2017: Whither Democrats?

All that really matters in the House leadership right now is ability to do messaging in the run-up to 2020. Personally, I think a change would be good for that, but Pelosi can do it too. Not a significant issue.

It would also be nice if the House leadership would reform the legislative process in their chamber. Less picking and choosing what bills to bring to the floor, more deliberation and voting to get the Congresscritters on the record. But I’m not holding my breath.

I guess I kinda feel about Pelosi as speaker the way I felt about Tony LaRussa as a manager of the Cardinals at the end of his career.

Man, so many things that guy did drove me nuts. And it felt like certain aspects of the game had passed him by. I wanted someone new and dynamic.

But then his replacement came in and I had a new appreciation for a lot of the little things LaRussa did right. And in a tight, close game that had turned into a knife fight, I’d have taken TLR over any other manager out there.

I guess what I’m saying is this: I’m perfectly happy to see Nancy Pelosi replaced as speaker…but whomever replaces her had better not just be a worthless showpony.

Which is exactly what the people who are crying for “anybody but Pelosi” want. They want it to be a publicity hire.

This, plus it’s hard to point at the alternative. Who?

BERNIE SANDERS!!

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez!

As with Clinton, I have a hard time even telling whether there is any substance to ‘Pelosi fatigue’ other than the fact that decades’ worth of Republican demonizing have had an effect even on liberals. I doubt you hear much about ‘McConnell fatigue’ on the right. It’s probably all ‘Cocaine Mitch gets it done! Fuck the snowflakes’

This is the right mentality, I think.

Of course, I’m coming from a different political angle, so of course my opinions are going to be different, but I do in fact worry that the Dems are going to slide down the same path as the GOP, not ideologically of course, but in their embrace of flashy ideologues who care more about making noise for themselves than doing the hard work of governing.

Because let’s be clear here… governing the country is hard freaking work.

When you get folks who care more about shouting and pounding the table than doing work, you get folks like Trump and the Tea Party. They fight against stuff, but they aren’t able to actually DO anything productive.

This is one thing about Clinton that I liked… While I certainly had issues with her, I believed that she would have been up to the task of doing the hard work of running the country, probably better than most of the Presidents in recent history.

I have the same worries, @Timex. I mean… it’s not like it keeps me up at night because I haven’t seen much evidence of such things happening, but the Left isn’t immune to Tea Party or “Trumpism” kind of bullshit. And I do feel like the Overton window needs a serious yank back to the left. But I want competence and workable policies and the understanding and willingness to do the work required to make it happen, not “pounding the table”, as you put it.

I totally agree with this.

Pretty much.

Honestly my best case scenario is a scenario where house leadership gets younger, but Pelosi stays on as a sort of mentor to the next generation of party leadership. One that more strongly pulls the discourse left, but maintains practicality.

I’d say, win the House and the Senate and the White House in 2020, then talk about a new speaker from a position of strength. Pelosi isn’t the reason the Dems are in opposition.

I’d be totally in support of that. 2018 may not be the time to hand the baton over.

I kind of have a problem with the age of all our leadership in Washington. Pelosi is nearly 80 years old. I listened to her speak on NPR last week, and she just doesn’t sound entirely with it anymore. I would like to see younger blood cycled through more regularly.

To echo this:

After the 1986 mid-terms, Democratic Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill stepped aside. Democrat Jim Wright replaced him. And now let’s take a look at the intervening 30 years of being House speaker:

  1. Jim Wright: resigned during an ethics investigation while Speaker
  2. Tom Foley: first sitting Speaker to be defeated for re-election since 1862. Never again sought or won an election for public office.
  3. Newt Gingrich: Lost his Speakership in a Republican “coup” based on Gingrich’s idiotic support of an unpopular government shutdown, an ethics investigation, and plummeting approval rating. Resigned and retired at age 54, never again won an election, despite seeking public office.
  4. Dennis Hastert: Currently paroled as a convicted felon after serving over a year in jail for sexual abuse of young men. Registered sex offender.
  5. Nancy Pelosi: Current Democratic Minority Leader, more likely than not the speaker of the House for the next seated congress
  6. John Boehner: resigned abruptly after fighting off numerous challenges for his speakership during his tenure. Has never sought or won election to any other public office.
  7. Paul Ryan: announced retirement from his seat after two terms as Speaker, likely ending his congressional career at age 48.

I mean, Nancy Pelosi is a lightning rod, and some of the shit she does feels idiotically safe and retrograde for where the party should be going…but man. One of those things is not like the others.

Pelosi’s been pretty clear that she doesn’t want the job forever. I assume she wants it mostly to train her replacement. It’s not an easy or particularly fun job.

Speaker seems to be like being a mob boss: the power and perks seem pretty great at first…and then you realize that very few people who have had that job ever got to retire on their own terms to a quiet, happy life.

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