Okay—this anti-Pelosi war drum was a nice beat for a couple of weeks, but it’s time to face facts: Nancy Pelosi is probably going to be the next speaker. Yes, we all knew that deep down this was probably the end result, and one that would be optimal for Republicans over the next two years, but the thought of a bloody Democratic leadership fight would’ve been delicious. It would have caused a rift in the Democratic House, shattering their unity. Alas, you can’t always get what you want. Sure, the anti-Nancy wing may have the votes to block her; 16 or sohave signed a letter declaring their opposition, but they have no candidate. Marcia Fudge (D-OH), a serious prospect that lasted about three minutes, said last night she was not going to challengethe Empress Pelosi. And now another Never Pelosi Democrat, Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY) is jumping ship. He had called Pelosi “aloof” (via The Buffalo News):
Rep. Brian Higgins of Buffalo reversed course Wednesday and said he will support Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi to be the speaker of the House, delivering a devastating blow to a weakening rebellion in the ranks that aims to oust her from the top job in the incoming House of Representatives.
Higgins, in a telephone interview with The Buffalo News, said he decided to support Pelosi after she agreed to rank two of his top priorities among the new Democratic House's priorities. He said Pelosi agreed that Democrats will advance a major infrastructure bill early in the next Congress, and that Higgins will be able to take the lead as House Democrats also work to pass his proposal to allow people to buy in to Medicare at the age of 50.
"I have an agreement in principle with the Democratic leader that those are going to be two priorities, and that I will be the lead person on the Medicare buy-in," Higgins said.
Higgins' move comes five months after he announced that he would not back Pelosi, 78, for the top Democratic position in the next House. Calling her "aloof, frenetic and misguided," Higgins said at the time that his problems with Pelosi stemmed from the fact that she was not pushing infrastructure investment and his Medicare bill as aggressively as he would have liked.
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Well, that’s it. This turkey is cooked, folks. President Trump, who never ceases to entertain and troll at the same time, said he would be happy to lend a hand to Pelosi if she fell short of the votes needed to reclaim the speakership, saying he would perform a most wonderful service.
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BONUS: This was yesterday, by the way:
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