House Speaker Pelosi slams California Gov. Newsom for claiming Dems are absent in abortion fight

Nancy Pelosi slammed California Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday after he said the Democratic Party hasn’t been fighting enough for abortion rights as the Supreme Court leak showing an impending overturn of Roe v. Wade rocks the nation.

‘Democrats have failed to target Republicans,’ Newsom said of his own party during public remarks on Wednesday.

‘Where is the Democratic Party – where’s the party?’ he pushed. ‘Why aren’t we calling this out? This is a concerted, coordinated effort and, yes, they’re winning. We need to stand up. Where is the counter offensive?’

Pelosi, who has represented the district encompassing San Francisco since 1987, pushed back on the California Democratic governor during an interview with CBS Face the Nation on Sunday.

‘I have no idea why anybody would make that statement unless they were unaware of the fight that has been going on,’ she said of Newsom.

‘The fact is that we have been fighting for a woman’s right to choose – and that is to choose. We have been fighting against the Republicans in the Congress constantly,’ she insisted in a pushback on her California colleague’s comment.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lashed out at her California colleague Governor Gavin Newsom Sunday after he criticized the Democratic Party for not doing enough in the abortion fight

Newsom (pictured) said on Wednesday: 'Democrats have failed to target Republicans Where is the Democratic Party? Why aren't we calling this out? This is a concerted, coordinated effort and, yes, they're winning. We need to stand up. Where is the counter offensive?' Pelosi replied Sunday with: 'I have no idea why anybody would make that statement unless they were unaware of the fight that has been going on'

Newsom (pictured) said on Wednesday: ‘Democrats have failed to target Republicans Where is the Democratic Party? Why aren’t we calling this out? This is a concerted, coordinated effort and, yes, they’re winning. We need to stand up. Where is the counter offensive?’ Pelosi replied Sunday with: ‘I have no idea why anybody would make that statement unless they were unaware of the fight that has been going on’

Protesters remained outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, May 7, 2022 after a massive un-scalable fence was erected to keep demonstrators clear of the building and its justices

Protesters remained outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, May 7, 2022 after a massive un-scalable fence was erected to keep demonstrators clear of the building and its justices

‘This is a constant fight that we’ve had for generations – decades I should say, in my case, in the Congress,’ Pelosi added. ‘The science hasn’t changed, but the court changed.’

Newsom’s comments about his own party’s failures on abortion came after a leak from the Supreme Court Monday evening showed a conservative draft opinion signaling an impending overturn of Roe v. Wade.

The landmark abortion case has stood for the last 50 years and made a woman’s right to an abortion federally protection. But red states have increasingly tried to redefine the law, pushing for it to be more limited in scope, especially in recent years.

Both sides of the political aisle are up in arms over the leak – Democrats due to the contents of the leak and Republicans because there was a leak in the first place.

Democrats have vowed an attempt to codify Roe v. Wade in the legislature, while Republicans are calling for the leaker to be brought to justice.

‘Back when Democrats held majorities in the House and the Senate in 2009 when you were Speaker, President Obama was asked about codifying Roe v. Wade and said ‘abortion is a moral and ethic issue’ and ‘not the highest legislative priority,” CBS host Margaret Brennan said to Pelosi on Sunday. 

She asked: ‘Do you think it was a mistake for him – for other presidents – not to push harder when Democrats had the majority?’

‘I think that this is a waste of time. The fact is in [20]09 we really did not have a pro-choice Democratic party,’ Pelosi explained. ‘I had to fight against some of the people who did not want to pass the Affordable Care Act because they were concerned it would enable more freedom of choice.’

‘Right now we do have a pro-choice Democratic Congress and we passed the law months ago,’ she continued.

A leak out of the Supreme Court is completely unprecedented, and many warn it could lead to a breakdown in the Judicial Branch and break trust between the Justices.

Protesters descended on conservative Justices’ homes in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. on Saturday.

Protesters in San Francisco, which falls in Pelosi's California district, march for abortion rights on Saturday, May 7, 2022

Protesters in San Francisco, which falls in Pelosi’s California district, march for abortion rights on Saturday, May 7, 2022

Pelosi put pressure on Sunday on moderate Democrats – mainly Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona – to join their Senate colleagues in getting rid of the filibuster so that abortion rights could pass through the upper chamber.

‘Two more – one or two more senators could sweep back the filibuster rule for this purpose, and then women would have a right to choose,’ Pelosi said without mentioning Manchin or Sinema by name.

‘This is about something so serious and so personal and so disrespectful of women,’ she continued. ‘So, the fact is, let’s keep our eye on the ball. The ball is in the court of those justices.’

‘I don’t think there’s a good outcome but there’s a better outcome as far as this is concerned,’ Pelosi said.

She presented a slippery slope argument, claiming that the abortion issue isn’t really about the lives of unborn, but more about privacy.

Pelosi warned that if Roe v. Wade is overturned that gay marriage or banning of contraceptions could be next.

Pro-abortion demonstrators rally for rights to remain after a leak of a draft opinion from the Supreme Court showed an impending overturn of Roe v. Wade

Pro-abortion demonstrators rally for rights to remain after a leak of a draft opinion from the Supreme Court showed an impending overturn of Roe v. Wade

Protesters also descended on the home of Supreme Court Justices in Maryland and Virginia on Saturday. Pictured: Those pro-abortion protesters gathered outside Justice Brett Kavanaugh's house scream: 'We will not go back!'

Protesters also descended on the home of Supreme Court Justices in Maryland and Virginia on Saturday. Pictured: Those pro-abortion protesters gathered outside Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s house scream: ‘We will not go back!’

‘You’ll have to talk to the Senate about the Senate,’ Pelosi said when asked about legislation to protect abortion rights that already passed the Democrat-led House.

‘But I do think that it puts an urgency on what’s happening in the election,’ she said, hoping to further mobilize pro-choice voters to show up and vote for Democrats in the 2022 midterms.

With a 50-50 split Senate, just one defector can stop any agenda items for the left. The House is less split, but can still only afford to lose a handful of districts in the midterm elections to keep their upper hand in the lower chamber.

Chief Justice John Roberts, one of the six conservatives on the Supreme Court bench, has said that he would not support an entire overturn of the precedent case – but would support a ban at the 15-week point of a pregnancy.

Even with Roberts defecting with liberals, there are still five conservatives that have the numbers to pass an overturn of Roe v. Wade.



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