Democrats defy Pelosi, elect Hoyer House leader - Yahoo! News
It didn't sink in until a few minutes ago, Pelosi got dissed on the hill, wow.
According to the article linked above it wasn't even close.
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13 comments:
Hoyer is House Majority Leader, not Speaker. Pelosi remains head honcho but that means less than it did under Republican leadership because Democrats just don't 'dig' authority. In any case those who were worried about some sort of unified Democratic 'wave' can probably begin relaxing a bit now.
right, still a diss, no?
Yep, the Dems will try to spin it softly but she did get dissed. Personally I suspect her choice of Murtha was a trial balloon to see if Democrats would support a faster resolution of Iraq; no go.
Murtha has been identified by an independent group as one of the most unethical reps. Engages in pork. My view is just the facts here; not many politicians I can stomach on either side. If you saw him in the abscam tape repeated on the news yesterday NO WAY could you vote for him. Pure disgust. No matter how long ago, when the line is crossed long term consequences have to be accepted. Unfortunately, some never pay the piper. W.Jefferson will beat the rap, case in point.Sorry for OT.You opened a can of worms Roger!
That's funny because the old ABSCAM sting tape shows him clearly turning down the bribe money.....
Hoyer for President.
Nancy blew a lot of political momentum for nothing. What could she gain from supporting Murtha compared to what she could lose?
Fred
Now, this is inside-baseball stuff and I am neither trained nor talented to judge DC the way I am to analyze markets. That said, those who are saw this differently. Cf this NY Observer article, which to my inexpert ears rings true.
But the story of Ms. Pelosi’s role in the Murtha-Hoyer race isn’t that she publicly sided with Murtha. It’s what she didn’t do for him privately—namely, make phone calls, twist arms, and intimidate the impressionable freshmen with thinly veiled threats that their careers as inside players would be D.O.A. if they crossed her on this.
Instead, the soon-to-be-Speaker opened her publicly released endorsement letter by thanking Mr. Murtha “for your letter requesting my support for your candidacy for Majority Leader in the 110th Congress.” The line in which she actually grants the request is buried several paragraphs down the page.
[ed: emphasis mine]
If, as expected, Mr. Murtha does go down to defeat on Thursday, the press, and Ms. Pelosi’s political tormenters, will have all the ammunition they need to tell the world that she miscalculated and overreached—that the new House leader is in over her head and has a perilously weak hold on her flock.
No matter what they say, though, the internal fallout will be minimal for Ms. Pelosi. She spotted Mr. Murtha’s bid for the lost cause it was and shied away from investing any real capital in it. And it’s not like her personal loyalty to Mr. Murtha—or her distrust of Mr. Hoyer—is a secret among House Democrats.
The big secret here—at least outside the Capitol—is what an adept inside player the incoming Speaker actually is. Indeed, few seem to appreciate the singular position of dominance within the Democratic caucus into which she has masterfully maneuvered herself.
That this was written before the results were in makes it a hint more convincing still.
The headline of the piece?
More Tip O’Neill Than Jane Fonda
You kids (rw? Fred?) remember Tip O'Neill, right?
Predictions:
Dems form fastest circular firing squad in history. Splinter like a bunch of 1920s Trotskyites. Don't get much accomplished.
Reps decide the problem was they didn't suck up to southern fundamentalists enough. Go harder kook right. Alienate rest of the country. Don't get much accomplished.
We hit new dimensions in gridlock. Inexplicable bull market keeps going longer than anyone thought it would.
W00t!
circular firing squad; rofl
Anon 3:03 is close to being right, but I wouldn't bet too heavily on a bull market next year.
Will gridlock prevail? Most certainly, but I think both parties are idiotic/unprincipled/myopic (pick your favorite adjective) enough to pass bi-partisan legislation like raising the minimum wage.
Prediction: No legislation that will fundamentally reduce the rate of government spending will be presented by either party, let alone passed.
Larry said:
"That's funny because the old ABSCAM sting tape shows him clearly turning down the bribe money....."
Well, here is a copy of the full transcript of the ABSCAM meeting:
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10426
And a copy of the film:
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10427
I wouldn't vote for him myself.
WCW, sure do remember ol' Tip, and from what I've heard believe the comparison may be apt; i.e., by reputation Pelosi prefers consensus but is a tough, shrewd bird and it doesn't pay to underestimate her. I'm inclined to doubt she lost a lot of clout by this vote down.
Larry Nusbaum, shame on you for absolutely no objectivity. You've been buying too much silver, or something. You just gave the party line that has been dished out for decades on this case. He showed courage to speak out against the war. There it ends. Pelosi is no fool. The next two years are gridlock. President has the veto. It will be all about 2008. Looking forward to new faces. Expect to see Jim Webb shake up stuff behind the scenes
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