Tipsheet

NY Democrat Sounds Off on 'Aloof' Pelosi

Another Democrat is refusing to support Nancy Pelosi in her bid to get re-elected as House Minority Leader. 

"I will not support her," Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY) told The Buffalo News.

He had a few reasons. Pelosi, along with other Democratic leaders like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), have failed to offer a good enough alternative to President Trump, Higgins said.

What's more, Pelosi has ignored his ideas, specifically his bills to expand Medicare and invest in infrastructure.

"She's listening, but this is my conclusion: She's aloof, frenetic and misguided," Higgins said.

For the ideas the top Democrats have offered, they have been lackluster, he added. Their heart was in the right place with their Better Deal plan, but it was derailed by its poor messengers.

A Better Deal includes a proposal for a smaller, $1 trillion infrastructure plan, but Higgins said Democrats aren't doing a very good job of selling it to the public.

There's little mention of the fact that a huge infrastructure bill would create upwards of 34.5 million jobs and add 1.5 percentage points to the annual growth rate, thereby boosting the economy and cutting the federal deficit, Higgins argued.

"So infrastructure pays for itself and investment helps fund all the other Democratic priorities: education, health care and the environment," he said.

Other Democrats are distancing themselves from Pelosi, including those on the campaign trail. In Arkansas, Clarke Tucker even highlighted his opposition to her in a campaign ad. For those who can't understand why, it's maybe because she keeps demonizing and/or mocking the GOP tax reform bill that has resulted in thousands of bonuses for the American worker.

Higgins suggested a few alternative names for minority leader: Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (MD) Karen Bass (CA) and Joe Crowley (NY), and Tim Ryan (OH), who ran against her in 2016 and got 63 votes.