Insurgents seek female challenger to replace Pelosi

[brooklynite]

Source: The Hill

The anti-Pelosi insurgents are coalescing around a new strategy in their quest to deny Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) the Speaker's gavel: recruit a woman to run against her.

The shift in approach comes as the rebellious group has been faced with a barrage of criticism for trying to take down Pelosi, who became the first female Speaker of the House in 2007, on the heels of an election cycle being dubbed the "Year of the Woman."

Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.), one Pelosi detractor, hammered the argument that the California Democrat's promotion is the only way to secure female leadership at the very top of the party.

“To those who say that this is an issue of gender, that’s just not true. I’m a woman, and a lot of our new members are women, and they should not be made to feel that they are anti-woman if they don’t want to vote for Nancy Pelosi,” Rice said Wednesday, leaving a closed-door Democratic meeting in the Capitol.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/416836-insurgents-seek-female-challenger-to-replace-pelosi

[Iliyah]

1. Geez.

Pelosi for win!

[Cirque du So-What]

2. They are gonna screw around

and potentially give us McCarthy (R) as speaker.

[NYC Liberal]

10. Fortunately, any candidate needs a majority of the entire House.

McCarthy isn’t getting 218 votes.

[Cirque du So-What]

11. Sorry..

Crap like this brings out the hyperbole in me.

[NYC Liberal]

16. No I'm with you. I'm 100% behind Pelosi.

[watoos]

3. I take articles from The Hill with a grain of salt.

[brooklynite]

4. So, you're saying they fabricated a quote from Congresswoman Rice?

[LanternWaste]

17. So, you're compelled to ignore all other possibilities other than yours?

It often helps to realize that simply because we're unable to perceive additional possibilities, they are yet still there (but I get it... without absurd inferences, we have far fewer opportunities to allege our cleverness).

"There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, / Than are dreamt of in your philosophy..."

[brooklynite]

18. I'm complelled to ignore an unsubstantiated (and lazy) conspiracy theory

When an article from a mainstream publication includes a quote from a named member of Congress who has not denied the comment, relating to a story covered in multiple other publications, I'm comfortable "ignoring other possibilities" (or as Kellyanne Conway would call them: "alternative facts&quot

https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/14-democrats-push-back-on-raising-caucus-threshold-for-speaker-race

https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/nancy-pelosi-marcia-fudge-unfazed-unhappy-dems-democrats-claim-votes-block-rise-kathleen-rice/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/pelosi-faces-daunting-challenge-in-speakers-bid-as-democratic-foes-stand-firm/2018/11/14/29c1e018-e83a-11e8-a939-9469f1166f9d_story.html?utm_term=.957994438699

[Little Star]

5. This is not the time for a new leader.....

We need Nancy's experience. She knows the ropes and will lead and teach our new house members. Shiny new things can wait for a more politically stable time.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. A group in search of a last minute leader on a gender basis is not a respectable group. . . . nt

[FreepFryer]

7. Were i Russian military intel, I would work this wedge issue hard. Just as some are already doing.

And some are helping.

[JaneQPublic]

8. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory

I read the linked article and many others about the anti-Pelosi House members, and none offer reasons why they think she should be booted, other than "a call for change."

I suspect many of these are people who want the job themselves or are disgruntled because they didn't get assigned to chair the committee they wanted.

Although this week the list of prospective candidates suddenly became all women, several of the men backing them (Seth Moulten and Tim Ryan, for ex.) had been gunning for the job themselves.

The anti-Nancy movement would be a lot more credible if (a) they stated Pelosi's problem they need a change from; and (b) they could name one Speaker candidate who can match her skills as a political tactician, as a disciplinarian in keeping the caucus together to pass bills, as a crafter of winning campaign messages, and as a stellar fundraiser.

Good luck with that.

[TexasBushwhacker]

12. "We need a change" was what I heard from some Trump voters too

Change just for change's sake makes no sense, especially right now. Pelosi was instrumental in flipping a Houston district that had been GOP for FIFTY YEARS. I don't always agree with her, but changing leadership when we've just gotten the House back makes know sense to me. Pelosi knows how to do the job.

[unc70]

9. Every additional Dem winner makes it harder for insurgents

With each additional Dem winning a house seat, the prospects for the insurgents decreases. The problem for them is they must increase their numbers one-for-one with each increase in the total number of Dems.

[brooklynite]

13. Your assertion assumes that the newly electeds are not also anti-Pelosi...

I'd say half the candidates I spoke to (nationwide) said they wanted new leadership.

[GemDigger]

14. I think we need to start making calls to our freshman lawmakers.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

15. I remember Jon Stewart talking with Howard Dean on TDS. "Everything is going the Democrats' way...

so tell me, how are you going to screw this up?"

Let's take someone with years of leadership experience and an excellent liberal voting record and replace her with...who? Oh, a woman, just because she's a woman and not because she has equivalent or better leadership experience.

Let Pelosi mentor a younger woman (actually, I think most of the Congress is younger than Nancy) for at least a term or two, then consider that person as a candidate to hold the gavel.

We should look at an individual's competence and experience and not a person's genes.

We have worked hard to achieve a goal that was unimaginable two years ago, and Pelosi played a large role in that success. Let's not blow it. Nancy is a tough bird who pisses the Repugs and Wingnuts off almost as much as Hillary. She must be doing something right to scare them so much.

[Honeycombe8]

19. I don't see how they could succeed, if the members aren't already coalescing behind someone.

I've never heard of challenging someone's position, without first having someone else in mind.

Maybe they told their constituents they'd move on this, so they have to. I don't know. It seems odd...the timing. I don't question they have a right to do it. But right now, when things are so delicate, it all seems so odd. This doesn't help.

I suspect they'll look later look back and not believe they made this move at this time, and embarrassed by their naivete.