Pelosi forgets McConnell's name, says challenging her as speaker 'a little bit on the sexist side

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, House minority leader Nancy Pelosi discussed her views on the current political climate — and had a slight lapse while questioning the motivation of those who might threaten her position in leadership.

What was the tone?

You can image. Under the headline for the piece, Rolling Stone calls President Trump the "sexist-in-chief," setting the stage for an interview that is everything you would expect given the publication and politician involved.

But seriously, it's fair for the magazine to give the minority leader a voice on the current state of affairs. As they say in the write-up, "for all the talk about Nancy Pelosi, less time has been spent actually listening to her."

Writer Tim Dickinson told Pelosi, "Republicans have made you a central campaign issue. What do you make of that?" To that she responds: "They come after me because I'm effective. I've made some very powerful, rich enemies.

"Whether anti-government people in terms of the Affordable Care Act, whether it's Wall Street reform, going after them on climate, in terms of the fossil fuel industry. I'm pro-labor; they want to destroy labor...I don't think we should allow the Koch brothers to choose the leaders of the Democratic Party. But that's what they're trying to do."

Where does the sexism come from?

Responding to questioning about Pelosi facing a possible challenge after members of her party have called for a new generation of leadership, she dismissed any possible threat of being dethroned.

Pelosi said of the calls for her to be replaced, "I think some of it is a little bit on the sexist side — although I wouldn't normally say it. Except, it's like, really? Has anyone asked whatshisname, the one who's the head of Senate?"

At that point, Pelosi's stand-by aide pipes in, "McConnell."

"McConnell," she then continues. "I mean he's got the lowest numbers of anybody in the world. Have you ever gone up to him and said, 'How much longer do you think you'll stay in this job?' Nobody ever went up to Harry Reid and said that. Nobody ever says that to anybody except a woman. But it's a thing."