House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is denying Republican claims that she is partisan, saying she has been open to GOP ideas.In an interview with Charlie Rose on Friday, Pelosi was asked what is the most unfair and misleading impression of her. Pelosi initially said she doesn't think about it, but when pressed, the Speaker took on her Republican critics. "There seems to -- some people think there seems to be a market for saying that I am very partisan, and that I don't give the Republicans their opportunity. That simply is not true. They know in this recovery package that we had, we ask them what they wanted. They wanted certain things in there."
Many Republicans in the House maintain that Pelosi is one of the most partisan figures in the lower chamber. One GOP lawmaker who requested anonymity told The Hill on Thursday that working with Pelosi on legislation is nearly impossible. "She's an ideologue," the Republican lawmaker said.
Pelosi suggested that Republicans are playing political games: "If you can't win on policy, then you go to process. If you can't win on process, then you go to personality. And that's how they have decided they would make up stories about me and the rest...but you know what? I'm in the arena. We have big issues. I can't be bothered about what they say about me. All I'm interested in is getting the job done. And I really want to get it done in a bipartisan way."