House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi dubbed Republicans “the E. coli club” at a forum supporting the congressional candidacy of former West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel in Boca Raton, Fla., on Monday.
Pelosi (D-Calif.) made reference to the bacteria, which can cause fatal food poisoning, while lambasting the GOP for making cuts to government programs she says are necessary to keep citizens safe and healthy.
“I say to [Republicans], do you have children that breathe air? Do you have grandchildren that drink water?,” Pelosi asked. “I’m a mom and I have five kids ... as a mom I was vigilant about food safety, right moms? If you could depend on the government for one thing it was that you had to be able to trust the water that our kids drank and the food that they ate. But this is the E. coli club. They do not want to spend money to do that.”
The role and size of government has become one of the central themes of the 2012 election.
Republicans argue that government spending and the deficit are pushing the United States toward insolvency, and that the left is trying to create a state where citizens are dependent on federal programs. Democrats say the GOP is trying to cut the social safety net for the benefit of the wealthiest citizens.
“Bless their hearts, it’s the philosophy Republicans in Congress have,” Pelosi added. “And bless their hearts, they act upon their beliefs. It’s an ideology. We shouldn’t have a government role. So reduce the police, the firemen, the teachers, reduce their role and give tax cuts to the high end. That will stimulate the economy and everything will be good.”
