Thursday was a big day for President Obama and the progressive movement in America. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi sat down with Ed Schultz for an exclusive interview after the ruling. Ed asked if she feels vindicated after fighting so hard for reform.
Here's a transcript of tonight's EXCLUSIVE 'ED Show' interview with Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi about the Supreme Court's ruling on the health care law and the House vote to hold Attorney General Eric Holder:
SCHULTZ: On this historical day that it is I’m here with Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. Congresswoman, congratulations is in order and I say that because after Scott Brown got into the Senate, there were a lot of people that were saying healthcare was dead. You revived it. You must feel vindicated.
PELOSI: I don’t know if vindicated is the word. I’m really very, very happy. I always knew, I always thought, this would be upheld by the court. I said six to three. I was wrong - it was five-four. I gave too much credit to, well let me free myself of my negative thoughts here to one of the justices. This is about, people said... Oh people suffered…. politically because of this vote. I think that’s what the election of 2010 was about nine and half percent unemployment. $200 million was spent misrepresenting the healthcare bill. Nine and half percent unemployment is hard to get through that shield to explain anything. Our members feel proud of what they did. We stand there in the ranks of those who passed social security, Medicare and now health care for all Americans as a right, not a privilege. We came to do a job and now we’re glad the court upholds it.
SCHULTZ: There’s a lot of Americans out there that stood with you on healthcare. They are not in the congress today. The Tea Party ran against them, the tea party went after them on this health care bill. What do you say to them? Was that a courageous move?
PELOSI: They stood very strong and I heard from most of them today after the election, when we met, they said I would never reverse my vote on healthcare for any reason. That’s what I came here to do. They knew their reason to be here today, to get a job done for the American people and today we’ve heard from many of them, very elated about this.
SCHULTZ: What are the next four months going to be like running into the election? Boehner just said in another press conference that the American people are going to have to decide whether they want this or not.
PELOSI: I think the decision has been made. More people are taking advantage of the health care reform. Some of the provisions that are already in affect know how important to them whether it’s pre-existing conditions, staying on your parent’s plan, whether it’s lower costs of prescription drugs for seniors. Those kinds of issues and the more people know what it means to them, the more popular the bill will be, no matter what the other side says.
SCHULTZ: Listening to Mitt Romney today, he is clearly going to run against this. Is this a political winner?
PELOSI: Listening to Mitt Romney today, I was confused because it was as if he was for it before he was against it and now he’s both. He supports the decision of the court, to overturn the entire bill and yet he said but if they do that, you still cannot be discriminated against on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions. How does that happen? Is he going to pay for it? Maybe he’s volunteering. The fact is you cannot have it both ways.
SCHULTZ: President Obama said today that this is going to reduce costs, President Obama said today that this going to save the country money. In the other room, the Republicans are saying no, this is going to blow up the deficit. The CBO scores it as a financial winner over the long haul. Who is telling the truth?
PELOSI: Well first of all, when we did the bill, one of the main purposes of the bill in addition to the right of people to have access to healthcare. The cost of healthcare in our country was totally unsustainable for individuals, for families, for businesses large and small. For government – state, local and federal budgets and for our economy because the healthcare costs are a competitiveness issue. Lowering costs was an essential part of what went down this path and it would be an ever-escalating lowering of cost if you can say it that way. That is to say the CBO scored it in a way to lower cost that it does. But it also has built into it studies from the institute of medicine, etc., to say we have to make choices that are not about volume, but about value. Value, not volume. Quality, not quantity. Procedures addressing regional disparities, all of that technical but nonetheless substantial in terms of cost. And in addition to that, not part of this bill, but what we did leading up to this bill with the recovery act was electronic medical records, health IT which was they tell us, the outside groups, they tell us we can reduce costs by hundreds of billions of dollars.
SCHULTZ: But they say, it’s not cost efficient and they’re going to run on that.
PELOSI: Well you know what, we’ll just have to have that debate because what they want is XX insurance companies to have their way. It’s just what it is. You have a good combination of the health insurance industry and the anti-government ideologues who go out there and fight against this bill. What they want is the insurance companies had a good gig. They can charge anything, ever increase the cost, you get sick, you lose your policy and you can even have your policy rescinded on the way to the operating room.
SCHULTZ: They spent a lot of money telling people that this is not good, that the next four months is going to be important - messaging to the American people that this is good.
PELOSI: Yes, but I think these elections are always about jobs. That’s really what the debate will be.
SCHULTZ: Well they call it a job killer
PELOSI: It creates 4 million jobs. Health insurance - healthcare is the fastest growing entity in our economy.
SCHULTZ: So it’s not a job killer?
PELOSI: it’s not. It creates 4 million jobs, it reduces the deficit, it lowers the cost of individuals, it improves the quality and it expands coverage. And it does so in a market-oriented way. If I had my way I’d have single payer and public option, but nonetheless this bill does the job.
SCHULTZ: Your thoughts on Chief Justice Roberts decision, him being the one.
PELOSI: Chief Justice Roberts’s decision I believe is consistent with his writings and his pronouncements in the past about the extent of the court, the Supreme Court’s role in the passing of the constitutionality. That’s why I always said 6 – 3, I anticipated we could possibly get Kennedy, but I was wrong. But we did win and I was right on that.
SCHULTZ: You had a very emotional phone call this morning with Vicky Kennedy…
PELOSI: I did. I called Vicky, as soon as we knew because I didn’t know whether she had the TV on or not, and I called Vicky and I said, thank you, congratulations and she goes saying the same thing back to me. And I said to her, you know, we all know this would not have happened without Teddy. It was his life’s work; it was called the great unfinished business of our country. And I said when he left us we know he was having an influence from on high when we passed the bill and now up until today with the announcement I said now, finally Teddy, as far as health care is concerned can rest in peace.
SCHULTZ: But how do you feel that you’re going to be remembered as the Speaker than went back in and saved it? I remember a conversation I had with Robert Gibbs, he says we’re not going to get health care. A few days later you went in, revived it.
PELOSI: I never, it was never a thought in my mind we wouldn’t have it, I don’t care what anyone else had to say about it.
SCHULTZ: You were going to do it…
PELOSI: We’re going to do it. We had the urgency, we had the value, we had the votes and we were going to make it happen. One of these days we can talk about the people that wanted to get 60 votes, I was saying no, no I’m going to get 51. It’s not my business that’s the senate, but that’s what we ended up doing.
SCHULTZ: Finally, is this Kennedy like? You got a great start. You got some great things, and – that was kind of his philosophy. Take what you can get and move it forward.
PELOSI: Oh, well, we got much more than that. We got much more than that. As you can see by the actions of the others – no, we got much more. Yes, Teddy was the person who said you have to – you have to see a victory and recognize it when it is in sight and not let a victory be snatched – what is the term? A victory snatched from the jaws or jaw -- whatever the term, whatever the expression is. In any event, I would not – I wanted to have a bill that accomplished the same things as a single-payer or a public option would do. Even if we couldn’t get the votes in the Senate to do the public option. And I believe we did that. I think we would have saved more money if we had the public option and I think that – but I think that our purposes are served by this. And if it enabled us to go forward, then so be it. One of these days, I still believe that we can – the decision, the judgment will be made, maybe by states – about their doing single-payer on their own and the rest. But in the meantime, as far as meeting the needs of individuals and families there, and as I keep saying, as far as our families are concerned, the best is yet to come as more of this bill – of this act unfolds and as it is fully implemented in 2014.
SCHULTZ: How would you characterize the contempt vote that’s going to take place?
PELOSI: I think the actions by the Republicans are contemptible. It is not based on fact. It is rushed to the floor. It flies in the face of the congressional admonition that branches of government should work together. In less than two weeks, they are bringing a contempt motion to the floor against a cabinet officer. The first time in the history of our country. When we brought contempt charges against staff in the White House as keepers of the president’s record, for over 200 days we tried to get them to cooperate. Over 200 days. In less than two weeks, they’re coming to the floor. Based on a false premise – they’re premise is false. I contend that it has more to do with tying the hands of the attorney general whose responsibility it is to stop the voter suppression that is out there. They are not happy that he did not pursue protecting (INAUDIBLE) in terms of the constitutionality of --
SCHULTZ: Purely political?
PELOSI: Totally political.
SCHULTZ: Infuriate you?
PELOSI: Well, it doesn’t surprise me. Definitely you think you’ve seen it all, they come up with something else. And I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that it’s happening on the same day as the court decision. I think they thought that it was going to go their way and they’d have like, a one-two punch. They might have a one-two punch, but it might be coming their way.
SCHULTZ: And you think the American people will figure this out? That it is political?
PELOSI: Well I think we, again – we have to make sure that we understand what this is. But you know what? It’s what it isn’t, too. It isn’t jobs. Jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs. That’s what the American people want. Any diversionary tactic will do for the Republicans because they do not believe in a public role in creating jobs or providing health care or anything else. And that’s what people should know about them. They do not believe in the public space. That’s why every day, we vote to undo clean air, clean water, food safety, public safety, public education, housing, public transportation, public health, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security. They do not believe in the public role. And bless their hearts, they act upon their beliefs. They sincerely, ideologically believe in this orthodoxy. And that’s why it’s hard to find common ground with them as we used to. Democrats and Republicans going back and forth on the spectrum. They break that spectrum, two different paths.
SCHULTZ: Great to have you with us. Thank you.
PELOSI: My pleasure. Thank you.



OK Nancy tell us who will be the ones that will pay this health care tax?
will it be the rich? No because they can afford health care
will it be the pool the ones who make under 23,000 a year? No because they will get it for free
Looks like the only ones left will be the middle class do you realize you just raised the tax on the middle class by 2300 dollars a year
First you tell us why the GOP cry about the cost of Medicare all the time but when the First Lady want's to get better foods in our schools the GOP say no way. In the long run this would save money because our kids would be healthier.
Health care made simple, it is easy to understand even a dust bonny can do it.
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+healthcare+video&mid=6D1EC367DAE7CB6493E36D1EC367DAE7CB6493E3&view=detail&FORM=VIRE1
In the words of Bodhner.......HELL YES WE CAN!
kept it simple enough for our favorite dust bunny. Where is pan head, republic?
And the video gamer resorts to fear-mongering. That won't work here.
Rove won't pay you for this; I've told you many times. Keep delivering pizza for beer and cigarette money.
Moved out of mommy's house yet?
People that don't have health insurance will pay the health care tax.
This allows for government health care costs associated with uninsured people that cannot be turned away from an emergency room.
Less than $100 so I don't see the problem.
@CA,
That's right. The youth and the middle class that don't need health insurance will be forced by the Government to pay for those people who would otherwise show up at Emergency rooms to be covered.
The poor people making the minimum wage make this country richer with their work and they deserve to have health care that is NOT free. They work for it producing income for rich people who do NOT pay them a decent wage. Who makes the people richer? the working class, so they deserve at least health care so the rich people keep exploiting them. They pay their fair share NOT the rich people. So that's right , tax the rich to balance equality.
@CA,
Unlike you, I'm one of the unwashed that cannot post links. So, you'll just have to take me as my word.
As President Obama and Congress crafted the largest national health insurance program since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965, they insist that the final product will add "not one dime" to the federal deficit.
But cost projections are notoriously unreliable, and history is filled with examples of federal programs - especially in health care - that cost far more than originally predicted.
In 1965, the House Ways and Means Committee estimated that the hospital insurance program of Medicare - the federal health care program for the elderly and disabled - would cost $9 billion by 1990. The actual cost that year was $67 billion.
In 1967, the House Ways and Means Committee said the entire Medicare program would cost $12 billion in 1990. The actual cost in 1990 was $98 billion.
This health care overhaul will bankrupt our nation and no one seems to care. History has shown it.
Hey Ed how about if we just call it RomneyObamaCare since they both are the same.
As a re reg your opinion means nothing.
BHO is Golfing just told us where he gets his news from.
Call it RomBamaCare or BamaRomCare.
So what gee do you also know your right foot from your left? I guess mommy should be proud you know something the rest of the 1st graders know. Now tell me 1st grade grad just how does state laws over ride federal laws. As any 3rd grader can tell you that if it is illegal for the feds then it is illegal for the states.
Loved the look on Rmoney's face after getting the bad news. BTW go MSNBC hear you reported it right not like lying fox news.
Thank you Nancy, Ted, Obama, and Your Honor Roberts.
As a re reg who cares what you post we know its just nonsense until its deleted when you are banned again.
golfing,
SPIN this any way you want so you feel better about the fact that PRESIDENT OBAMA HAD A 'WIN'.
who cares what roberts THINKS ABOUT THE BILL?
he voted THAT IT IS CONSTITUTIONAL.
The only books you read republic are the ones that have pictures for you to color without words because words hurt your brain.
republic you keep proving that you never evolved beyond the finger painting stages of childhood.
Congratulations to all progressive liberals. We have won the first round in the war against the poor being waged by the right wing of the GOP. Shame on Justice Thomas and Scalia. Are they now going to return all the money they took from those that recruited them?
As I watch the responses to the Supreme Court decision, I am constantly reminded that the only thing Romney can say is straight from the 80's, "Just Say No". No for healthcare. No for pulling out of Afghanistan. No for joining the military for himself or his 5 boys. No for all Americans that are not filthy rich. No if you are not an investor, a coorporation, a "mega-donor", against students, responsible regulations, international cooperation. NO NO NO is his word. Just Say No is their motto for anything not from them.
"Just Say Stupid" would be more accurate way to describe Romney right now.
Nancy Pelosi had a good day today and looked like a real leader. She was the one besides President Obama that got the ACA passed into law. Nancy Pelosi did most of the heavy lifting for this bill. Now Democrats need to advertise the benefits of the ACA to Democrats along with plans for job creation. Today was a good day, but an even better day will be when Democrats hold the Senate and take back the House. Most of the beltway pundits were proven incorrect about ACA today. Democrats need to prove more pundits wrong by reelecting President Obama and making sure that Speaker Pelosi in 2013 is the way forward plus keeping control of the Senate.
I just watched the end of ed's show and he said that he has been on assignment 5 or 6 times to a free health care clinic. He made the point that we already have free health care for those in need. They keep saying that so many people have no access to health care, but ed said that they do. Trying to have it both ways again.
50 million Americans are uninsured. The ACA will help about 32 million get affordable insurance coverage by having private insurance expansion with government subsidies. Conservatives are hypocrites because they criticize ACA but come up with no solutions of their own for giving 50 million uninsured health care. Mitt Romney wants to make the Bush tax cuts permanent. This act will add a cost of at least $4 trillion plus over the next decade while cutting Medicare for Seniors. The Ryan budget plan turns Medicare into a voucher program and adds $6,000 to their premiums annually for Seniors. All of this so the wealthiest Americans get more tax cuts that they neither need nor deserve.
So where are all those jobs bills from Mr. "jobs, jobs, jobs" Boehner, who refuses to pass the American Jobs act that would add one million jobs for building up our dilapidated infrastructure. Boehner today was to busy wasting time voting on contempt charges for AG Holder. All of this because the GOP is all upset about Holder enforcing lawsuits against voter suppression laws in numerous states like Florida. The GOP is angry about the challenging of these voter suppression laws that are clearly unconstitutional. So where are all those GOP jobs bills? Oh yeah Mitt Romney is too busy making jobs in Singapore, Malaya, China, and in Taiwan.
Conservatives are hypocrites because they criticize ACA but come up with no solutions of their own for giving 50 million uninsured health care.
The key words being "giving health care" .... typical liberal whining.
Health care for these 50 million is easy. All they have to do is call United Health and PURCHASE a policy. That's what real Americans do.
It may mean putting a cork in the bottle or getting rid of the pipe but it can be done.
If they don't want to PURCHASE...who the hell cares...they're useless liabilities.
corrupt. You just pay attention to the parts that fit your beliefs? Why not listen for a change? Why not find out just how those "free" clinics came about and who paid for those "free" clinics. But that would ruin your talking points. Wouldn't want you to do that. And we already know you don't want the truth or facts. Just keep listening to Fox Lies and they will continue telling you what to say.
i would be willing to help pay for ed and nancy to go on a trip i am sure half of america will help pay for a one way ticket to syria i hear its a hot vacation spot and you too would fit right in
The ed show should be called the retard show what a idiot does he really believe that crap that comes out of his own mouth...wow what a prick and idiot
Aand we have another rightie with nothing to say so joins the rest in insult and names. Just how empty is that idea bank of your? Must be sucking air.
Larry funny how they whine when after spending months destroying their 34 year old talking points we no longer read their posts we just toy around with them for our amusement. I mean really it is the same 5 posts over and over that basically say when a republican does it then its good if a democrat does anything then its bad, freaking 3 year old thinking skills at their best.