General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAn elegant solution to the Nancy Pelosi challenge.
Her party won the House. It would be foolhardy to replace her now. That being said we need a new generation of leadership. She should announce this will be her last term as Speaker and she will pass the baton to the next generation of our leaders upon its conclusion.
pennylane100
(3,425 posts)what we need most of all in this next congress is competent leadership to guide us until the next presidential election. Nancy is the most qualified person to do this. As for saying that this should be her last term, that is for the membership to decide. We have many older men in positions of leadership in both parties and yet the call for their resignation has yet to happen.
We just learned that the male democratic leader in the senate asked that we look the other way when dealing with Facebook's response to Russian meddling. The outrage at his behavior was at best muted. If that were Nancy, they would have destroyed her. We need to deal with the racism in our own party if we want to criticize such behavior on the other side of the aisle.
Wounded Bear
(58,440 posts)didn't she say that she would take the gavel and start transitioning to new leaders?
lsewpershad
(2,620 posts)speaker who will be an understudy.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)She said, in political language, say she was planning on being Speaker only for a limited time, until the new House members have found their feet.
The thing is, all of this "controversy" is being stirred up by a few very conservative dems in the House. there is no serious/real opposition to her Speakership. ( If that is not a real word, it should be).
As much as I have been pissed at Pelosi for giving Bush a pass, I also recognize that her experience is badly needed to take on the Trump fight.
Johnny2X2X
(18,745 posts)This is the best of both worlds, we would have her valued leadership and at the same time be able to say the Democratic Party is moving in new direction.
I want an open debate about all of the options here. I am disappointed that that idea is getting shouted down.
Here's the bottom line, I want who gives us the best chance in 2020, period. Pelosi or whoever else, I want to hear the case for 2020.
Also though, detractors of Pelosi are concerned that the GOP effectively uses her against the Democratic Party since they run so many ads featuring her. One point that has to be made about that is that even if someone did displace her as Speaker, they'd still run the same exact ads about Pelosi, and they'd run new ones about the new speaker too. I can hear them now, "Democrats go further left than even Nancy Pelosi, the party is out of touch." Disclaimer, I'd love it if we went left of Pelosi!
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,705 posts)She was magnanimous enough to let candidates run who said they want to replace her because she knows nothing was more important than taking back the House.
Johnny2X2X
(18,745 posts)I am confident she will give them a way to keep their promises they made to their voters and then work together once she is the Speaker again.
stopbush
(24,378 posts)SaschaHM
(2,897 posts)I've rooted for Pelosi since 2016 and have hit back at the idiotic notions that she should be replace. The election has been illuminating though. It's unacceptable for leaders to have been in power for so long without having prepared a successor. Clyburn, who actually had a deputy to eventually take his place, is the only one facing a challenge. Hoyer and Pelosi have made themselves more than necessary and unbeatable. I'm fine with them reaping the benefits of their own error for 2 years, but the fact that we don't have a ready alternative for 2 leaders in their 70s is a problem that should have been fixed by them years ago.
Any future leader of any age needs a deputy or a transition plan because anything can happen.
As for this speakership challenge, She's going to be fighting Trump for the next two years. This isn't going to be passing the ACA with a willing senate/president. This isn't even going to be like opposing the Bush Regime. This is going to be a pr knife fight with a White House willing to accuse Democrats of rooting for murderers and a press willing to parrot it. This is a warm up and a proving ground for a much bigger battle.
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,705 posts)SaschaHM
(2,897 posts)I think she happens to be the right person at the right time, partially due to circumstances of her own making. If there were an equally experienced woman, with more caucus support, who was a better knife fighter, I'd be rooting for her. Not because I don't like Pelosi or think she hasn't contributed to this victory. You go with the right person for the battle you're up against and to me that's why Pelosi is the choice, not because it's deserved.
Stinky The Clown
(67,697 posts)Personally I want to see her stay as long as she wants.