Pelosi Stumbles Out of the Blocks

Political Wire ^ | November 16, 2006 | Stuart Rothenberg

[West Coast Conservative]

Yes, I know. Leadership fights on Capitol Hill are the ultimate political insider contests. Voters don’t care about them, and once they are over, they are quickly forgotten.

Having said that, Nancy Pelosi’s decision to pick a public fight with her second in command, Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, is so incomprehensible, so politically stupid that it has raised eyebrows among political journalists and insiders of all type.

For weeks, I have been suggesting that Pelosi will be a lot smarter and more subtle that her conservative critics warned, and that she won’t drive the Democratic bus off the cliff. But now I’m not so sure.

Pelosi’s political antennae appear much less sensitive than I assumed, and if you are a Republican looking for a quick reason to think that you may be able to take back the House in 2008, the incoming Speaker’s intervention in the majority leader race – a race that her candidate lost rather decisively – has to give you some reason for optimism.

Instead of generating front page stories about the Democrats’ agenda, Pelosi has made herself and divisions within her party the story du jour.

In publicly backing Rep. John Murtha – and apparently strong-arming Democrats to support him over Hoyer – Pelosi threw her support to someone who has plenty of ethics baggage and contempt for the reformist agenda that many Democrats, and many Americans, seem to want.

Pelosi doesn’t have to like Hoyer to work with him. Her effort to crush him suggests considerable personal flaws that could come back to haunt her. Just as bad, she has taken a non-story for most people and turned it into a lose-lose proposition for herself.

Now, reporters will have the Pelosi versus Hoyer story to kick around for the next couple of years, and Pelosi will forever have started off her historic speakership with a stinging, and very unnecessary, defeat.

[Rocko]

Bumpitttt.

[ErieGeno]

That dude in the pic, isn't that Carville? Sure looks like him.

[Bahbah]

For weeks, I have been suggesting that Pelosi will be a lot smarter and more subtle that her conservative critics warned

Stuart, you just were not paying attention. Oh, and don't get to close to her stiletto heals anytime soon.

[Prost1]

"Why does she have to be bipartisan with President Bush? W will cave on everything she wants."

But, but...Bush has said he would not compromise on principles...

[Tokra]

Murtha looks a lot like a crazed Chill Wills.

[Paulus Invictus]

Here's another RAT conundrum: why do unions support the RATs like Pelosi when her own restaurants and winery will not allow union workers? It's confusing.

[Issaquahking]

I needed a brainless, spineless old fool like Murtha to jump when I say....now I can't run my liberal agenda at full speed! Go to the store, for more, to be on my ship of fools....

[dforest]

Well we all knew that along time ago!

[NickatNite2003]

Of course, you all know what
Pelosi's and the Dims
"New Direction" is, don'tcha????

"To the REAR.....THRUST!!"

'San Fransisco Values' and all, don'tcha know.

[samantha]

That picture looks like either she is not really very happy, or she is afraid her face will crack and fall off if she smiles broadly. Before Murtha opened his Senile and crooked mouth yesterday, she could have gotten away with this. He cannot keep his mouth shut, he is a DBM star (so he thinks), and is acting accordingly, dumber than dirt. I believe Nancy was pushing him for three reasons. She hates Hoyer, Murtha has the goods on her especially about her Nephew/kickback, and she protected him on all the ethics charges by accusing the Pubbies of slamming him because he disagreed on the war which in actuality she and others were using his Military credentials as bonafides in tune with their efforts to criticize/demonize the war. I love how the DBMS is pulling their hair out on this one.

[Fresh Wind]

I saw a Democrat operative sputtering last night on Hannity and Colmes that instead of talking about Jack Abramoff going to prison, we are talking about Jack Murtha saying ethics reform is "total crap!"

They may not really want to talk about Abramoff right now, considering the rumors that he has implicated a number of highly placed Democrats.

[antonia]

What's all this criticism of Pelosi by the MSM? Did she switch parties while I wasn't looking?
She certainly looks like it in her Nancy Reagan Republican red suit.

[stevem]

I likely won't spend the time analyzing the numbers. Yet I read somewhere that Republicans lost somthing like 31 races where a change of 1% plus 1 (or fewer) votes would have reversed them. Republicans didn't lose the House or the Senate because Republicans were voting for Democrats. They lost both because Republicans stayed home. Basically, they lost because Republican leadership in Washington D.C. is STUPID.

I think with decent leadership, understanding what the Republican message is supposed to be and BEHAVING that way will accomplish what is required.

[stevem]

Now, reporters will have the Pelosi versus Hoyer story to kick around for the next couple of years, and Pelosi will forever have started off her historic speakership with a stinging, and very unnecessary, defeat.

What reason do we have to think reportes won't fix any moronic thing Pelosi does.

[Ronin]

Since when did anything that dingbat do or say make sense?

[NRA2BFree]

Nancy Pelosi’s decision to pick a public fight with her second in command, Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, is so incomprehensible, so politically stupid that it has raised eyebrows among political journalists and insiders of all type.

Did Stuart consider who he's talking about? LOL It's not really a big secret that Pelosi is a ding-a-ling. ;o)

[Branzburg]

Not the brightest bulb on the Dem's Holiday Tree.

[The Blitherer]

Not the brightest bulb on the Dem's Holiday Tree.

I think the correct term is "Giving Tree".

;-)

[alloysteel]

There remains the simmering possibility that Nancy may yet find herself being thrown under the bus, if she continues to make this an issue. Steny may just be looking pretty hard at pursuing Nancy's job, if things happen to get sticky, and it is not unheard of that Speakers have been known to resign from the position, when sufficient pressure is brought to bear from dissatisfied spear-carriers.

[muawiyah]

Abramoff, if he spills his guts on everybody, could very well bring about a reversal in who controls the House and the Senate.

He was a bipartisan sort of fixer.