House Democrats Re-Elect Pelosi as Leader

[kebob]

Source: ABC News

By erica werner, ap congressional correspondent
WASHINGTON — Nov 30, 2016, 11:45 AM ET.

House Democrats have re-elected Nancy Pelosi as their leader.

The California lawmaker, who has led the party since 2002, turned back a challenge from Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan on Wednesday.

Her win came despite disenchantment among some in the Democratic caucus over the party's disappointing performance in the elections earlier this month. Democrats will remain in the minority in the House and Senate next year and won't have the presidency as a bulwark against Republicans.

Democrats were also choosing other leaders during the closed-door session that was expected to take several hours.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/reckoning-pelosi-house-democrats-vote-leader-43866473

---

YES!

[Grey Lemercier]

1. glad to hear common sense prevailed!

[hamsterjill]

4. Me, too.

Now, we need unity. Absolute unity. It's going to be an uphill and non-winnable battle, of course, for the next minimum of 2 years, but Democrats need to project to the world that they are united. It will be important in 2018.

[Hortensis]

36. Me too. I'm glad she still has their trust.

The Democratic caucus knows her, though, has to work with and under the minority leader, and knows what the job actually is. Unlike all those who want to blame her for not doing everyone else's job.

But at this particular point in history, Nancy's more than house minority leader, she's a symbol of the equality that we stand for, and removing her would have been regrettable.

[geek tragedy]

2. hard to get excited over more of the same team that hasn't succeeded nt

[kebob]

5. Excuse Me?

We wouldn't even have HAD Obamacare without Pelosi's arm-twisting tactics! This woman has more balls than an ny man in Congress

[geek tragedy]

37. she was a great speaker, but we're not looking for someone to participate in governance

we're looking for someone to lead us out of the wilderness

[Ikonoklast]

15. Let's double down on the same-old same-old! Works so well!

Democrats need to stop looking backwards for new ideas and leadership.

[bravenak]

26. Seriously

[frazzled]

32. If you only see success in terms of a win or loss in an election

and if you don't understand how the office of House Minority Leader works, then you're obviously not excited.

The minority leader is an administrative position, which involves herding our diverse group of Congressional representatives together to promote good or block bad legislation, to adjudicate all the internal squabbles, to feed all the egos, and keep the biggest egos in line. To present a united front to the opposition majority leader, or to find the compromises that are acceptable to the majority, from the far left to the far right.

This is not a figurehead, public media position; it doesn't matter how eloquent or outspoken the leader is. This is an internal game of carrots and sticks and a whole lot of legislative "strategery," and not everyone is good at that. The Democratic members of Congress that you and I elected chose Nancy Pelosi to continue that job. They obviously have confidence and trust in her, so we should as well.

[geek tragedy]

38. Pelosi has exactly zero carrots and sticks to use in order to influence policy. This is a figurehead

position.

She had some leverage when Republicans were mutinying against Boehner and even Ryan.

But when Trump is Preznit, they'll all fall in line and Ryan will be able to move anything he wants without Democratic votes.

Our goal is not to perform well in the minority, it's to regain the majority.

[frazzled]

39. Your crystal ball needs cleaning.

Your powers of foreseeing the future (or even analyzing the present) are very clouded.

[geek tragedy]

41. How many times did Dennis Hastert need votes from Pelosi to pass

legislation when aWol was President?

Boehner faced mutinies because they thought he was caving to Obama, whom their base despised.

There's going to be a Republican President who, as it turns out, has 100% conventional GOP domestic policy views.

House Democrats are irrelevant--their only job is to make publicity.

[SHRED]

3. Something is clearly not working

So let's go with the status quo.

Yeah...that makes sense.

[kebob]

8. 60 Million Americans Voted AGAINST the Status Quo Three Weeks Ago

How's that workin' out foo us?

[Hekate]

18. Millions more stayed home or were shut out. Hillary still won the popular vote by 2.5 million.

How are the voter suppression crimes of the GOP Nancy Pelosi's fault? How is the Electoral College Pelosi's fault?

[TwilightZone]

25. Well, those "anti-establishment" Trump voters voted for nearly all of the R incumbents...

The anti-establishment angle is grossly overblown and demonstrably false.

[still_one]

78. Selective recall is convenient it seems. All they need to do is look at what happened to Russ

Feingold, and every swing state Democrat running for the Senate against the Establishment republican incumbent, and that argument falls miserably apart.

[still_one]

77. Good point. Russ Feingold lost, Zypher, Teachout lost, and every swing state Senate Democrat lost

to the ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICAN INCUMBENT


How is that working' out for us?

[wordpix]

83. I for one wanted Tim Ryan b/c we need a change - these losses show

our strategy for electing more Dems to Congress isn't working

[still_one]

86. My comment was not for or against Tim Ryan or Nancy Peolosi, but rather it was a response

to a post that made a broad brush conclusion that those who voted didn't want the "same old, same old", and I presented exactly why I thought that generalization was false.

There were a lot of factors involved.

Race was a factor, abortion was a factor, sexism was a factor, the complicity of the media was a factor with their double standards, the FBI interference, and the media LYING about that interference by saying "the FBI had reopened the email investigation", which was NOT true, voting suppression, which was advanced by the Supreme Court's ruling on a key clause in the voting rights act in 2013, along with the fact that 14 states added restrictive new laws on voting aimed to suppress the vote from people of color, long lines, special IDs, etc.

We lost major races in swing states against establishment republican incumbents.

While I have no problem with either Ryan or Pelosi in that position, I also have no problem with your point that it would be good to give someone else a chance.

I also think that this election was a generational election, and it will take a whole generation to undo the damage that will be done. The battles for Civil Rights, women's rights, environmental rights, health care, social security, medicare, etc. are all going to have to be re-fought again.

The actual change will need to take place at the local and state level, and that will take time.

[vi5]

6. I love Nancy, but not sure I'm happy about this...

She has served us well during her tenure, but at this point in time whatever we have been doing is not working any longer. Can't help but think it's time for some new blood and fresh faces at the top.

[bigdarryl]

65. I've been upset with her since the Bush years when she refuse to hold

Hearings on the lies of the Iraq war.She needs to retire

[vi5]

69. Exactly......

It seems like her biggest accomplishments have been not having more Democrats defect on key votes. And sadly that's become the standard by which we have to regard someone as a leader in this party.

Her positions on issues in most cases are beyond reproach and I think she's a fierce legislator and representative for her district. I'm just not sure she should remain as the party leader.

[SpankMe]

7. Well, nuts.

I love Nancy. Let me emphasize - LOVE! But, we need new blood in the leadership of the Democratic party. Younger blood who'll shake things up a bit.

[jalan48]

9. Apparently more of the same is the answer to our problems.

[saltpoint]

10. IMO a good outcome. eom

[GoCubsGo]

11. Great! n/t

[Greybnk48]

12. Great news! She's amazing. n/t

[jman0war]

13. headline should be: House Dems Resist Change

More of the same = more loosing seats.

[saltpoint]

16. I would say the House Democrats

decided to stick with a tough and smart seasoned grown-up, in part as counter-balance to the screaming 2-year old who will sit in the White House.

[Hekate]

19. Spot. On.

[joshcryer]

28. Yup.

Finally some good news.

[saltpoint]

29. Pelosi's a liberal rock. One of the

most progressive votes in Congress.

It was a secret ballot, but I hope my representative voted for Nancy Pelosi.

[joshcryer]

30. The ageism is disgusting.

The total disregard for people who are literally the foundation of the Democratic party for "freshness" is appalling.

The blame game, putting everything on Pelosi, is totally and utterly reprehensible.

They wanted some conservadem (Tim Ryan) because he's relatively young and speaks to a certain demographic that is not the core of the party. It is mind boggling.

[saltpoint]

33. The media had a little treat with the Ryan challenge,

but it felt as if Nancy would hold on all along.

Most progressives are unafraid of change, but most also want the change to be for meaningful reform, and want it to make sense against present circumstances.

Dumping Pelosi because of her chronological age is, as you say, Ageism. Trump drew progressives' fire for stating a judge in Indiana was unfit for a given case owing to his Mexican ancestry. We called it bigotry, on ethnic/racial grounds.

[joshcryer]

34. Pelosi is as liberal as they come.

But because she once said she wouldn't prosecute Bush literally everything she's worked on her entire life is irrelevant. That's the world we live in. Where a Tim Ryan is more "progressive" than one of the most liberal congresspeople in the party. It's insanity land.

[saltpoint]

35. Agree, and her votes back you up on

that claim.

Here is her On the Issues page:

http://www.ontheissues.org/CA/Nancy_Pelosi.htm

I hope some folks here will take a good look at it and realize how progressive Pelosi really is.

[JonLP24]

71. Govtrack

Usually rates her as center moderate, right of most members in the house.

[saltpoint]

72. I'd say her voting record flies in

the face of that finding. As others have pointed out here, Pelosi's a solid liberal vote over a damned long period.

[JonLP24]

73. Govtrack uses voting record and compares

With others but I haven't looked in a couple of years.

She wasn't a solid liberal under Bush, she was briefed for a lot of the controversial programs and wanted impeachment "off the table".

[saltpoint]

74. I'm familiar with her record as a former

constituent. I'm standing by Nancy.

[wordpix]

85. I disagree. As someone in my 60's,

I'm in reasonably good health but I'm not as quick, agile or endlessly hard working as I used to be. And Pelosi is more than 10 yrs. older than I. But this is what Cong. Dems voted for, so I'll just watch this play out

[geek tragedy]

42. She's not a counterbalance, she has zero power or leverage.

Trump and Ryan will confer, agree what needs to get passed, and that will be that.

That's how they operate when they control the House and the White House.

[saltpoint]

43. Her voice most certainly is a counterbalance.

And has been for a long time.

Ryan would not have had any logistical advantage over Pelosi as minority leader. The position is the same. GOP machinations would continue so long as they have majority votes in both chambers, no matter whether Ryan or Pelosi leads our side.

[geek tragedy]

44. her voice isn't going to be of any help broadening our coalition.

T. Ryan could have at least made the argument that Democrats understood the results from the past 3 elections to mean that they need to change the way they do things.

Instead, we get more of the same, with the very personification of Washington insider coastal elites as the face of our party in the House.

[saltpoint]

45. Ryan could try to make that argument,

but the work of broadening a blue coalition will be done in other quarters. We don't have a majority vote in the House. Just the same, her colleagues chose Pelosi over Ryan, doubtless having considered all these arguments.

[geek tragedy]

46. that's part of the problem, we have too many true believers and too few evangelists

The House Democratic Caucus is the most liberal it's ever been. And that's worth exactly nothing. Most of the House members are voting for someone who is compatible with their state of mind rather than shaking things up.

If Pelosi isn't going to be broadening the coalition, she should step aside as that's the ONLY meaningful task facing House Democrats these days--attract more voters, more diverse voters, in more places, and recruit more and better candidates in all of these districts.

[saltpoint]

47. The Congressional Democrats number fewer than

Congressional Republicans.

The "problem" of the lost election is not the fault of the Democrats in Congress.

[geek tragedy]

49. no, but they missed an opportunity to signal their

intent to broaden the coalition and change the party.

Instead, we get a doubling-down of leadership who at one point served the party well but have been there too long to do any good at this point.

[saltpoint]

57. replacing Pelosi with Ryan would have been

symbolic, but would not, under any circumstances, changed the number of Democratic representatives in the lower chamber.

There would have been no "shake up" in the number of Democratic reps. The battle to broaden our voter base is going to be fought in the state and local Democratic organizations.

[geek tragedy]

59. symbolism is all we have in the House. nt

[saltpoint]

60. Agree, and that is why I'd like to see the

focus shift dramatically toward a 50-state, all-intensive, and public-engaging profile on the state and local levels.

I think that is where we win the war in the long term.

We have a weak bench at many levels. The Pukes are taking us to the cleaners on that count alone, even before we get to the racist hate groups and Nazi sympathizers.

Part of the "backlash" against the Democratic Party is economical, but another disturbingly large percentage of it was purely racist, undiminished by any economic or political viewpoints.

[geek tragedy]

62. and that's where I see Pelosi being not an optimal choice at this piont.

50 state strategy means stepping outside of our comfort zone and engaging and persuading people who don't agree with us on some issues, or who are generally more skeptical about the role of government, that there's a place for them in our coalition.

Sticking with the current leadership team doesn't indicate that they intend to change anything.

If the two parties were close in numbers in the House, or under any other number of circumstances, Pelosi would be a no-brainer here. But at some point the party has to be about change and the future.

[saltpoint]

63. She has nothing to do with that function.

Neither would have Tim Ryan.

They concern themselves with legislation and have the ringing endorsement of the majority of voters in their respective precincts.

Changing the minority leader is not really related to Party outreach to expand the base.

[geek tragedy]

64. the act of choosing to replace or keep Pelosi was very relevant

to whether there was appetite within the party for it to undergo a substantial change.

The answer appears to be that there isn't much appetite for changing the party.

[saltpoint]

66. We disagree. eom

[geek tragedy]

67. on that we agree, cheers nt

[wordpix]

84. true and how energetic is a wealthy 76 y.o. to fight this fight?

I'm in my mid-60's and need more rest than I did 10-20 yrs. ago. Step aside and let the younger Dems take over.

[George II]

24. Get yourself elected to the House as a Democrat and you can help decide next time.

[GitRDun]

14. Democrats prove once again they learn no lessons

Same ole' same ole'

The same leadership that hasn't been able to energize its voters to a majority for a long time stays in place while Trump tramples all over them...way to go!

[greymattermom]

17. She knows where all the skeletons are buried

but maybe she needs an apprentice, someone younger, maybe even in their 40s.

[ericson00]

20. these people never learn, do they.

n/t

[INdemo]

21. Proof we can expect the same ol',same ol' version when a new DNC chair

is chosen with worn out, out dated strategies.
One would think Democrats would enter into a new era with new ideas


I think Democrats should look forward and push to have Harry Reid as our Democratic Presidential nominee in 2020?
Age should not be a factor.

[still_one]

81. They did with Russ Feingold, Zypher, Teachout, and every swing state Democrat running against the

establishment republican incumbent for the Senate.

Only problem is, the Senate Democrats, some very good progressives all lost

[sarisataka]

22. Ms Pelosi has done a fine job

But sometimes when a group is not succeeding a change in leadership is the kick needed to turn things around.

[TheCowsCameHome]

23. "We Recycle"

That's just swell.

[Tikki]

27. GOOD

Experience to counter the clown circus...

Run them in circles, Nancy, till they drop, you know.

Tikki

[Renew Deal]

31. The 100 millionaire wins

[earthside]

40. Democrats will be down to 175 House seats by 2019.

Pelosi has done a great job, but it was time to move on.

Same old, same old.

Democrats seem to be eager to pursue a losing strategy ... because incumbents are petrified of not getting big campaign contributions from bankers, Silicon Valley, Hollywood, and trial lawyers.

Nothing uplift or inspiring here.
More Pelosi ... Really, House Democrats?

[Skittles]

48. someone PLEASE tell me WHY IS THIS GOOD NEWS

UGH

[.99center]

50. Paving the way to ground troops in the ME

They can count on Nancy's silence as they join republicans in voting for an escalation. Nancy's the reason that Democrats are partly held responsible for getting us into Iraq, her leadership failed to unify Democrats in congress to oppose the resolution and war. Guess that answers the question about having any meaningful opposition in congress for the next 4 to 8 years.

[WhoWoodaKnew]

51. I don't like her and think she's had her chance and needs to be replaced.

[HassleCat]

52. Sheltering in place

Well, more of the same, I guess. It may take a couple more election disasters to drive home the point that we are pretty much irrelevant at all levels of government.

[cureautismnow]

53. 2nd verse, same as the first...

[flamingdem]

54. Ryan seems good hearted, energetic but not all that articulate

He needs to develop a bit and he'll be great

[onecaliberal]

55. Does anyone is DC understand a fucking lunatic was just elected POTUS because he is seen

As an agent of change. This is frightening that federal level Dems think all those loses are okay. Cons only need a few more state houses for a constantional convention.

[senaca]

56. Good choice

We need an experienced leader who knows the arcane intricacies of the Congressional rules to figure out a way to block or get ahead of the bills that will be coming. The question being, is she good at chess or is there someone close at hand who is and has the ability to think outside the box?

[DeminPennswoods]

58. Interesting tidbit

Florida had to redraw its congressional districts for this election. Interestingly, the seats the Dems did pick up came from the redrawn FL districts. I think that shows just how much the extreme gerry-mandering done by Republicans has helped the GOP keep its majority in the House. I don't think that's the fault of Pelosi or anyone else in House Dem leadership.

I live in PA and there's no way we should have a delegation of, iirc, 13 Rs and 5 Ds. In fact, before the last round of redistricting, the state delegation was 12D and 7R. The state lost 2 seats and ended up with less than half as many Ds and nearly twice as many Rs.

[Cha]

61. Good.. I like Nancy..

Didn't really think too much of Ryan.

She didn't need to be some knee jerk sacrificial lamb.

Go Nancy girl!

Thanks kebob~

[Vinca]

68. There is little chance for a new generation of leaders in our party.

People get tired of waiting for an opportunity to lead and move on. Too bad. Nancy, Steny et al. have had a good run, but the torch has got to be passed at some point. It's not the Supreme Court. They shouldn't be there for life.

[bdamomma]

70. read this

take it with a grain of salt

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/wait-a-minute-gop-rejoices-over-pelosi-win/ar-AAkY1Iz?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=U348DHPit

[still_one]

79. and these sam GOPers also rejoiced over Tom Price as HHS, who belongs to the fringe AAPS

What is the AAPS?

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) .

The association is generally recognized as politically conservative or ultra-conservative, and its publication advocates a range of scientifically discredited hypotheses, including the belief that HIV does not cause AIDS, that being gay reduces life expectancy, that there is a link between abortion and breast cancer, and that there are links between autism and vaccinations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_American_Physicians_and_Surgeons

Whether Pelosi is the right choice or not is a valid topic for discussion, that the insane republicans are happy about this is meaningless.

[YOHABLO]

75. I honestly don't know if Nancy has what it takes to combat this breed of right wingers.

[Skittles]

76. that orange lunatic will be in power because people were fed up with the same old

so what do Dems do? Bring back the same old. F*** F*** F***.

[still_one]

80. Why did Russ Feingold lose? Why did Teachout lose? Why did every Democrat running for Senate in

the swing states against establishment republican incumbents lose?

and a good number of those Democrats running for Senate were very progressive.

[NWCorona]

82. I'd take Nancy Pelosi in a leadership role over Schumer.

While I would like to see a massive overhaul of the DNC I'd think we'd be foolish to go completely with new blood.

I'll also add that she was fair to both sides during the primaries and wasn't caught up in any of the hacks really.