Posted on 05/14/2012 1:19:15 PM PDT by Kaslin
In a rational world, this headline should have appeared the day after the 2010 midterm elections. For some reason, despite becoming the poster child for Republicans in the race that won them a net gain of 68 seats in the House, House Democrats decided to keep Nancy Pelosi as their caucus leader. They talk a big game in 2012 about taking back control after the 2012 election, but privately they wonder what will come next when Pelosi retires after another loss:
“We’re not a party of ‘young guns,’ ” bemoans one senior party strategist, a reference to the 40-something clique of House GOP leaders—Reps. Eric Cantor of Virginia, Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, and Kevin McCarthy of California.
“Just look at the landscape. There’s a real dearth of talented, dynamic communicators right now in the caucus,” said the source, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely about the leadership. “People are either too liberal, or too conservative … or too old.”
That is debatable; that the triumvirate of House Democratic leaders assuredly is not composed of “young guns” is not.
Pelosi, of California, and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland are both 72. Assistant Minority Leader James Clyburn of South Carolina, the highest-ranking African-American member of Congress, is 71. By comparison, Speaker John Boehner of Ohio is 62, Majority Leader Cantor is 48, and Majority Whip McCarthy is 47.
They have no one to blame but themselves. The massive defeat should have triggered a general house-cleaning (House-cleaning?) in Democratic leadership, the traditional outcome for heavy losses as voters express no confidence in previous leadership. Instead, Pelosi refused to step aside, and Democrats made no concessions to the anger of voters who gave Pelosi’s leadership and majority the boot.
The “real dearth of talented, dynamic communicators” arises from that decision. After all, the other members of the House Democratic caucus had to be good enough communicators to get elected in the first place. Instead of testing some of their bench talent, almost all of whom had won more than one election, they kept their sclerotic, failed leaders in place. That give Democrats no opportunity to see what some of their caucus members might do, and certainly gave voters every indication that they had no regard for their feedback.
Now Democrats want to go back to the voters with the same failed leadership in place and argue for another chance to disgust voters again. Good luck with that message.
Democrats have proven beyond a shadow of doubt that they can win elections, but cannot govern.
They will be swept out in 2012, along with Obama, and will then realize that Evan Bayh was right to get out when he did.
A reassessment will simply have to occur, and people like Bayh will be asked to come back and run the show, IMHO.
The Dems aren’t the only ones mulling a post-Pelosi future. I am eagerly anticipating it.
And I’ll eagerly anticipate a post-Boehner future as well.
ROTFLMAO! Rats complaining that some of their own are “too conservative”? Well I guess Lenin was conservative compared to Stalin/s;)
This isn’t that tough for the democrats. All they have to support is a corrupt, lesbian, atheist, American hating, white hating racist Black woman who wants to steal from patriots and give our treasure to the drooling and lazy lowlifes of America.
To do anything different would be racist.
See, Pelosi’s replacement is out there.
At least some of her quotes are memorable and still good for laughs -- we have to pass it so you can see what's in it and her response to a question about the constitutionality of ObamaCare - Are you serious? Are you serious? Who else in the Congress provides that sort of fun as consistently?
I sure they hell hope they are ‘mulling’.
Once we relieve ourselves of these criminals we need to pressure our reps to look into prosecuting them all.
Pelosi is 72. She’s good for 15 more terms in Congress.
Imagine Pelosi as Speaker at age 90. Wow, wash out my mental image maker with a car wash wand.
Pelosi is 72. She’s good for 15 more terms in Congress.
Imagine Pelosi as Speaker at age 90. Wow, wash out my mental image maker with a car wash wand.
Pelosi is mentally unstable.
ROFLOL. You have a point. :D
Most of the more moderate Blue Dogs went down in 2010 - some of them were old, but some were not (Tom Perriello, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, e.g.). A few more of the younger Blue Dogs are in danger of losing this year (those in NC, e.g.).
It’s bad at the local and state levels as well. The Tea Party influence is being felt at the local and state levels. Tea Party believers are running for local and state offices and winning. They’re forming a great bench for the GOP that will have impact in years to come. Democrats have no such mechanism in place.
The extreme left called Clinton the best Republican President ever.
They are saying the same thing about Obama.
Obama actually would be a centrist, in France.
If Pelosi quits, and I don’t know why she would, Hoyer will take over as minority leader.
Shuler challenger Pelosi, he was both less liberal and much younger. He lost badly. A young marxist still would have lost badly.
Hoyer was strong enough to force Clyburn out of the minority whip race. I don’t see any young turks taking over the rat House caucus.
And we will still probably be subjected to liberal columnists stating how "hot" she is.
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