.' Let us remember Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by over two million votes.
[Applause]
"Perhaps even more than that. The problem is not that she didn't win the popular vote, the problem is how the districts across the country are aligned and I'm going to spend a little time on that – but not before saying: we all have to examine our role in all of it and see what a party that exists for working families in our country; that fights for increasing the minimum wage, benefits, working conditions and all the rest is our life; that we fight in Washington against initiatives that would destroy collective bargaining, OSHA, NLRB and the rest of that; that our fight for all of that was not clearly understood.
"Let's take responsibility – [we did not] communicate that to America's working families. Many of those people voted really against their economic interest, not because they weren't smart. I resent the fact that people were saying ‘uneducated' this or that. They're educated. They're educated in the ways of their lives, their jobs, their families, their communities, their defense of our country in so many ways. So somehow or other, this division happened that shouldn't have. Because frankly, what Republicans have in store for America's working families is not a good thing for them or for our country. The fact that people say: ‘Well, we didn't pay enough attention to workers; we're spending too much time on issues.' No, this is about workers, all workers. All workers, not just white, blue-collar workers. Yes, but all workers in the Hispanic community, the Black community, the Latino community, the Asian Pacific Islander community, LGBT [community] as was mentioned.
"So, when we're coming together – the House Democrats – to talk about how we design, construct and communicate our message, we want to be in very, very close touch with you. For us to be strategic, we must be unified and unrelenting in how we convey that message and remove all doubt. Never again will we go into an election where there's any doubt in anyone's mind as to whose side are we on when it comes to America's working families.
[Applause]
"I thank all of you for what you have done in your states to raise the minimum wage, to promote gun safety, and so many other issues – paid family leave, and the rest. I know none of my other Californians are here because they are voting, but to all of you in your states where you have been making the fight, many cases succeeding: thank you, thank you for being there for our country because it's not only for these families, it's for our sense of community and who we are.
"Now, there are so many things we can talk about this election, about this issue, about that issue, but I just want to have this exchange with you that I hope will stir some hope. And that is: I remember when I was very young and in school, when John F. Kennedy was elected President, people said: ‘This is going to draw all of the talent from the states to work for his administration.' And it did in many cases, it did. But this is another two eras since then. And if there's any opportunity that we see is that without having the White House – although we'd do anything to have the White House – but not having the White House, so much talent that would have come to DC, so much talent that would have stayed in DC is now ready for the fight in the states.
[Applause]
"I hear from these people that are like, ‘Where do we go?' I say: well, the first place you go is to redistricting because this is absolutely essential.
[Applause]
"We'll be working with all of you and the governors. We know our commonality of interest. We can't wait four years or two years right now we have to make the fight on the issues. And as we do so, try to win as many governorships and state houses as possible. You are the pivotal point of success for America's working families. I want you to know that we recognize it. I know that you do.
"So, we'll be working with you in a very organized way, with the Democratic governors in a very organized way with the House, with the Senate, with all of us to say: ‘What is it that we need to do to protect the American people from the policies that are out there now?' When we won the House in 2005 and 2006, around now, right after President Bush won reelection – right around now, people said: ‘Don't even bother. You're in for a permanent Republican majority.' And we didn't accept that. We did not accept that. So, we went down a path that said: ‘We are going to show the American people what they are doing that is harmful to them.' President Bush gave us a gift. He set out to privatize Social Security, and on that principle alone, we made our fight. And then that called attention to the difference between Democrats and Republicans, and then we differentiated every issue down the line. It didn't mean that we didn't cooperate with the President, where we could find common ground. It didn't mean that we didn't try to get something done for the American people. We did plenty with President George W. Bush – a completely different scene than what the Republicans posed to President Obama when they took back the Congress and said, ‘The most important thing we can do is to make sure that he does not succeed.'
"So with President-elect Trump, we will do what we did with President Bush – find our common ground when we can, stand our ground where we cannot. But we must – because this is not just about issues, this is about values, this is about who we are as a country. There has been an assault on the character of our country. There has been, now, a fight over our country and what we stand – the face of our country – what do we stand for? We are founded on the principal of the dignity and worth of every person – liberty and justice for all, and doing so in a way that recognizes that jobs, jobs, jobs are the most dignifying part of so much of that.
"So what we did then was hit them on that – now they are giving us Medicare. They want to privatize Medicare. It's important for you to know this: they want to take away the guarantee of Medicare, one. In overturning the Affordable Care Act, what they want to do is to say, ‘We're opening up the donut hole again. We're going to increase the costs of prescription drugs. We are going to take away your free checkup." They will take – in the Ryan Budget, which does all of this – [it] takes a trillion dollars over the next ten years out of Medicaid. Medicaid – two-thirds of Medicaid is for long-term health care. So, seniors have a tremendous amount to lose under these Republicans. It remains to be seem what President-elect Trump will do in this regard, but we will make it clear – and we need your help to do so – that Medicare, Medicaid, and what that means to America's seniors. And overturning the Affordable Care Act – taking so much money out of Medicare and Medicaid.
"So, this is the big differentiation – and then every other kind of issue beyond that. They want to privatize the VA – our veterans, to whom we owe so much. They want to privatize it. And you know what? Look at it. Medicare, VA – they want to find a way for somebody to make money off of the well-being of our seniors and our veterans. We will not let that happen. We will not let that happen.
[Applause]
"So, again, we as design, as we construct, as we communicate our message, we have to be on the same page. Just think of the invigoration of so many people focusing on electing Democratic Governors and Democratic State Legislators. This is so critical for the future, and we all understand that it is crucial, not only for what it means in two years or four years, but what it means right now in the lives of the American people.
To go into the long list of concerns that we have about what we will do will certainly ruin your lunch, and you're probably well aware of all of it. But be hopeful. Hillary Clinton won more than two thousand votes in the popular vote than Trump. Two million – what did I say? Two thousand thousand.
[Laughter]
"Two thousand thousand. With that, we have to, again, say, ‘How come we didn't connect?' We did in '05 and '06. Communication is so much different now because of the different technologies in ten years. So we have an urgency. Would you agree it is urgent that we act?
[Applause]
"Would you agree we have a responsibility to act? Would you agree that we have an opportunity to do great things for our country?
"We succeeded in '05 and '06 because we worked together, not united by any pragmatic agenda, united by our values – our values about respecting work, having big paychecks being the growth of our economy, not trickle-down economics for the wealthy at the expense of all the investments we want to make in our children's future.
"When it comes down to it, it's all about the children. It's about their future. And I've always said, ‘What are the three most important issues facing the Congress? Our children, our children, our children – their health, their education, the economic security of their families, a healthy environment in which they can thrive, a world at peace in which they can reach their fulfillment.' It's what we're for. We take an oath to protect and defend our country, and we want to be smart and strong – and not reckless in doing so. We want to strengthen our economy, and we want to do so in a way that, again, strengthens paychecks so that people can have a home and send their children to college and have a dignified retirement. And one the most important things we can do in order to ensure that many more people vote is for us to secure our democracy by reducing the role of money in politics and overturning Citizens United.
[Applause]
"In the election, people said, ‘I didn't vote because I didn't think my vote would count because money rules.' Well, we have to change that. Our Founders sacrificed everything – their lives, their liberties, their sacred honor for a democracy: a government of the many, not a government of the money.
"So, in terms of our democracy, in terms of our economy, in terms of the security of our country, we have important work to do. If we do it together, we will greatly enhance our prospects for success. And succeed we must.
"So, are you ready to make the big fight?
[Applause]
"Are you ready to do what it takes to unify, to come together, to address the urgency, accept the responsibility and take advantage of the opportunity for a brighter future for America's working families?
"Thank you, State Legislators for what you do. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share some thoughts with you today. Let's look forward to robust campaigns across the nation, to increase your numbers, to increase our governorships, to improve the prospects for the future for our families. Thank you all very much for the opportunity to be here."