Well, with the Democrats in the House having now voted to retain Speaker Nancy Pelosi as their leader when in January they assume minority status, with Republicans then taking control, it would seem that the "Wicked Witch of the West" isn't quite dead after all. As such, it would seem that we, the Republicans, have now been blessed with that proverbial gift that keeps on giving. Deciding to reject complaints made by some that it was Pelosi who played a critical role in the Democrats losing their majority in the House, a sufficient number of Democrat House members decided to stick with Pelosi as their incoming minority leader. Pelosi has served as House Speaker, the chamber's presiding officer, since 2007. Bruised but not beaten, our very Liberal heroine, Ms. Pelosi, has now apparently emerged pretty much unscathed as she was able to lock up the necessary votes needed to transition from Speaker to minority leader in the new Congress, easily fending off a challenge from Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), 150-43, during a private Wednesday meeting of House Democrats. The 43 votes against her, and the 68 cast in a losing effort to delay her election, reveal that a caucus bloodied by the loss of at least 60+ seats and control of the House no longer bends to her will in the same way that it once did. The minority leader vote came after an attempt to delay leadership elections was put down on a 129-68 vote. A few Democrats thought the party would be better served by taking some much needed time to cool off. Reps. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio and Peter DeFazio of Oregon had introduced a proposal to push the election off until December 8, which they said would have given Democrats a chance to review their leadership team and structure. "When you have taken the largest losses of any majority in a life time, then I think a little time for reflection to better understand the reason for those losses," said Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), a co-sponsor of the delay proposal. Adding, "Losing across categories where we do not historically lose votes, women, seniors and others, independents, I think we need to better understand that." The discontent over Pelosi and the timing of the leadership elections came from many different corners during the closed Democratic Caucus meeting. "I cannot support you in your race for minority leader. Maybe December 8, but not today," Rep. David Wu said, according to those in the room.
The Democrat leadership election followed on the heels of what has been described as being a brutally long, contentious and somewhat divisive leadership meeting held on Tuesday. There were not many in attendance who thought that Pelosi was ever in any real danger of losing her job as leader of the Democratic Caucus, but she did find herself on the receiving end of some serious criticism from a rather diffuse set of critics, with dozens believing that she should step aside after her party suffered such a humiliating defeat at the polls. There were also those who had hoped to perhaps strip her power to appoint loyalists to positions of influence within the caucus and still others who simply wanted more time to reflect on whether endorsing the same set of leaders is the best course of action for a minority that was so thoroughly defeated. But it was not to be. The caucus went on to elect Steny Hoyer (Md.) as minority whip, and Jim Clyburn (S.C.) to some new and thoroughly bogus position of "assistant leader," whatever the heck that is. Even Nancy doesn't know what it is, since the duties of that particular position have yet to be accurately defined by Ms. Pelosi. Our Ms. Nancy had to think pretty fast on that one, in order to pacify the poor black guy who found himself being aced out of the number two spot by Hoyer, the rich white guy. Afterward it was Hoyer who piped up, saying, "We are going to participate as a minority in this Congress. But we will be ever vigilant to keep Republicans, as they did to us, to their rhetoric on fiscal balance and on growing jobs. We have listened to the American people and we're going to respond to their needs." What a delusional and pathetic, pompous old gasbag this guy is! But the poo really started to get deep with New Jersey Rep. Robert Andrews, one of Pelosi’s more vocal backers, saying that the election to select the leadership would be about “who is the best listener, who is the best consensus builder and who is in the best position to give us a record to take to the American people in 2012, and I think that is Nancy Pelosi.” What a suck up! This guy needs a pee test, because he is obviously on some pretty potent stuff. But there remains a very significant number in the caucus who believe that Pelosi, who became the poster girl for the Democratic excesses over the last two years, especially, throughout an number of campaigns for the midterm elections, is the worst possible choice as leader for a party that was so very soundly rejected at the polls.
As someone on the outside looking in, I can't help but smile. You see, I am of the opinion that the Democrats are most deserving of Ms. Pelosi remaining in the position that she currently holds as leader of the House Democrats. I was glad that she chose to ignore all those calling for her to step aside, because it is just one more example of her putting herself above her party. It should go without saying that Nancy was, in fact, a major factor behind Democrats’ rather extensive losses in this month’s congressional elections. But having said that, she also refused to allow herself to be shoved aside especially after what she considers as being her very impressive list of accomplishments over the course of the last two years. Pelosi and the old power brokers who led Democrats back into the majority four years ago remain insistent in feeling that they are in no possible way, culpable in the party’s downfall. Pelosi has argued ad nauseam to her troops that she was demonized in any number Republican campaign ads for no other reason than because she is the party’s political rainmaker. “I know some of you suffered because of ads targeted to me,” she said, according to several sources, “They had to take down the person who brings the resources.” Man, talk about denial! Her allies, as well as any number of her ardent admirers in the state controlled media, contend that she is the only one with the strategic skills, the vision, the touch with donors, as well as the necessary political muscle to lead the party back into the majority. All while she maintains an approval rating of somewhere in the lower single digits, amazing. Look, I'm all for maintaining the status quo when it comes to the Democrat Congressional Leadership. I mean after all, how can I, as a Republican, argue against what these stellar individuals accomplished on November 2, for my party. Just two years ago we had guys like that goof Carville declaring the Republican Party was dead! Good call there James! But Pelosi was defiant as ever in her post-election press conference Wednesday afternoon. Asked why she should remain Democratic leader after the election wipeout, Pelosi said: "Because I'm an effective leader, because we got the job done on health care and Wall Street reform and consumer protection. Because they know that I'm the person that can attract the resources both intellectual and otherwise to take us to victory, because I've done it before." HERE! HERE!
For Pelosi to feel the need to continue to make the claim that she bares no responsibility for the "shellacking" received on November 2, it makes you wonder just who it is that she's trying to convince. But the way I see it, Nancy's remaining in her present post can only serve to be a boon to Republicans as they start to get geared up for 2012. A year that will find far more Democrats in the Senate up for re-election than Republicans and of course, all of those in the House once again be facing re-election. Which is something that I would have thought that this political party, so often seen by so many as being so brilliant politically adept, would have taken into account. But I guess they feel that they will be able to sufficiently overcome any perceived handicap they may suffer from keeping Pelosi around in her leadership position. Hopefully, it may prove to even be a help to those who will most assuredly be working to kick Barry "Almighty" out of the Oval Office. One of the voices that seems to have been ignored by those voting to keep Pelosi around, was that of just-defeated Rep. Allen Boyd of Florida who stood up in Tuesday’s Democratic caucus meeting to declare that Pelosi is “the face of our defeat.” He put it rather bluntly when he declared that “we need new leadership,” while truer words may never have been spoken, they were also soundly ignored. His sentiments, a stinging blow for Pelosi because her camp sought his vocal support after he lost, were seconded by other lawmakers who were defeated and even by some who won reelection, according to attendees. But hey, who am I to dictate to these folks who they should or should not select as being the leader. What I do find as being somewhat ironic is the level of pure stubbornness on the part of Pelosi to accept any of the blame whatsoever for the huge, as well as historic, losses Democrats suffered on her watch. Losses that extended far beyond the House and well out into the states where in the neighborhood of 680 seats, of one type or another, were gained by the Republicans. It would appear to those of us less schooled in the goings on in the Democrat Party, that the "old guard", so to speak, were able to make a concerted effort to beat back any potential rank-and-file rebellion. So the Democrats will essentially have the same stellar leadership team that presided over the loss of 60+ Democratic seats earlier this month, yet feels worthy of holding on to their positions. Perhaps they will achieve a similar level of success come 2012. We can only hope.
So now I guess we shall see what we shall see. Will it in the end prove to have been the right choice by the Democrats to keep Pelosi as their leader? Will Nancy remain as determined in her assisting of Barry to drag us farther and farther to the Left? Will the Republicans heed the message from the voters and behave accordingly? Will Republicans be able to adequately make the case for having their numbers increased come the election in 2012? Or, will the Republicans show us that they have really learned nothing from past errors and therefore cast themselves into the vast wilderness of political obscurity for a generation? The next 24 months will tell us much about what the future holds for both political parties. Will we see a renewed drive for creating a third party? So many questions, so few answers. Questions we'll know the answers to in a mere 719 days.
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