Train Wreck by Nancy OhanianI don’t know about you, but I have a Pelosi problem. It is time for her to GO— before she saddles Congress with PAYGO, in fact. Her time is UP. Go, go, go… away. Pelosi and Hoyer— who’s much worse— are living in another era and are totally and utterly out of touch with where the Democratic Party is and where it’s going.
The Republican wing of the Democratic Party wants to replace Pelosi with someone far to her right. The Wall Street-financed New Dems are behind the big anti-Pelosi push. Late this afternoon, HuffPo released the signatories to a letter pledging not to support her for Speaker, primarily a real garbage heap of Democraps. I'd love to see Pelosi replaced... but not by a New Dem of Blue Dog. This is the list (the worst of the plotters are bolded):
A few days ago, Barbara Lee called me from Longview, Texas, where she was campaigning for BETO. But we wasn't calling about BETO; she was calling about a progressive woman running for the House who needed a little extra financial push. She seemed surprised when I told her that the candidate had just gotten a million dollar little extra push from Nancy Pelosi's SuperPAC, House Majority PAC.
About 6 months ago I heard from two impeccable sources that Pelosi only wanted 100 days as Speaker-- presumably to pass PAYGO-- and that after that she'd GO, retire from Congress, making way for her very popular and talented daughter, Christine. Almost everyone told me I was out of my mind, including staffers of hers, members of Congress and a close friend of hers who flat-out asked her.
Wednesday night I went to a fundraiser Ted Lieu MC-ed for Randy Bryce and Ammar Campa-Najjar. Ted and both candidates made compelling cases for defeating the Republicans in a couple of weeks. And tens of thousands of dollars were raised for the Randy and Ammar Joint Victory Fund.
Bernie founded the Congressional Caucus in 1991 and among the first 20 members only 5 are still in the House: Pete DeFazio (D-OR), Maxine Waters (R-CA), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)... yes, Nancy Pelosi. She was a progressive then and back then the "progressive" in the Congressional Progressive Caucus meant a lot more than it does now.
Yesterday, Barbara Lee (D-CA) announced she's running for House Democratic caucus chair, the job Joe Crowley thought was the job that would catapult him into the Speakership. A few weeks ago when the buzz started revving up, a congressional friend of mine asked me if I thought she would be good for the job. "Of course," I texted back, "but there may be a problem. Give me a call. "OK, I will." He didn't.
Yesterday, after her astounding victory Tuesday, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, was interviewed on CNN, which had ignored her race until now. She said that she is "absolutely proud to be a Democrat but it also means that the Democratic Party is a big tent and there are so many ways to be a Democrat." Like Bernie, she calls herself a Democratic socialist.
Years of targeting by right-wing media have made Nancy Pelosi one of the most unpopular politicians in America. Democrats like her though-- and especially her own constituents, Her congressional district had the biggest primary turnout of any congressional district in California... by far. In some cases turnout was double that of other districts! And she won in a landslide. But the Republican attacks actually have penetrated one group: Democratic politicians-- both congressional incumbents and especially candidates.
