Nancy Pelosi just got a challenger and he's a 'pretty hard-core' Bernie Sanders supporter

[CreekDog]

Delusions of Grandpa

Nancy Pelosi just got a challenger and he's a 'pretty hard-core' Bernie Sanders supporter

Christine Mai-Duc

APRIL 26, 2017, 9:55 A.M.

San Francisco attorney Stephen R. Jaffe is a lifelong Democrat and he intends to do what no Democrat has been able to do so far: make it to a runoff election against House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Jaffe, 71, is an employment attorney who became a volunteer for the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign last year.

...

Pelosi, the highest-ranking Democrat in the House, has never faced a serious challenger on the left in her liberal San Francisco district. Preston Picus, another Sanders supporter who ran as a no-party-preference candidate, came the closest when he received 19% of the vote in November, according to the California Target Book.

read more at:

http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-updates-nancy-pelosi-just-got-a-challenger-and-1493224950-htmlstory.html

[SaschaHM]

1. I wonder if we are going to hear throngs of...

Nancy Pelosi is too old at 77.... Replace her with this 71 year old.

[WhiteTara]

28. Or more importantly

replace her with an old white man who has no experience in government. Congress will look more "normal" when that happens.

[LisaM]

31. Ding ding ding!!!

That is it exactly!

[obamanut2012]

39. this

[bettyellen]

65. THIS!

[NurseJackie]

74. I do believe you are correct.

[bottomofthehill]

2. It's about time someone primary's her from the left

She needs to be more reflective of her districts needs, all that healthcare stuff she did with the Obama administration and stuff...... yea, that's what she needs, a Bernie primary.

[R B Garr]

18. Exactly! It's pretty obvious San Francisco gets it consistently right, so lectures

are not needed. California, in general, gets it right with some unfortunate pockets of red. Trying to outdo already liberal/progressive people will only induce a lot of heavy sighs/eye rolling that will no doubt get tiresome.

Thanks for the heads up about this.

[Sgent]

7. All that stuff

like getting it passed?

Blame Joe Lieberman and some other Senators for watering down the healthcare bill. One single defection and the whole thing died. There was never any support for single payer, Lieberman wouldn't even support Medicare as an option.

[CreekDog]

9. Exactly. Pelosi would support single payer if it can pass Congress

but she's not going to kill the health reform we can get just because it's not single payer.

which is no different from Bernie Sanders' position!

[Wounded Bear]

67. IIRC, the House version of the ACA included a public option...

not Med4All, but at least a step in the right direction. That died in the Senate version and Pelosi directed her members to vote for it to at least get something done on the issue.

[brush]

84. And Lieberman is the reason the public option died in the Senate. He belongs in the same boat as ...

trump and the rest of the traitors.

[Raine1967]

13. Are you in her district?

Asking for a friend.

[CreekDog]

22. .

Last edited Thu Apr 27, 2017, 01:25 PM - Edit history (1)

.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

47. Sure looked like sarcasm to me.

[CreekDog]

66. You're right

Oops!

[Hassin Bin Sober]

69. Eh, whaddya gonna do. Lol.

I still like creekdog.

[CreekDog]

76. Everything sounds like The Onion to me anymore

Thanks for liking Cjeekdgg.

[bottomofthehill]

90. It was sarcasm

I need to learn how to put on that screams thingey. I love Leas
Dear Pelosi. May she soon be Speaker again

[pnwmom]

23. It's the WORST time. We need leaders who know the ropes in Congress,

not newbies who are just figuring things out.

[wasupaloopa]

29. You are not from San Fran are you?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

30. What do you mean? "all that healthcare stuff she did w/Obama Administration..."

You mean, helping expand health insurance coverage accross most of the country (the parts that allowed it and encouraged it to happen) and better protections for Americans in terms of healthcare? Ok. I get that ACA isn't perfect (it isn't) but it was damned better than what we had before and damned better than what things will look like if Trumpcare gets signed into law.

*I'm re-reading your post and I can't tell if you're being sarcastic and just forgot the tag but if you are, please feel free to disregard this post. If you're not..........

[obamanut2012]

40. wrong

[Starry Messenger]

48. I'm going to savor this post again next year

Hillary won Marin County in the primary by a huge margin. This guy is just embarrassing himself.

[Demsrule86]

49. You are in Florida ...a state that elected Scott twice and Rubio?

Good advice...your own state needs help.

[Phoenix61]

58. Yes it does

They are both a source of never ending embarrassment for me. I'm hopeful the new dem party head can get the ball rolling in the right direction, actually I guess that should be in the left direction.

[rug]

4. .

[Tatiana]

5. We could do a lot worse than Pelosi. Not in favor of this move.

Her leadership skills are not the best, but she is a reliable and sure vote for nearly all Democratic causes. I'm not in favor of replacing her with someone who is an unknown entity. At least we know what we are getting with Pelosi.

[drray23]

12. her leadership skills are not the best ???

Do you realize the magnitude of her accomplishments ?

She was one of the most successfull speaker of the house in history. She has a long and storied carreer that few can compare against. She does not just "vote" with democrats, she has been at the forefront of initiating or supporting most of the democratic legislative successes for the last few decades.
I do agree with you that we should not replace her.

[Tatiana]

14. Taking impeachment off the table...

Worst possible statement and strategy she could have ever made. It was wrong. Bush literally blew up the ME. Thousands upon thousands of people have died. We tortured. We violated international law.

We literally gave Republicans a license to screw us over and look where that has lead. She owns a part of the results of the decision to take impeachment off the table.

[CreekDog]

17. 10 million people gained Medicaid because of Pelosi

I suggest you study a little more.

[Tatiana]

19. And we're still blowing up the Middle East.

I have studied. For some years in college.

It was a mistake to take impeachment off the table. Yes, I am grateful for the Medicaid expansion. But, failing to hold Bush/Cheney into account while we had the majority was a huge mistake which has led to some of the disasters we are currently facing. I don't just blame Pelosi. I blame Hoyer and Clyburn too. They should have provided better counsel.

If we keep sticking our heads in the sand and singing la la la la la la our leadership is great, we will continue to see the results we have experienced -- loss of seats, power, and essentially our freedoms.

[JI7]

20. Sanders didn't support impeachment either

[boston bean]

25. Say it aint so.

[pnwmom]

24. +1000.

[obamanut2012]

42. her leadership skills are on fucking point

[Demsrule86]

50. She single handedly saved the ACA from the Stupak crowd...and gave millions of Americans

healthcare.

[uponit7771]

8. fuck

[CreekDog]

10. try not to worry about this guy

he doesn't have a chance.

DU has a smiley dedicated to his primary challenge:

:handmovingupanddown:

[NBachers]

11. Sorry- Nancy's an invaluable resource who's experience and abilities will not be equaled by Jaffe.

[Starry Messenger]

15. She never goes below 75% of voters

Nomnnomnomnom

[JI7]

21. is Sanders going to campaign for him ? i don't think he supported the guy who ran against DWS.

[Cha]

27. BS endorsed tim canova but didn't campaign

for him is the way I remember it.

[Demsrule86]

51. Sen. Sanders endorsed DWS's opposition but did not campaign for him.

[Orsino]

26. Doubt he's going to get a lot of traction, but okay.

I wouldn't mind seeing her forced to campaign a little more to the left. Left is good.

[CreekDog]

33. She's the leader of the House Democrats, why don't you get that?

She is not just representing her district when she's doing that role.

Her district's voters get it. Not sure why you don't.

[Orsino]

34. Get what?

We know her incredible popularity and of her leadership position. What more is there to get?

[OnDoutside]

82. I don't want to speak for Creekdog, but I assume he/she means Pelosi

has to deal with the possible, as Leader of the House Democrats. It's so much easier for Bernie, as an Independent, to make all sorts of promises and demands that he doesn't have to stand over.

[Orsino]

89. Definitely true.

I would hope that her status and her record of accomplishment would count for a lot against someone who's never run for office before.

[MichMan]

41. Apparently she is immune from any criticism of any kind

Got it, any criticism of Nancy Pelosi cannot be tolerated

[Demsrule86]

53. What is the point of primarying a blue state Democrat?

There is no point and we would be better off electing Dems in red districts to take back the house...we have real opportunities...waste of time and money.

Also as someone who's child's life was saved, by the ACA, I am forever in Nancy Pelosi and pres. Obama's debt...they bravely gave millions healthcare...Nancy sacrificed her majority to do so.

[CreekDog]

81. There isn't one message in this thread saying not to criticize Pelosi

I realize you probably missed it, but the thread/article was about replacing Pelosi with someone else.

[Demsrule86]

44. Yeah she should campaign...so she has less time to fight Trump...good plan...not.

[Orsino]

52. That would depend on what her challenger wants that she does not.

I think every politiican ought to have to answer that queston from time to time.

Given that she is likely to cruise to victory, she could probably co-opt her opponent's message and render him irrelevant...but her district ought to drive that.

[Demsrule86]

54. I think it is the wrong time in Trump's America to ask such questions...

[Orsino]

63. The district may feel the same way...

...in which case the primary won't endanger Pelosi.

[Demsrule86]

71. I call it foolish and I made note of this person's name because he will never run for anything and

get my vote.

[still_one]

32. Jaffe was one of the attorneys along with Simpich who filed the bullshit lawsuit that NPP voters

were not given adequate instructions on voting, and they would be discouraged from voting.

It was a garbage lawsuit, and rightfully lost.

[Gothmog]

37. That lawsuit was a piece of dreck

It was poorly written and had no merit. The courts had no trouble dismissing that idiotic lawsuit

[still_one]

38. Yes it was.

[Kaye_NY]

35. This is just plain ridiculous

Nancy Pelosi has been a powerful force in resisting Trump and Ryan.

http://shareblue.com/pelosi-exposes-ryans-inability-to-govern-forces-two-losses-in-one-day/

[Gothmog]

36. I hope that Pelosi destroys this really bad lawyer

I read the piece of dreck he filed for Sanders in California. The court had no problem rejecting it

[Demsrule86]

43. Really smart...waste money and time primarying a safe seat

while ignoring taking back the House and the Senate...this is why I want no part of the so called revolution...it snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.

[LexVegas]

45. alt-left. nt

[Fresh_Start]

46. Idiotic move

Why don't Bernie supporters try to take seats away from Republicans instead of cannabilizing Democrats. Because they only know how to weaken the left rather than defeat the right.

[Demsrule86]

55. why wouldn't they force a primary for every damn GOP and pick good Dems to run against

GOP's in red districts...and leave safe blue district alone.

[Kentonio]

56. He won't win.

And I don't see how it weakens Nancy Pelosi in any way. It just sends a small reminder to not forget about the left. Not a bad thing when people get too used to running virtually unopposed.

I like her incidentally, and I'll be more than happy when she wins.

[Fresh_Start]

75. but its a waste of resources and ppl who could support stretch democrats

will be funding a stupid contest instead

[Tom Rinaldo]

57. Nancy used to be my Reprentitive when I lived in San Francisco

I liked her then, I like her now. She has always been one of the more progressive members of the House. When she became our leader there she had to balance out many caucus viewpoints, and she did so very well given how hard it is to keep a caucus on track and functional in a bitterly divided Congress. Paul Ryan could only hope that he some day shows one tenth the skill Nancy Pelosi does in that regard.

I ever expect any of our Party leaders in Congress to please me all of the time, given the job they have to do. Overall I have been pleased with the leadership Nancy Pelosi has shown. I had respect for Harry Reid also, though I disagreed with him from time to time as well.

Having said that, though it is not a choice I can get behind, I respect the right of any member of the Democratic Party to challenge another member in a primary. That is part of democracy. If it is an open, honest and respectful discussion of principles and priorities, I will not attack Jaffe for making this move. I will simply expect him to lose badly. I will then expect him to support the nominee of our Party.

[vi5]

59. So don't primary red OR blue state dems?

Is that what I'm understanding?

People get told on here that we can't possibly primary red state dems because they are as liberal as we get in those places (and don't even try!).

And now we can't primary blue state dems either because........just don't?

I'm really wondering at what point we'll be allowed to bring the party back to it's left of center roots because based off of what I read on here it's never.

And please don't try and sell me the "Once we get in the majority then we can discuss details and push things left!!!" because when we had the white house, the Senate and the House we were told to just be quiet and let the grown ups do their job. Which seemed to involved starting negotiations from a moderate, centrist position every single time with no questions or concerns allowed to be raised.

And for the record I don't have much of an issue with Pelosi, I'm just reacting more to the calls essentially to "Shut up and support everyone that the party puts up there regardless!"

Although I do think it's time we got some better salespeople in these positions of power rather than policy wonks whose playbooks are dominated by inside baseball moves that may get some stuff done but don't get people to the polls in the process.

[KeepItReal]

80. Good points.

It's on Fmr. Speaker Pelosi to destroy this guy and others in the primary. That comes with the territory of holding elected office.

Those gigs in DC were designed for votes every two or four years. My neighbors in SF will see another Dem on the primary ballot. That's democracy.

Earn your seat to the satisfaction of your constituents or find another occupation.

[Phoenix61]

60. I've heard trying to get Dems together is like herding cats

I happen to have 3 of those furry critters and let me tell you, I respect the hell out of anyone that can herd cats and she darn sure can.

[mcar]

61. Maybe they should consider running against Republicans

Just an idea...

[Fresh_Start]

77. +1000 nt

nt

[davsand]

62. So?? It's a PRIMARY. That's how party politics works.

Not seeing the problem here. A Primary is how a party sorts out the positions and stances. Once that Primary is over, you unite behind the winner and you move on to the General...

YMMV, but I just don't see a problem there.



Laura

[Retrograde]

70. California primaties are a little different

Since 2014 we've had a system where (except for president and party-specific offices) primaries are open: all the candidates run against each other, regardless of party, and voters can vote for anyone regardless of party. The top two finishers go on to slug it out in the general election: that's how we ended up with two Democrats, Harris and Sanchez, on the ballot for US Senator last November.

So it's possible that two Democrats could be on the Nov. 2018 ballot from Pelosi's district.

[Fresh_Start]

78. or its possible that the infighting would allow two republicans to sneak in nt

nt

[KeepItReal]

87. No Fraking Way. The Republican got 7.6% in the last Pelosi primary.

She got 78.1% against an Indie and a Green Party person.

[davsand]

86. I did not know California is a run-off state.

Interesting, indeed. Not sure how it would manifest as two republicans as somebody else asserted, but it would sure be lovely to see two Dems running in the General! Thanks, Retrograde for the info! <3


Laura

[bluedigger]

64. As long as we can pigeon hole him and slap a label on him - that's what's most important.

Nothing else matters.

[R B Garr]

68. Can you imagine the whining if Pelosi backers were going after Bernie's

Vermont seat just for the war games of it all? Just for some phony show of force? Can't even imagine how she would be labeled.

Maybe they could attack Republicans instead...

[kimbutgar]

72. I am a life long resident of San Francisco

Nancy is loved here and she even marched along side us in the release your taxes chump day.

This guy has no chance winning.

[panader0]

73. I supported Sanders in the primary.

But Nancy Pelosi is vastly more qualified than this guy. She knows how
congress works. As the first female Speaker of the House, she never
(I believe) she never lost a floor vote. I say keep her as long as she wants
to serve.

[LonePirate]

79. The same Nancy Pelosi who passed a public option bill in the House in 2010?

Some people actually think she's not sufficiently progressive?

[SpicyBoi]

83. Nancy Pelosi is no saint

Not sure why everyone is treating her like one - check this old Jon Stewart clip and how she treated questions about her leadership.

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/08g4yv/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-petty-woman

[R B Garr]

85. Ugh, this is exactly the kind of nonsense that we can look forward to.

No one said she is a saint.

[mcar]

88. She is one of the most successful Speakers in history

And a solid Democrat. A old clip notwithstanding.