House Democratic leadership

The Democratic Party's congressional leadership looks like a geriatric home-- and, increasingly, has been acting like one. Steyn Hoyer wants Nancy Pelosi to retire already. She'll be 76 in March. A couple months later, though, Hoyer will turn 77. The #3 in the House Democratic Leadership, Clyburn turns 76 next July. The only youngster in top leadership is Xavier Becerra, a mere 57. A comparison with the Republican House leaders is startling. Ryan is 45. McCarthy is 50, same as Scalise and #4, Cathy McMorris Rodgers is just 46. California has the biggest House delegation-- 53 members.

New DCCC Chairman, Ben Ray LujanTomorrow the Republican conference-- presumably all the old members who are staying on next year plus the class of 2014-- will vote of the recommendations of the Republican Steering Committee for committee chairs. There are 20 members of the steering committee but Boehner, as Speaker, gets 5 votes and Kevin McCarthy, as Leader gets 2 votes. Everybody else gets one vote. As far as I could piece it together, these are the other members:

Stockman was never convicted for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing-- and, the Texas Republican Party being what it is these days, he even wound up back in Congress.

An abject failure at the DCCC, Steve Israel is likely to do even worse this cycle than he did last time. But he's already warning House Democrats that he isn't done with them yet. He's well aware that no one will tolerate another cycle with his inept and catastrophic handling of the DCCC, so he's insisting on another leadership post.

If the Democrats were to win back the House in November-- and a herd of golden unicorns parading down Pennsylvania Avenue in honor of Earth Day tomorrow is more likely-- Steve Israel would be a hero and be asked to remain on as chairman for another cycle. There's no chance, not even a small one, that that will happen. Israel is the least competent DCCC chairman in history and Pelosi's unwillingness to fire him after his catastrophic performance in the 2012 cycle, is dooming America to another two years of a dysfunctional GOP-led House.

The House Democratic caucus is old-- really, really old. Several have told me they're too old to give much of a damn about idealism anymore. "Look to the kids like Donna Edwards (age 55) if you want to see anything happen," one elderly former fire-breathing progressive told me. Personally, I admire George Miller (age 68) and Henry Waxman (age 74) for retiring on their own terms.

Becerra, Grayson, Ellison-- actual leaders, not money-grubbersI'm never really comfortable with a corrupt out-of-touch Beltway committee parachuting into an American congressional district and telling the Democrats there who their candidate for Congress should be. In the old days, even the worst DCCC chairmen-- think Rahm Emanuel-- used to tip-toe, at least publicy, around interfering in primaries.

A few days ago we reported that Pelosi admitted she doesn't want to be Speaker again. She's tried to put the toothpaste back in the tube but... well, that never works. But you know who else doesn't want the job? Boehner's done.

The American people, just like the British people and the French people, oppose going to war in Syria... overwhelmingly. The other day, Orlando-area congressional candidate Nick Ruiz said that "As Democrats we know better than to fight unjust wars...

Enough of this crapAll the House Democratic leaders, from conservatives like Steny Hoyer, Steve Israel, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Joe Crowley to "liberals" like Nancy Pelosi, Jim Clyburn and Xavier Becerra, are working to round up votes inside the caucus to back Obama's plan to bomb Syria.