In a press conference today at the California Democratic Convention, Nancy Pelosi, accompanied by Chairman John Burton, spoke on the issues facing California and the nation. Here are some of the highlights:
When asked about Obama's decision to make contraception coverage mandatory in health care plans, she responded in full support of the president.
"The president said the waiver given to religious groups would stand. And I support that. He said it would not be extended to other institutions even though they are run by religious organizations, and that is still the case." "This is about women's health. Maybe some people don't understand how central to women's health the issue of the size and timing of families is to them. So I think the President is to be commended for what he did."
We took particular interest in a series of questions asked about the top-two primary system in California and the effect that pre-endorsement would have on the competitive primary races.
Q: You mentioned the three districts in which had no competitive primary. In the other districts where you are hopeful and there are primaries, might that change after Sunday when you have endorsed candidates in each of those districts.
A: You always reevaluate the path that you're on politically depending on how serious the competition is within a primary. But right now throughout the country, we have a pattern where we try to back off where there is a primary, we want the best possible candidate where the people choose.
Q: Does the top two primary system complicate that in California, where you might have multiple democrats splitting vote?
A: If it's top two and it's two Democrats, we would definitely not be in that race.
Q: Im thinking of a district where you might have 1 Republican, 4 Democrats, and an Independent.
A: We always reserve the right to reevaluate what the particular tactic might be from one race to another and just because somebody is in the race, doesn't mean that they are competitive in the race. If their being in the race can take just enough away to hurt our eventually winning the second phase or general election then we would evaluate that. Simply put, we will make our decision in favor of one thing: the suport for the 1 in 5 children that live in poverty, assault on women's reproductive freedom, and the assault on worker's rights throughout the country. It isn't even about politics, but how important that particular race is for working American families.
Check out some of the tweets from today's press conference and make sure to follow @IVNetwork on Twitter to get complete coverage of the California Democratic Convention:
Nancy Pelosi on Obama's decision to include contraception in healthcare: "The president is to be commended for what he did." #CADEM2012 — Independent Voter (@IVNetwork) February 10, 2012
Nancy Pelosi on unemployment: We are on a path to economic recovery, and @USATODAY predicts unemployment will drop to 8% #CADEM2012 — Independent Voter (@IVNetwork) February 10, 2012
Nancy Pelosi on special interests: If we are to have a fair economy, we need a fair electoral system #CADEM2012 — Independent Voter (@IVNetwork) February 10, 2012
Nancy Pelosi on SuperPACs: I support Obama's use of SuperPACs because he's committed to full disclosure. He has no choice #CADEM2012 — Independent Voter (@IVNetwork) February 10, 2012
Our film and media intern Benjamin Wong got a great shot of Pelosi and Burton:
