Back in 2010, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi infamously said “we have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it,” pertaining to Obamacare.
Three and a half years later, the disastrous rollout of Obamacare regulated millions of Americans’ healthcare plans out of of existence.
And three and a half years later, moderator David Gregory on Sunday’s “Meet the Press” on NBC, confronted Pelosi about her 2010 remarks.
Pelosi defended those remarks, saying the Affordable Care Act was an unfinished product at the time and would have had to be passed by both chambers of Congress to see what the ultimate result would be.
“No, what I was saying there is we are House and the Senate,” Pelosi replied. “We get a bill. We go to conference or we ping-pong it, and then you see what the final product is. However, I stand by what I said there. When people see what is in the bill, they will like it. And they will. And so, while there’s a lot of hoop-di-doo and ado about what’s happening now — very appropriate. I’m not criticizing. I’m saying it took a great deal for us to pass this bill. I said if we go up to the gate and the gate is locked, we’ll unlock the gate. If we can’t do that, we’ll climb the fence. If the fence is too high, we’ll pole vault in. If we can’t do that, we’ll helicopter in, but we’ll get it done.
“We had to pass the test of the courts, and we did,” Pelosi continued. “The first rollout in the first part of the first year of the implementation went very smoothly. The website did not work; that has caused problems complicating people transitioning from those policies to the other. But, again, this is never thought to be easy. And the fact is, it doesn’t matter what we’re saying here: What matters? What happens at the kitchen table of the American people and how they will have more affordability, more accessibility, better quality care, prevention, wellness, a healthier nation honoring the vows of our founders of life, a healthier life. Liberty to pursue their happiness — not be chained by a policy.”
(h/t Mediaite)