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Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri voted to re-elect Nancy Pelosi, but sees future in Tim Ryan
http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article118013418.htmlDespite his admiration for Ryan and his belief in the need for change, Cleaver said he voted for Pelosi on Wednesday because he didn’t want to weaken the Democratic caucus.
“I realized that we have to strengthen her for these final two years as she moves into probably the most difficult time she’s had in caucus leadership,” Cleaver said. “We’d better pump her up, and if the election was close, it could be perceived that she’s weakened and it could hurt her negotiating power.”
But Cleaver said he hopes Democrats will heed Ryan, who has spoken about the need for Democrats to have more leaders from “flyover country.” The Democratic party will compromise its future if it concentrates only on big cities and on the coasts, he said.
“It would be a monumental mistake to ignore what Ryan said about flyover country,” Cleaver said.
“Tim is someone who is the future,” he added. “And he is going to be a leader.”
“I realized that we have to strengthen her for these final two years as she moves into probably the most difficult time she’s had in caucus leadership,” Cleaver said. “We’d better pump her up, and if the election was close, it could be perceived that she’s weakened and it could hurt her negotiating power.”
But Cleaver said he hopes Democrats will heed Ryan, who has spoken about the need for Democrats to have more leaders from “flyover country.” The Democratic party will compromise its future if it concentrates only on big cities and on the coasts, he said.
“It would be a monumental mistake to ignore what Ryan said about flyover country,” Cleaver said.
“Tim is someone who is the future,” he added. “And he is going to be a leader.”
