House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who's been in Congress since 1987 and served in various Democrat leadership roles since 2003, finally decided to give someone else a chance at leading her party's efforts in the lower chamber of Congress — but she's not retiring yet.
In a speech delivered from the House floor Thursday afternoon, Pelosi explained that she would continue as something of a backbencher in the House following the 2022 midterms.
"We must move boldly into the future," Pelosi said. "Scripture teaches us that for everything there is a season." For Pelosi, as she explained, her decades-long season leading House Democrats has come to an end.
"With great confidence in our caucus, I will not seek reelection to Democratic leadership in the next Congress," Pelosi announced, saying she will continue as a member of the House "speaking for the people of San Francisco, serving the great State of California, and defending our Constitution."
PELOSI: "I will not seek reelection to Democratic leadership in the next Congress." pic.twitter.com/TSr2BVIDj4
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) November 17, 2022
Of her Democrat colleagues waiting in the wings and chomping at the bit for new blood to lead their party in the House, Pelosi said she is "grateful that so many are ready and willing to shoulder this awesome responsibility."
Already set to lose the Speaker's gavel after the midterms in which Republicans squeaked out a slim majority after hopes of a "red wave" were dashed, Pelosi is looking to manage her own declining power by sticking around in a "speaker emeritus" position, as some have described it, apparently believing she still has wisdom and guidance to provide to the new generation of Democrats she hopes to see rise in her place, especially Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
Jeffries is expected to receive the backing of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), who will also step down from leadership — according to reporting from Punchbowl News on Thursday afternoon — while House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) is expected to run for assistant leader.
Pelosi's refusal to abandon all power just yet is unsurprising for the woman who kept the House Chamber locked down with COVID protocols, installed metal detectors to screen lawmakers, and allowed proxy voting to be abused as an excuse to avoid Washington for month after month, long after President Biden declared "independence" from COVID.
Before the midterm results were known, Pelosi had been insistent that Democrats wouldn't lose their House majority, going so far as to claim that her party would increase its margin in last Tuesday's elections. But that didn't happen, and now she's losing her gavel and her position in the presidential line of succession.
Pelosi's speech was, according to Democrats in the know, written with the help of presidential historian Jon Meacham — the same guy who helped write many Biden speeches and then, unbeknownst to MSNBC, reacted to them as a paid contributor for the network. As Guy reported at the time, Meacham was sent packing by MSNBC after they learned he was more involved in the drafting and editing process for Biden's addresses than he let on.
As such, Pelosi's speech invoked the history of the House of Representatives and a look back on how the chamber had changed in her more than three decades as a member.
Pelosi's announcement on her future means that she won't yet be moving on to other adventures that were reportedly on her radar as a next step. President Joe Biden had been keeping the position of U.S. Ambassador to Italy open in the event Pelosi decided to step away from Congress and enjoy not having to deal with lawmakers or being accountable to her constituents, but she apparently won't be taking the post immediately after losing her House majority.
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