Pelosi: We Have to Go Forth

If she wants to keep health-care reform alive, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) must corral two groups of conservative Democrats reluctant to vote for the legislation. She spoke on ABC’s This Week, telling her fellow lawmakers that passing health care was imperative, even if it means a major overhaul of the current bill. She said that even if the decision to act is unpopular at the moment, it is necessary to help the public. "Time is up," she said. "We really have to go forth." She likened today's health-care legislation with Social Security and Medicare, both of which became highly popular, and said, "We're not here just to self-perpetuate our service in Congress. We're here to do the job for the American people." Pelosi also addressed the Tea Party movement, saying Democrats “share some of the views of the Tea Partiers in terms of the role of special interests in Washington D.C., as—it just has to stop” but alluded to the GOP “hijacking the good intentions of lots of people who share some of our concerns.”