(Pelosi's in trouble) Kaptur enters Democratic leadership race (to fend off votes for Ford)

CNN ^ | November 13, 2002 Posted: 10:21 AM EST

[jerod]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. Marcy Kaptur, an Ohio Democrat, entered the race Wednesday for House minority leader -- one day before her colleagues are to vote on whom they want to lead them in next year's Congress.

Kaptur, 56, joins California Rep. Nancy Pelosi, 62, who says she has the race wrapped up, and Rep. Harold Ford Jr., 32, of Tennessee, who says he represents the kind of change needed in the Democratic Party -- especially after the midterm elections in which Democrats lost House seats.

[Dog]

Boooooooooo!

Go Nancy Go!!!!!

[Dog]

LOL!

Kaptur, the most senior Democratic woman in the House of Representatives, said she would urge her colleagues to postpone the vote on leadership positions scheduled for Thursday.

Sit down Marcy no one asked your opinion!

[Capt. Tom]

Look at the company she keeps.

Following is the Sept. 2002 membership list of the Progressive Caucus:Contact Congress - by Juan E. Cabanela

Neil Abercrombie ­ Hawaii Tammy Baldwin ­ Wisconsin Xavier Becerra ­ California David Bonior ­ Michigan Corrine Brown ­ Florida Sherron Brown ­ Ohio Michael Capuano ­ Mass. Julia Carson ­ Indiana William "Lacy" Clay ­ Missouri John Conyers ­ Michigan Danny Davis ­ Illinois Peter DeFazio ­ Oregon Rosa DeLauro ­ Conn. Lane Evans ­ Illinois Eni Faleomavaega ­ Am Samoa Sam Farr ­ California Chaka Fattah ­ Penn. Bob Filner ­ California Barney Frank ­ Mass. Luis Gutierrez ­ Illinois Earl Hilliard ­ Alabama Maurice Hinchey ­ New York Jesse Jackson Jr. ­ Illinois Sheila Jackson-Lee ­ Texas Stephanie Tubbs Jones ­ Ohio Marcy Kaptur ­ Ohio Dennis Kucinich ­ Ohio Tom Lantos ­ California Barbara Lee ­ California John Lewis ­ Georgia Jim McDermott ­ Washington James P. McGovern ­ Mass. Cynthia McKinney ­ Georgia Carrie Meek ­ Florida George Miller ­ California Patsy Mink ­ Hawaii Jerry Nadler ­ New York Eleanor Holmes Norton ­ D.C. John Olver ­ Mass. Major Owens ­ New York Ed Pastor ­ Arizona Donald Payne ­ New Jersey Nancy Pelosi ­ California Bobby Rush ­ Illinois Bernie Sanders ­ Vermont Jan Schakowsky ­ Illinois Jose Serrano ­ New York Hilda Solis ­ California Pete Stark ­ California Bennie Thompson ­ Miss. John Tierney ­ Mass. Tom Udall ­ New Mexico Nydia Velazquez ­ New York Maxine Waters ­ California Diane Watson ­ California Mel Watt ­ North Carolina Henry Waxman ­ California Paul Wellstone ­ Minnesota Lynn Woolsey -

[jrlc]

Isn't there a socialist midget, handicapped cripple the RATS could elect -- Oh, I forgot, DasHOLE already has a party job.

[berned]

Kaptur, a 10-term member, said Democrats should focus on political and campaign finance reform, as well as the economy... (SNIP)...prescription drug programs, a federal national health insurance plan for small businesses and a new energy policy

With the mega life-and-death issues facing this country, with our very survival as a nation at stake, this is the micro crap they offer the voters.

They truly, truly don't get it. Never will.

[tom paine 2]

I thought Hillary{s pantsuit was the black hole.

[Darth Reagan]

The Dems just need to make sure they don't elect Harold Ford the Minority Leader. He would become a huge star, would be much more moderate and would actually give the Dems a chance. He also has the unfortunate and refreshing quality for a politician of answering questions that are asked, rather than always answering with these words, "well, first let me say that. . . "

[let freedom sing]

but I think it's important to offer a choice

code for ABORT PeloSI

[anniegetyourgun]

You are spot on.

[BJungNan]

Pelosi! Pelosi! Pelosi! - We want need Pelosi!

Who does this Ford guy think he is anyway, trying to mess up our 2004 election like this. Hmmph!

[GOPJ]

You make light of serious issues. I care if coffee is grown in the shade -- or if addicts get enough free needles. What makes a person think that an addict with a $100 a day habit can afford $1.00 for a pack of needles? Let's get behind this liberal...

I agree. Pelosi would be wonderful for us. The evil DUers haven't caught on yet, and I don't think they will. Maybe we should pretend we don't want her to win?

[ewing]

She was also on 'Silk Stalkings' on the USA Network (naturally I only watched for the fine detective work)

[DoughtyOne]

Kaptur, a 10-term member, said Democrats should focus on political and campaign finance reform, as well as the economy.

"To win, our party must adopt a reform paradigm," she said. "We will never raise more money than the Republicans, never. We must elevate the non-money wing of the Democratic Party and create populist symbols to convey our message."

Democrats, she said, need to do a better job of outlining "an alternative for America's families and workers." Kaptur named prescription drug programs, a federal national health insurance plan for small businesses and a new energy policy as items that should be priorities for Democrats.
 

That about sums up what the Democrats have done for the last thirty years.

I particularly enjoyed that "creat populist symbols to convey our message" idea.  Now there's something meaningful that people can sink their teeth into.  It's just the kind of thing you want to pass down to your children and their children.

Lets hope this person wins.

[billie bob]

Kaptur would be a much better choice for the Dems. Coming from a very Republican heartland state, she has a far more moderate constituency than Pelosi. She would not be part of a socalist echo chamber of California extremists. If she went too liberal as Minority Leader, she would be in danger of losing her own House seat. She is also from a middle class background and not a rich, limousine liberal like Pelosi. She is Catholic as well (although pro-abort, but not screamingly so as is Pelosi.)

Until the latest redistricting, I lived in Marcie's district. It is by far the most democRATic area in Ohio. IMO she is as "liberal" as Pelosi. There is no danger of her losing her seat! The local paper mentions her as a legitimate Presidential candidate.

[yeswecan]

I'm not so sure it is such an automatic thing that Pelosi's election is an automatic winner for us. I like it better when the Democrat's are in more of a "me too" mode. It will all depend on Ms. Pelosi's political skills, which may turn out to be considerable, I don't know.

Clinton hit us with several body blows that effectively moved the political spectrum considerably to the left, and we are still struggling to recover. After leading off with gays in the military, every other leftist encroachment on the political center seemed tame by comparison, and we were so happy to be on the twenty yard line that we didn't notice what crappy field position we had. Since the Dems won the "government shutdown" debate of 1995, the Republicans have striven to go nowhere near anything that might be construed as a "cut", and spending has gone unabatedly nuts. When we lost the impeachment battle, what constituted the political "mainstream" in the area of public integrity became thoroughly muddled, and we ended up with another known criminal winning passage of "campaign finance reform".

What is a little scary about Pelosi is that she and her group will be able to argue from a purist perspective on things like Hillarycare. No one will be able to say they are flip-flopping or waffling, and, depending on particular economic or political circumstances, might be able to popularize some initiative that comes right out of Mao's little red book.

On the other hand, if Bush can take the initiative and play very rough with party "moderates" on issues such as social security reform, capital gains tax cuts, some seriously conservative SC justices, etc., we might be able to make some headway, but it won't be automatic. As they said about Iraq, he will have to "make the case".

[princess leah]

Hey, atleast Hillary isn't in the House or "you Know" she would be angling for the job!

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

So? About 30% of Congress' DemocRats are members of the Democratic Socialists of America's Progressive Caucus. And those are the ones that admit to membership. With few exceptions: scratch a 'rat, find a socialist.

[leadpenny]

(Pelosi's in trouble) Kaptur enters Democratic leadership race (to fend off votes for Ford)

_______________________

Couple word pictures come to mind:

Something about not getting involved when your enemy is bent on destroying itself.

and,

Titanic deck chairs being rearranged after the collision with the iceberg.

[Kahuna]

Nancy Pelousy brings too much to the table. Major league bank account and California's electoral clout. She will offset this move by Marcy by convincing Jesse Jr. to run as well, thus thrumping Ford's bid. CHECKMATE! These folks only care about power and the good of the country is not even on the list. Nancy wins....Nancy wins!

[45Auto]

Pelosi is worth 67 million dollars.

I always find it interesting that the damn commies in politics are always stinkin', filthy rich - they want the poor bastards that have to work for a living to foot the socialism bill, while they conveniently keep their own money safe from government predation. Rotten, demonRAT bastards/bitchs - to the man(woman).