I know squat about John Larson, but he can’t be less effective than Hoyer or Clyburn, can he? Of course the Dems still have Obama around their neck. Poor bastards.

This is a classic bureaucratic squeeze. I’d say Hoyer’s out.

Could Nancy Pelosi’s decision to return as Minority Leader of the Democratic caucus end up squeezing Steny Hoyer out of the leadership entirely?

Why, yes, yes, it could.

Remember how he got to be Majority Leader in the first place? He made sure a whole bunch of incoming Democrats, particularly corporatist DINOs (his favorite kind), owed him big-time:

”He has been out there working these freshmen for the last three elections,” he said. ”Some of these people ran twice. He gave them money, he gave them advice. He became a loyal friend to these people. Nancy thought she could put these people away because of pressure. But these people that got elected understand relationships, and they’re not going to flip away because of pressure. He has a tremendous capacity for friendship, and when you have that, people don’t flake off on you.”

And where are they now? Gone, almost all of them.

Be careful what you wish for – Pelosi at the helm will be a ripe target in 2012. With the “shellacking” of Tuesday, perhaps our team should be re-tooled with new faces.

“Could Nancy Pelosi’s decision to return as Minority Leader of the Democratic caucus end up squeezing Steny Hoyer out of the leadership entirely?” Christ, I hope so…

“With the ‘shellacking’ of Tuesday, perhaps our team should be re-tooled with new faces.” The “shellacking” was of Blue Dogs like Hoyer, and frankly, that’s just fucking fine with me.

Nope, Pelosi’s the one who can say “We told you so”. Yeah, I know the scary GOP internet ads scared a lot of Dems and Indies secretly freaked out by women in charge. But two years of a Republican House lobbing impeachment bullshit and bogus hearings will soften those fears.

Pelosi has been and will be a target for right wing venom. I for one wonder at her willingness to continue in leadership. But it was the DINOs who lost and I take heart in seeing the liberal/progressive Democrats displaying vigor. As Barbara Lee said on one of the talk shows, they are the “Dreamkeepers.” I look to the next two years of Obama as more conservative than we have seen since Hoover and it is reassuring there will be a cohesive opposition in the Congress.

So Clyburn is the better candidate from the progressives POV? How much better, or does he just ‘suck less’ [TM] than Hoyer?

What’re Larsen’s creds from the progressive POV?

ANYONE to the left of these aristo-fascists will be under constant, incessant ATTACK. Why?

1. They’re aristo-fascists and they want us ALL to be doormats, boot lickers, ass kissers and ass wipes.

2. the political Pathetic sacks of shit taking up salary and space in “leadership” roles – hello harry, hello barry, hello nancy. It would be unusual ?? something new? refreshing ?? to see some alternative strategies to fascist attacks – like attack them?

Although, when you play hardball, then you can’t whine to your upper middle cla$$ leafy neighborhood Dem supporters about how noblerer and gooderer and betterer and smarterer you all are, and how mean meanies aren’t truthful and aren’t nice! finger way finger wag.

rmm.

Deck chairs on the Titanic.

Heh.

As much as I hate to indulge in name calling, I’ve always thought of him as Steny Ho_er, a slick corporate hack who even LOOKS like a Republican. Am not sure of the extent to which I’m giving Clyburn the benefit of the “He’s black, therefore he must be liberal” doubt, but I find Hoyer so unpalatable, I’ve got to root for Clyburn.

Your take sounds a bit more like that of the Tea Party. Indiscriminately do away with government and expect the perfect and the wise to arise from the hinterlands.

IMO your take on Pelosi is misplaced. Even with th e malignant effects of the Blue Dogs the House did their job. It is Obama and the Senate who have wussed us into near collapse as a nation, selling the people into as you suggest serfdom to the freebooters.

The message I take from Pelosi’s move is that we are not all dead yet. This lady is the only one who does have a philosophy and vision for governing and government.

I certainly won’t shed any tears if Hoyer’s out. He’s the kind of Democrat the Democratic party can do without.

I like Nancy but the whole leadership team needs to change,,they are stale and the media and public narrative on them have been written,,,period,,,

Nancy made the dems take votes on stuff that had zero chance of going any where and why did that happen? who the hell knows,,,

The dems in the house really do need a new face of the caucus..
now I do understand that the problem has been the inability of Harry Reid to be an effective leader in the Senate and he looks like they are going to keep him in place,,which is a bad move as well,,,,,

Maybe the american people needs to experience some republican pain before they will finally wake up,,,it took the great depression last time,,,,maybe thats what we need again,,but that is another topic,,,,

Bob Herbert has a good column in today’s NYT

Well, “sucks less than Hoyer” is a “lesser of two evils” I would take.

Oh, you’re right. I lived in suburban MD for 30 years –not in Hoyer’s district, but saw plenty of press on the worm.

He’s just as vile as he looks.

I like the part that Hoyer

“has received a lot of support from members over the past several days urging him to stay as a part of leadership. He’ll spend the next couple of days talking to members and getting their thoughts on him being minority whip.”

Yeah, defeated members, maybe.

And I’m so sure that whoever else the Democrats put atop their caucus will be treated with kid gloves by the GOP Majority in the House. Get real, the GOP will always find something bad to say no matter who Democrats choose.

Might as well dance with the one who brung ya — and Pelosi raised a record fifty million dollars this cycle to elect Democrats.

AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…

Citizen David dayen and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:

I have been tryin’ to tell people around here for the last year that democracy does not survive if the citizens rely on the “great man leadership” theory…democracy and progress in the struggle for social and economic justice are only acheived from the grass roots precinct by precinct, office by office and vote by vote. That’s what Howard Dean knew in 2006 and ObamaRahma knew in 2009 when they kicked Dean out of the DNC and dismantled the 50 state party organizing machine Dean built. I been hollerin out here in the wilderness ever since the healthcare battle and the focus everyone had on the Senate…the only possibility of a progressive politics nationally is to build a permanent progressive Democratic presence in the House of Representatives. In today’s situation, if Obama really wants to get re-elected he will hafta make common cause with the progressives in the House, secure Social Security against the assault from his own Cat Food Commission and use his veto, and his majority in the Senate to keep the issues of jobs, economic security and financial reform in front of everyone every day. And of course we out here in the dirty streets need to make ending the wars the single most important re-election issue goin into 2012.

In short, unless Obama is committed to losing in 2012, he must turn left and rely on the progressive base in his party and in the House and Senate…and we out here must take over our local party machinery. I’ve already started and I’m still lookin’ for you folks who have been throwin shoes at the TV and rhetoical napalm at your bothers and sisters in the progressive movement to show up at a meeting ready to fight for what you say you belive.

KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION YOU GOT NOWHERE TO HIDE ANYMORE!

she is just to wishy washey on tv and the church leaders hate her,,,,

Pelosi has been a huge target for the right because she has been effective and she is a women. Two things the right can’t stand in the opposition. Hoyer is a DLC corportist and has been an obstacle to overcome repeatedly. I don’t know what Clyburn or Larsen will do, but they can’t be worse than Hoyer. Only when the Democratics weed out the ConservaDems (which was a start on Tuesday) and the DLC leaning group, will there be a Party worth it’s salt. The Democrats in the House aren’t going to have much clout anyway with the big GOP majority. It’s the Senate that will have to stop the GOP. Now that Harry is safe for another six years, don’t expect anymore spine from him, probably less. Between Harry and Obama, we are likely toast.

Agree.

the church leaders hate her,,,,

Is this snark?

Citizen xaegaw:

You are absolutely right about Pelsoi. I have been really frustrated by her in the past but she is the only progressive in a position of leadership that has the fund raising credibility, local political base and the political chops to get things done in the House and manage the reactionaries in our party.

the only possibility of a progressive politics nationally is to build a permanent progressive Democratic presence in the House of Representatives

Exactly!!!

The Assassinator-In-Chief probably should be impeached, just not for what the Republicans will go after him for.

“IMO your take on Pelosi is misplaced. Even with th e malignant effects of the Blue Dogs the House did their job. It is Obama and the Senate who have wussed us into near collapse as a nation, selling the people into as you suggest serfdom to the freebooters.”

It takes both houses of Congress to pass legislation, so whatever the Senate did Pelosi endorsed it. Just wait until Pelosi goes after Social Security.

of course,,, church on sunday, the bar on mionday

The first thing I did when I heard that Nancy Pelosi had the ovaries to stay and fight, was to call Jay Inslee and urge him to support her.
hoyer is the oily corporatist the President was hoping for, as he threw gas on the fire that was to consume the house. It is no secret that the White House was going to throw the House under the bus to give BO a ‘foil’.
With Pelosi in the House payback will be a bitch.
She will be the galvanic force we’ll need then the catfood commission spews forth.

“Between Harry and Obama, we are likely toast.”

check

None of the above!!!
Kucinich—DeFazio or Sheila Jackson Lee!!!!??????

cuz I have a pulse, and I’m sick of being sold out by upper middle cla$$ dilettantish diaper shitters who PROVEN for 30 years that they’re incapable of beating fascists,

OR making gov’t work so well that people see the community investment side of government, instead of seeing government as employment programs for highly degreed, highly paid, excuse making parasites who can’t run a hot dog stand.

(have YOU ever been on welfare? financial aid? unemployment? have YOU ever needed those checks so you weren’t living in the fucking street? I have. )

I’m a tea bagger who hates government!

Actually, I despise people who are incompetent.

Given the number of people whose opinions I’ve respected on this board who say that Pelosi isn’t a waste of space, salary and skin …

well, we’ll see.

She looks to me like just another dodd kerry dukakis gore clinton obama sell out – I’D LOVE TO BE WRONG!

rmm.

I wasn’t impressed by Hoyer or Clyburn in the leadership.

Pelosi should be allowed to continue working hard and getting some results, and she shouldn’t have to be weighed down by Hoyer or Clyburn.

Meanwhile, the Democrats’ base should not be standing silently by as Reid is allowed to continue as Minority Leader in the Senate. HE’S ALREADY PROVEN HE CAN’T LEAD.

For some reason I seem to not care about the 4 current leaders trying to fit into the “minority” setup of having only 3 leaders – and if current caucus fellow John Larsen stays and Hoyer goes – so what.

It is interesting that the count in the Senate remains 43 certain base approved liberals/progressives – with 10 more to the moderate or center on at least some policies. It reminds me of the 50′s when whenever the Dems controlled a House the only things that got passed were GOP/Southern Dem coalition agreed upon bills.

But this time is more interesting because Tea Party types in the House are likely to reject GOP/moderate Dem Senate approved bills. Of course Obama will sign anything that is corporate approved/wanted – as his signal about how he lied about the no special tax breaks for billionaires in the up coming Bush tax cuts for rich and corporate lame duck session shows. So forget the VETO from Obama on anything the GOP want – he may not even match Bush’s veto total (one) during his time in office. Of course if in 2012 there is a 60 plus Dem Senate again he will threaten to veto any bill from the left – as in the public option. It is important to re-elect Obama – that is what an email said this fall. I have more faith in the Tea Party types stopping GOP bills than I do in Obama stopping anything.

Now to check on how many jobs will the US net from the trip to India and the deals he announced.

Bye Bye Blue Dogs

Since Speaker Pelosi decided to stay in leadership, it seems appropriate that everyone should bump down a slot, which would make Hoyer Whip. Hoyer works hard to represent House Dems across the spectrum, so it is essential that he stay in leadership to help unify the Caucus.

Actually Teddy, Hoyer has support from across the spectrum. In 2006 against Murtha, he won the majority of every caucus – including the Progressive Caucus, the CBC and the CHC. He’s the right person to unify the caucus.

Hoyer is the moderate in the leadership team, as are the seats Dems need to win back in 2012. Shutting Hoyer out is just ridiculous. If Pelosi wants to stay, then everyone needs to move down a spot.

Hoyer’s moderate voice will unify the chamber and show Americans the Dem Party is listening to the tone set on Nov. 2 2010, not ignoring and creating it’s own liberal agenda. Hoyer showed his loyalty to Dems this Congress by giving more money directly to House Democrats than any other Member — raising over $5.15 million for Members and candidates.

Hoyer’s got broad support that will be hard to shake. He’s always been a unifying force in the caucus, more so than any other member. In 2006, when he didnt have backing from Pelosi, he won the majority of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Progressive Caucus, and the the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. That’s because he’s got progressive credibility and Members know they can trust him.

Hoyer’s a unifier, and can travel, recruit and fundraise in nearly every district. He pushed major progressive priorities over the goal line, and has the institutional know-how to get the job done. He was a key part of winning in 2006, he needs to be part of the leadership team moving forward.