CNN: 26 Million Reasons Why Pelosi Isn't Going Anywhere

[politicallefty]

Anyone on the left that opposes Pelosi for whatever reasons needs to stop. She has nothing to do with the current state of the Democratic Party. She has busted her ass off for the party for the past 15+ years. As Speaker, she moved over 400 bills through the House that the Senate failed to act upon due to the filibuster. To those on the progressive left, she is one of us. That fact is that she has to lead a caucus that is far more than just progressives.

Personally, I think she wants one more crack at the Speakership in order to retire on a high note. The 2018 midterms aren't going to be about Nancy Pelosi. They are going to be about Donald Trump. If Democrats win back the House next year, I think she'll start planning her eventual retirement and successor. As it stands right now, there is no real successor to Pelosi ready to take control (especially since Xavier Becerra left Congress). For those of us on the left, let's win back the House next year and put Nancy Pelosi back as Speaker and then get the White House back in 2020.

[politicallefty]

To those on the progressive left, she is one of us

She thanked a Fox News Propaganda host for being a "Guardian of our Democracy" in the past week. You'd have to go out of your way to actively try and find a Democrat in Washington who's more out of touch with the Party's base than she is.

I have no idea what you're referring to, but Nancy Pelosi, as Speaker, advanced one of the most progressive agendas through the House, comparable to the New Deal and Great Society. Her voting record is impeccable and she was once a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (that ending due to her policy of being the leader of the entire party). And of course, were it not for extreme gerrymandering, she would have retaken the Speakership in 2012. I'd imagine that Congress would have been radically different under a Speaker Pelosi.

Tim Ryan was a protest vote. If Pelosi leaves office prematurely, Steny Hoyer would likely succeed her. I'm not opposed to new leadership, but we need to do it at the right time. We need to regain power first before we start revamping the leadership (which is what we do eventually have to do).

[politicallefty]

I'm referring to her recent Sunday show interview on Fox with Chris Wallace.

She's 77 and has done her part (and NO, the agenda of the last Democratic congress did not reverse any significant macroeconomic trends that have been the norm from the 1980's to today; ergo that agenda shouldn't even be spoken in the same breath as the Great Society or the New Deal). Her unfavorability rating is near or worse than Donald Trump's and no amount of fundraising can make up for that (and as Kingnapoleon mentioned: there's numerous other Democrats in the House who could do a better job so why is she House Speaker again?)

I'm not aware of that interview.

I understand where you're coming from, but I don't agree with you. First of all, without Nancy Pelosi, I'm almost certain the ACA would not have become law. Secondly, the House during the 2009-2010 session moved some of the most progressive legislation since the Great Society. She passed the EFCA, cap-and-trade, and a far better healthcare form bill through the House. The House healthcare bill was far more expansive, including a public option and a larger Medicaid expansion. And now, the public paradigm has largely shifted to the view that healthcare is now a right. We call it Obamacare, but Pelosi had just as much influence (if not more) in its passage.