Nancy Pelosi Responds To President Bush On Social Security: We're Very 'Pleased' He Is Disappointed

Amanda Terkel

Nancy Pelosi Responds To President Bush On Social Security: We're Very 'Pleased' He Is Disappointed

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was extremely pleased with President Bush's latest revelation that his biggest failure in office was not passing Social Security reform, telling reporters on Friday that it was a great Democratic triumph that the party managed to block him.

"As one of the leaders who led the effort to disappoint him, I am very pleased that he is admitting he was trying to do that," she said during the call, joined by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.). "That it was his high priority. We defeated him then in his trying to privatize Social Security, we will do it again. Republicans are trying to do it in their budget. The three independent reports conclude that if Republicans succeeded in privatizing Social Security, benefits for America's seniors would be cut (and) Wall Street would have made billions."

The issue of Social Security has become a hot topic in the midterm elections, with conservative groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Republican candidates accusing Democrats of cutting benefits for the government-funded program through their votes for health care reform. Democrats are responding that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act did no such thing but that under a GOP majority, Social Security would be privatized.

When asked by The Huffington Post what lessons Democrats take from the fight during the Bush administration that would be carried over into a possible battle next year, Pelosi said that Democratic unity and strong public opposition was how they ultimately won.

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