RUSH: Luke Russert. This is last Wednesday in Washington during a House Democrat leadership press conference, Luke Russert, the son of Tim Russert, and Nancy Pelosi had this exchange about her ability to be effective as a leader. I mean, this would make his dad, Tim, proud. Listen to this.
RUSSERT: Over 60 House Democrats lost in this cycle. Your positive rating with Independents stands at 8 percent. Why are you the best person to lead Democrats, House Democrats, in the current political landscape?
PELOSI: How would your ratings be if $75 million were spent against you? Because I’m an effective leader, because we got the job done on health care and Wall Street reform and consumer protections — the list goes on. Because they know that I’m the person that can attract the resources, both intellectual and otherwise, to take us to victory, because I have done it before.
RUSH: Right.
PELOSI: And so, again, you take nine-and-a-half percent unemployment, burn a dollar bill, $75 million spent against one person, and I’d like to see what your ratings would be.
RUSH: Well, I’ll put my ratings up against yours, and I’ve had at least that much spent against me, if not more. If all the airtime spent bashing me was paid for, Pelosi’s $75 million would pale. But, ‘I’m an effective leader ’cause we got the job done. They know I’m the person that could attract the resources, intellectual and otherwise, to take us to victory.’ When? ‘Because I’ve done it before.’ Serious delusion.
Larry King Live, Joe Bite Me was the guest. ‘Pelosi’s coming back,’ Larry King said, ‘This time as minority leader. She was a lightning rod, you gotta admit that.’
KING: But people either like her or don’t like her. She’s not a halfway.
BIDEN: You know, I think that’s the case with almost all great leaders. People either liked Ronald Reagan or didn’t like him. They liked George Bush or didn’t. They liked Bill Clinton or didn’t.
KING: Do you think Nancy Pelosi is a greater leader?
BIDEN: Well, I think she is. I think she’s a very, very effective and competent person to — she gets things done.
RUSH: I mean they circle the wagons around their troops, there’s no question they do that, because privately they’re all trying to get rid of her. Privately they wish she’d take a hike. Privately they wish she’d have a wreck going down Lombard Street in San Francisco, but no. Now they gotta sing her praises. She just engineered a shellacking, she and Obama. Folks, it was a wipeout, and listen to ’em. They’ve gotta circle the wagons and they are doing it.