Posted on 11/12/2018 3:27:00 PM PST by Kaslin
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has done what we all knew she was going to do if the Democrats retook the House: mount a bid for speaker (again). It’s a slam-dunk, right? Well, she isn’t exactly the real face of the party. Moreover, she’s incredibly unpopular, a figure that jacks up the GOP base (and fills its campaign coffers), and a whole host of new Democrats don’t support her bid in the leadership. The question is whether the new class sticks to their word.
Pelosi did raise money for them, despite their explicit opposition to her reassuming the House speakership. In all likelihood, this leadership fight will end like the last Congress, where Pelosi was easily re-elected by Democrats to be minority leader. But for the sake of argument, we already have the stories that her speakership bid could hit obstacles and that it isn’t being warmly received by some top Democrats.
First, the polling shows that 56 percent of Democrats want someone else, but they still like her:
By 56% to 39%, Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said Nancy Pelosi should be replaced as their leader in the House rather than kept in that role by being elected the next speaker. These views are similar among Democrats across the ideological spectrum.
[…]
Despite their lack of support for Pelosi as speaker, Democrats' opinions of Pelosi are more positive than negative. In Gallup's most recent update, from June, 48% said they have a favorable opinion of her and 31% an unfavorable one. Those figures indicate that some Democrats who have a positive opinion of Pelosi may nevertheless want her to be replaced as the party's leader.
Indeed, dozens of Democratic candidates, many of whom were elected on Tuesday, had vowed to support someone other than Pelosi as speaker should the party regain its majority status. Meanwhile, many incumbent Democrats have announced their intentions to back Pelosi as leader. The party will decide on its leader for the next Congress later this month, with the full House voting to elect the speaker once the new Congress convenes in January.
Not even former Vice President Joe Biden is enthused about another Speaker Pelosi era:
And, alas, there’s the new “red to blue” class of Democrats who ran on an anti-Pelosi platform (via NTK Network):
By my count, 10 of these 37 anti-Pelosi Dems have won & 5 more are in races that are too close to call. Dems could wind up w/ only a dozen seats over 218... https://t.co/17YPWe3kFA— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) November 7, 2018
Thirty-seven Democrats in the DCCC’s “Red to Blue” program disavowed Pelosi and said they would not support her for speaker. According to the Cook Political Report’s Dave Wasserman, 10 of those Democrats won Tuesday night, and another five are in races that are “too close to call.”
In total, that could give the anti-Pelosi coalition 15 members. According to Wasserman, Democrats “could wind up [with] only a dozen seats over 218.” If Democrats end up with just 230 House members, and 15 of those members have pledged to oppose Pelosi, she will be short of the 218 votes she needs to be speaker.
Now, the question is whether this crew can stick together. As newly elected members of Congress, I doubt they will remain firm. They want to do things, all freshmen do, and they’re probably not going to risk being declared persona non grata by the more senior members of their Congress by opposing Pelosi. On the other hand, if they do stick together—what an exciting January we have coming up.
It’s either Nan or Stenjy. Won’t be anybody else
If I were a gambler I’d put money on Pelosi. She’s old but she’s a shark who knows how to blackmail people
Why do they get away with this? Pelosi is a woman.
So why aren’t Dims said to be anti-woman for not supporting her?
The genius of Trump, telling Nancy that he would get the Republicans to vote for her if she had trouble with her own party’s support. He’ll help make her Speaker, but she will be hated and scorned by her own party. And she can’t do anything to stop it except withdraw her name.
“What moderate Democrats? BTW, what conservative Democrats?”
Don’t disagree, but there are less crazy ones.
Crazy Nancy is not Crazy enough for them ? LOL
She shouts to him, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."
The man consults his portable GPS and replies, "You're in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.
She rolls her eyes and says, "You must be a Republican!" "I am," replies the man. "How did you know?" "Well," answers the balloonist, "everything you tell me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you're not much help to me."
The man smiles and responds, "You must be a Democrat." I am," replies the balloonist. "How did you know?" "Well," says the man, "You don't know where you are or where you're going. You've risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and now you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but, somehow, now it's my fault."
LOL!
“Hillary?”
Didn’t she just say she would like to be President, but didn’t want to run? She’d be third in line. Impeach Trump, Arkancide Pence, and she’s in!
Good one.
As I’ve said before, do we really want Dems to replace Pelosi and Maxine with charismatic, articulate, carefully calculating Dems with great speaking voices and capable of off the cuff statements on TV panels that set up quotable soundbites for days?
Stick with the crackpot old hags, please.
Recall that Kevin McCarthy was Majority Leader and next in line for Speaker when Boehner quit. Conservatives didn’t have the votes to get one of their own, but could punish the next in line RINO.
Liberals could do to Pelosi what conservatives did to McCarthy in 2015. The result may not be an improvement, but it’s still a slap in the face of The Establishment.
bookmark
The GOP can vote for crazy Nancy and do the smart thing!!!
We need Pelosi to be speaker or someone even more left.
She’ll never let that happen.
There is also the age factor. She is in her 80’s.
Wouldn’t it be funny if the Dems had to spend a few weeks battling over who is going to be the speaker?
Colin Peterson of Minnesota might very well be the last true Blue Dog Dem. Although there may be 20 or so in recently flipped districts who will pretend to be.
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