Earlier on Monday, Matt called out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and the Democrats for their tone-deaf response on inflation, especially in how they're just now reading the writing on the wall. Responses worth condemning from the speaker, who could very likely be out of that job in a matter of months, weren't merely limited to that Punchbowl News interview, though. She also appeared on multiple Sunday shows, including MSNBC's "The Sunday Show" and CBS News' "Face the Nation."
Both appearances were marked by Pelosi's denial of the near certainty that her party is about to lose control of at least the House, which she was confronted with, as well as, again, her party's response on inflation, which she was also asked about on Sunday as well.
On "The Sunday Show," Pelosi was first and foremost confronted by host Jonathan Capehart with how narrow her majority presently is, making a Republican majority all the more likely. "Republicans only need a net gain of five seats. You are always confident that the Democrats’ prospects are golden and good. But do you think Democrats can keep the chamber with such a slim Majority," he asked her.
Pelosi's response was to tout how she has "seen on the ground what is happening among the Democrats, and it's all very positive," though the House Majority PAC pulling out of races begs to differ. She went on to claim that Democrats "understand" the issues, though first and foremost mentioned was "our democracy and our rights are on the ballot," rather than the economic issues that voters care more so about.
On inflation, which Pelosi went through great lengths to differentiate between that issue and cost of living, both of which are concerns, she offered that Democrats "understand the difference between inflation and cost of living," making another point that fellow Democrats and members of the Biden administration have, which is that "inflation is a global phenomenon." She went on to offer it's higher in Europe, which doesn't make voters at home feel any better about.
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Speaking further about inflation, Pelosi offered "actually, it's something we have been addressing, even before this recent explosion of the inflation."
"So the cost of living, as well as reducing the deficit, has been a successful demonstration of what the President has tried to do," Pelosi continued with. "And that's different – they say inflation, the Republicans say inflation – they don't have a solution to inflation, because they don't have even one vote in favor of reducing the cost of living for America's working families," the speaker claimed.
Capehart, who gave her ample time to rant, jumped in to push back, pointing out, accurately, that voters "instead trust Republicans" on this issue. Multiple polls, including from NBC News, consistently show the Republican Party has an edge over the Democratic Party on economic issues such as inflation.
"I don't subscribe to what you said, that they don't trust us," came Pelosi's not just tone-deaf, but delusional response, and it only got worse from there. "The fact is, is that in the last few weeks, the Republicans recognizing now that they have a problem in this election. And you all have been telling them they're going to win for like a year and a half, but they're seeing what's happening on the ground. So they have placed unlimited money, unlimited money into these races with unlimited fact. Misrepresenting what the reality is, and it takes its toll. There's just no question," she continued.
"Why don't the American people, according to the surveys, trust Democrats but instead trust Republicans?"
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 23, 2022
NANCY PELOSI: "I don't subscribe to what you said that they don't trust us." pic.twitter.com/hhzGZ858mc
Well, time will surely tell. The election is now just a little over two weeks away, and mainstream media polls and forecasters have in recent weeks been coming around to acknowledge Republicans have this in the bag.
As the interview went on, addressing the upcoming election and other topics, Pelosi even got snappish with Capehart, in that "I don't have any time to dwell on our not winning the House." She refused to even acknowledge that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who is likely to become the next speaker, would replace her. And it's Republicans who are the election deniers?
"Was I not clear? We are going to win this election. So it’s not a question of where he may be," Pelosi said about how McCarthy, like Pelosi is now, would be third in line for the presidency if he were to replace her, as, again, he is likely to do.
From the start, the "Face the Nation" interview with host Margaret Brennan was problematic, as Pelosi bizarrely and laughably repeated that it was "Sunday morning" when saying "good morning" which was also in response to Brennan pointing out "CBS estimates have the Republicans taking the House with 224 seats."
CBS News Battleground Tracker is one of the polls which in recent weeks has gone from trying to downplay the red wave to acknowledging Republicans indeed are quite likely to take back the House.
Nancy Pelosi said it again this morning: "Good morning! It's Sunday morning." pic.twitter.com/G2rvtWrFUP
— Kevin Tober (@KevinTober94) October 23, 2022
While Pelosi began her response by touting early voting, she got quite problematic almost immediately after that, as she once again dismissed inflation as a "a global phenomenon," but also "that when I hear people talk about inflation, as I heard them there, we have to change that subject."
Again, inflation is a top of mind issue for voters, and these are not exactly the talking points that voters want to hear when they care more about inflation than abortion.
NANCY PELOSI: "When I hear people talk about inflation...we have to change that subject!" pic.twitter.com/Ck1DaPVrCc
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 23, 2022
NANCY PELOSI: "When I hear people talk about inflation...we have to change that subject!" pic.twitter.com/Ck1DaPVrCc
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 23, 2022
Brennan also brought up how House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC), who, as Katie highlighted last week, acknowledged they knew their policies would increase inflation, yet they went ahead with legislation like the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). "All of us knew this would be the case when we put in place this recovery program. Anytime you put more money into the economy, prices tend to rise," Clyburn said.
Pelosi excused ARPA as how "we had a pandemic" and then went on to emphasize they still did not regret passing the legislation or how it was structured. "No, absolutely not. Because this – that was necessary for people to survive," she huffed.
"Things like sending those $1,400 checks, putting cash out there — didn't that end up contributing to inflation? Do you have any regrets?"
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 23, 2022
NANCY PELOSI: "No, absolutely not." pic.twitter.com/sVUVfmq9no
Brennan continued to go hard against Pelosi, not just on inflation, but on how it ranks with regards to importance compared to issues that Democrats have really been going hard on, specifically abortion. This came in the form of yet another reference to that CBS News poll, which showed abortion as the seventh--out of 12th--most important ranked issue. That poll actually showed abortion being considered slightly less important than it was in a previous CBS News poll.
"Was it a miscalculation to believe that the momentum from striking down Roe v. Wade was going to help Democrats? Why not talk more about these issues around the economy," the host asked.
"Well I could just say this," Pelosi's began her laughable response with. "Nobody ever – elections are about the future. They're about the economy. Everybody knows that. Nobody said we're doing abortion rather than the economy. But it's, it's about both. And I can tell you that that issue is very, very provocative and encouraging people to vote across the country, having just been there, not sitting in Washington, but while going around the country."
Again, though, polls consistently give Republicans an edge on those more important issues, like inflation. While Democrats do have an edge on abortion, the issue just doesn't matter as much to voters. Further, voters likely don't know that the Democratic Party supports abortion up until birth for any reason without legal limit, and that they want to force taxpayers to fund it by getting rid of the Hyde Amendment.
It wasn't just the Sunday talk shows, though.
President Joe Biden himself perhaps communicated the Democratic Party's priority on abortion best when last Tuesday he gave remarks focusing on abortion again doubling down on how he looked forward to signing the Women's Health Protection Act (WHPA) into law come next Congress, which is only likely to happen if Democrats expand their majorities and get rid of the filibuster. While Biden and pro-abortion Democrats in support of the WHPA claim that the legislation will merely codify Roe v. Wade, it will actually expand it. Pro-life laws passed at the state law will also be invalidated.
As has been an issue for her in the past, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also struggled to clarify the president's position of unlimited abortions and if inflation was a higher priority than abortion.
Jean-Pierre during this most recent Monday's press briefing also borrowed from many of Pelosi's talking points when it comes to the economy and fear-mongering about Republicans.
.@JacquiHeinrich just called out Biden's lies on the economy:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 24, 2022
"How are people supposed to take this kind of messaging...seriously when some of this feels like smoke and mirrors?" pic.twitter.com/enPHyOuYxi
KJP: "Congressional Republicans...do not want to see Americans have lower healthcare costs...do not want to see Americans have lower energy costs." pic.twitter.com/0tslDqQPZ1
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 24, 2022
KJP: Joe Biden and Democrats have delivered "lower costs" and Republicans want to "take that all away." pic.twitter.com/3fNMPom56X
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 24, 2022
