Villain Pelosi?

Republicans running for the House this year think that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the villain driving health-care reform, not President Barack Obama, writes Politico. “In district after district, GOP candidates have unleashed a barrage of press releases, emails, and ads criticizing the California congresswoman for her efforts and explicitly tying their Democratic opponents to her, often while avoiding mention of the president’s role altogether. While Obama’s work to advance health care legislation is also a target in some contests, it is Pelosi who is emerging as the face of health care reform in competitive races across the country. The standard approach is to characterize vulnerable Democrats as Pelosi minions or close allies. A recent press release for Republican Jeff Reetz described Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) as ‘Pelosi’s Benchwarmer’ while Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.) is said by Republican Frank Guinta to be ‘Pelosi’s strongest ally in the House.’ In California, Republican Brad Goehring claims Democratic Rep. Jerry McNerney ‘has voted in lockstep with Speaker Nancy Pelosi.’