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Friday, November 17, 2006
Pelosi's First Folly
Posted by: Hugh Hewitt at 6:21 AM

Newsweek's Howard Fineman charts Nancy Pelosi's first pratfall.

The GOP cannot count on the new Speaker to be a disaster,  but Democrats have to worry that the skills set necessary to manage an ideologically diverse majority are not going to come  naturally to a San Francisco hyper-liberal.  California Democrats generally, and San Francisco Democrats specifically are a hard left bunch, and the deeply ingrained habits of the Dems on the left coast almost always involve going further left, not to the center.  It may be that Pelosi's instincts didn't fail her when she publicly backed her antiwar pal Murtha.

She may not have any political instincts, only a very rigid, very uncompromising ideology.  Radaractive has more on San Francisco values and whether they will travel well. Yesterday's embarassing loss may alert Pelosi that the Speaker's gavel isn't a taser, but it is very possible that Pelosi will not have it in her to compromise her own beliefs, and those beliefs are so outside the mainstream that the Democratic Caucus could become one long shout-fest. We don't know, but if Jane Harmon does indeed get booted from the Intelligence Committee, we will have another indication of the Pelosi Way. Carol Platt Liebau, who guest hosts for me today, has more on this next choice the new Speaker will make.



View in ascending order View in descending order
Bob writes: Friday, November, 17, 2006 7:19 AM
How ridiculous!
Lessee here...

The House Democrats have a contested leadership election, and all you losers (including the MSM) decide to announce that the new majority is bound to fail.

Back in 1994, no one in the MSM pronounced the failure of the GOP House majority when Newt's annointed for majority leader lost out.

The MSN, like the GOP, is having to get used to a future of irrelevance, and both are not handling it well at all.

This is precisely the reason the MSM is fading into irrelevance, and that the blogosphere is taking the lead in putting out reliable information (the center-left side, that is).

If you have run out of GOP toast already, the next opportunity for more will be in 2008. For toast consumers in Delaware: well, the future is now, as they say.
Jersey McJones writes: Friday, November, 17, 2006 8:17 AM
The First Victory for Democracy 2006
Now we see the difference between the GOP and the Dems - the Dems THINK FOR THEMSELVES, whilst the GOPhers goose-step in unison like zombies.

JMJ
bestweather writes: Friday, November, 17, 2006 8:31 AM
An alternative theory
Perhaps she always knew he would lose and just backed him as payback for the retreat and defeat wing of the nutjob party.
Imam #12 writes: Friday, November, 17, 2006 8:36 AM
Mountain out of molehill
I'm sure Pelosi will be a disaster, but it's a bit early to start circling for the kill. Still, I'll be quite surprised if she's the Speaker this time next year. Her party decided to allow her to get the "First Woman Speaker Award", but they'll turn on her soon enough.

BOB, BRC, JMJ: I'm waiting with bated breath to see the miracle solution for Iraq that will be unveiled next January when Congress is seated. Why, I've already noticed that global warming isn't so alarming and runaway progress is being made with _adult_ stem cells since Nov. 7th. Truly amazing what the Democrats have been able to accomplish is so short a time.
justpaul writes: Friday, November, 17, 2006 9:18 AM
Murtha is a small loss for Pelosi
And regardless of how we may wish to spin it, there is a certain amount of logic to the idea that she backed him knowing he would lose.

For while this may cost her a few jibes from the Republicans and the Jay Leno set, it won't hurt her at all with the Democrats, and, in the process, she may have made it clear to the looney tunes left wing that they are not going to be in control.

Only time will tell if Nancy will let her own personal extremism get in the way, but it is far to early to write this woman off yet.
Joe writes: Friday, November, 17, 2006 11:08 AM
I take back what I said about Pelosi
I thought she had to give support to Murtha with the expectation (and hope) he would lose. Basically a "keep the nutroots" happy move but let's get someone who can work with Republicans.

But the way this is going, it just looks like it was a slap down to Pelosi by the Dem Majority. Perhaps she is not that sharp.
Doug Crews writes: Friday, November, 17, 2006 11:35 AM
Keep whistling past the graveyard, Hugh
Funny how Ultra Liberal San Francisco Values Pelosi supported Murtha, by all accounts a very conservative Democrat. He's certainly more conservative than Hoyer.

Bray all you want about Hoyer winning over Murtha, but that's democracy for you. I wear the "moonbat liberal" epithet with pride, and I supported Murtha because he had the guts to stand up to the Dissent-Is-Treason crowd when few others did.

Hoyer won and we all (gosh, even me!) wish him luck in rolling back the damage done in the last 6 years.

Keep whistling, Hugh, and maybe the ghosts of your party's failures won't follow you out of the graveyard.
MCDenver writes: Friday, November, 17, 2006 3:48 PM
Pelosi is smart and did good
Pelosi didn't want Murtha to win. She just wanted her anti-war base to see her TRY to put forth their anti-war hero. She had to make it look convincing or else they would all know that she was taking a dive. I think she did a good job of making it look like she was trying to strong-arm a number of representatives into voting for Murtha.

In the end though, this is a victory for her - and for conservatives - because it gives her room to move to the center within her party. Now that she has shown clearly that she does not have enough votes for a far-left anti-war stance, she can take a more reasonable position than some moderate Republicans may be able to get on board with.

The reason we should all be pleased is that this vote proves that the rabid leftist mob we conservatives all abhor is NOT in control of the Democratic party, and therefore we should stop losing sleep over what they will do.

-Matthew

Otter writes: Friday, November, 17, 2006 5:39 PM
Ye Gods, the Jackasses
are flocking here in force tonight.

And bob's cluelessness about the liberal msm just takes the cake.
greginsocal writes: Friday, November, 17, 2006 5:43 PM
You folks need to get a clue
It isn't just Murtha. Pelosi is backing the wretched/disgraced/impeached Alcee Hastings for the Intelligence Committee. How blindingly stupid is that? And she's doing it because she "owes" the equally wretched Congressional Black Caucus.
Eric writes: Friday, November, 17, 2006 10:37 PM
The GAME
Hugh, not a word about the Buckeyes? For shame.
kai2006 writes: Saturday, November, 18, 2006 2:37 PM
Pelosi will be a figurehead Speaker
The Old Bulls are back. Despite all the talk of "reform", the very same set of committee chairmen who ruled the House prior to the 1994 Revolution will be back in charge in the next Congress. They will be the real powers in the House, not Pelosi.

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