Pelosi says voters misunderstood Prop. 8

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed deep disappointment on Friday that California voters approved Prop. 8, the measure banning same-sex marriage, and defended her ally, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, against critics who say his actions contributed to its passage.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Chronicle, Pelosi said she believes some voters might not have fully understood the initiative, which overturned a state Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage. The measure was approved 52 to 48 percent.

"Unfortunately, I think people thought they were making a statement about what their view of same-sex marriage was," the San Francisco Democrat said. "I don't know if it was clear that this meant that we are amending the Constitution to diminish freedom in our state."

Newsom played a starring role in TV and radio ads aired by the Yes on Prop. 8 campaign, which seized on his remarks at a rally in May after the court's ruling that same-sex marriages were "going to happen, whether you like it or not." The measure's passage was seen as a blow to the possibility of a Newsom bid for governor.

Pelosi, a longtime supporter of Newsom, said the mayor should not be blamed for the measure's success. "He acted upon his beliefs. He feels very strongly that there should not be discrimination and that fairness should prevail for all parts of our society," she said. "Some may say there are political risks, but I know the (bigger) political risk for him was to do what he didn't believe, and he would never do that."

In the interview, Pelosi talked about her priorities next year after an election in which Democrats picked up at least 20 House seats and six Senate seats and captured the White House.

She also revealed new details of her post-election phone call on Wednesday with President-elect Barack Obama. In the congratulatory call, Pelosi made clear - if it wasn't clear already - that she is a huge fan.

"I said to him, 'Your speech last night was so magnificent. It makes me wonder what you're going to say in your inaugural address,' " Pelosi said.

Obama played coy. "He said, 'Well, you're just going to have to wait and hear that. I'm not going to let you in on any of that right now.' "

Closed-door meeting

Pelosi talked about her closed-door meeting Thursday with executives and union officials from the struggling U.S. auto industry, who are seeking at least $25 billion in low-cost government loans on top of $25 billion Congress has already approved. Pelosi said she is open to the idea of more aid - with the caveat that Detroit would have to agree to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles.

"We have been very clear that if the taxpayer is going to invest money, the taxpayer's interest has to be protected," she said. "That means not investing money in something that is not viable for the future, and that viability is tied to innovation and green technology to have us prevail in the global marketplace."

Pelosi suggested for the first time that she's likely to extend the life of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, which she created in 2006 to press for action on climate change. It is scheduled to expire at the end of this year. She said an announcement would come soon, but she made a strong case for keeping it.

"It's a tremendously valuable resource to both Democrats and Republicans intellectually, in terms of the staffing there," she said of the panel, which is chaired by her ally Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass. "The exchange of ideas - not everyone agrees, but it emphasizes the importance of it. It has been a tremendous resource to me as speaker of the House for my flagship issue."

A plan to stay neutral

The San Francisco Democrat also said she plans to stay neutral in the internal fight between two Democratic House titans - Reps. Henry Waxman of Los Angeles and John Dingell of Michigan - over who will chair the Energy and Commerce Committee. Waxman, who has clashed with Dingell in the past over environmental policy, is seeking to oust him as chairman, a position that will be crucial in drafting energy, climate change and health care policy.

Pelosi, who has feuded with Dingell over issues such as fuel economy standards, said she wants to leave the decision to her fellow Democrats. "The two of them are very serious lawmakers and they are well known to the members," she said.

No matter which man leads the committee, Pelosi said she would pressure him to move a "cap and trade" bill that would limit greenhouse gases and allow emitters to trade credits to emit gases. She acknowledged it might take Congress time to put together the complex and controversial legislation.

"This is a very challenging issue," she said. "We have a great deal of work to do to reach a consensus."

Pelosi said Democrats will make reviving a weak economy their singular focus for the next several months. She said the new jobs reports Friday - which showed a loss of 240,000 jobs last month and a rise in the unemployment rate to 6.5 percent - underscored the need to pass a stimulus package when Congress returns for the lame-duck session Nov. 17.

Democrats are pushing a package of between $61 billion and $100 billion, which would be spent on infrastructure projects, an extension of jobless benefits, an increase in food stamps and aid to cash-strapped states. The Bush White House and Republicans in Congress are cool to the idea.

Whether it succeeds or fails, Democrats and Obama are planning, after he takes office in January, a stimulus plan that could be even bigger. Pelosi said the details are still being debated, but she is pushing for a tax cut for the middle class.

"We did the stimulus package with rebates (in February). ... It had a good effect, I think," she said. "I think a permanent tax cut would have an even stronger impact on the economy."

Obama echoed Pelosi's remarks on the stimulus plan at his first post-election news conference in Chicago Friday, urging lawmakers and President Bush to approve the bill now. He said, "If it does not get done in the lame-duck session, it will be the first thing I get done as president of the United States."