Dear Speaker Pelosi,
While I'm not in your district, I want you to know that I have the deepest respect for the tremendous work you and Sen Reid did this past Congress.
While the American people may have rejected some of what happened -- in due time, they will look back and be unable to even conceive of an America where each citizen didn't have the right to health care. Clearly, the health care bill ranks among the biggest accomplishment of Congress in the past century, along with Social Security, Medicare, and the Civil Rights Acts....
Sometimes doing the right thing has costs -- and tens of millions of Americans give thanks that you and Sen Reid were prepared to pay that cost.
As commentator Jonathan Chait wrote:
...both parties had to choose between politics and policy. Democrats could have minimized their losses at the cost of sacrificing the health reform they wanted. Or Republicans could have minimized the scope of health care reform, at the cost of minimizing their potential wave. Democrats chose the best policy, and Republicans chose the best politics. I'm happy with the choice. Mitch McConnell won his election, and Democrats won health care reform. The latter is going to [be] around a lot longer than the former.
Indeed. Your speakership was short but historic, and accomplished much. (And that's not even counting all the terrific legislation you passed that the Senate did not). I hope that, whatever you choose to do in the future (and I hope it's to remain the leader of the Dems), you always remember that you made life better for tens of millions of Americans in a tremendously substantial and very direct way. Not many politicians can say that.
The Democratic party is having trouble now because they are the only adults in the room. Americans are lucky to have them.
Sincerely, and best wishes,