House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on CBS' "60 Minutes" Sunday night that it's an ongoing Republican theme to characterize Democratic policies as "socialist" — even dating back to Ronald Reagan and Medicare — but that she ultimately rejects socialism as an economic system and that it is "not the view of the Democratic Party."
Why it matters: Pelosi has frequently sought to downplay divisions within the House Democratic caucus, especially as some progressives like freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have pushed democratic socialism toward the mainstream. Pelosi dismissed the Ocasio-Cortez' wing of the party as "like five people," but it's worth noting that avowed democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders — though he's technically an independent — is among the favorites to win the Democratic nomination for president in 2020.
