Will Pelosi Survive Wednesday's Leadership Election?

Congress already has one foolish Ryan too many in leadership

Until this past Wednesday, the only House Democrats who have publicly gotten behind Tim Ryan's challenge to Pelosi's leadership were a gaggle of reactionaries from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party: Blue Dog co-chairs Kurt Schrader (OR) and Jim Cooper (TN) and rot gut Wall Street-owned New Dems Kathleen Rice (NY) and Ed Perlmutter (CO). As much as we criticize Pelosi's leadership here, she has been something of a bulwark against the corrupt, right-wing agenda espoused by the New Dems and Blue Dogs, who now see their opportunity-- under the guise of reform-- to replace her. She should be replaced, but not by someone even worse and far less capable.

Then Wednesday, a normal Democrat joined the ranks of the anti-Pelosi faction: Marcia Fudge (OH). Fudge pointed to the disaster the DCCC has become under Pelosi's leadership.

"I believe now is the right time for new leadership," Fudge said as she questioned the effectiveness of the party's strategy in recent years. "We continue to rely on consultants who know less than we about our districts and our states."

"I am now and have always been a loyal Democrat. I will support all those we elect to leadership positions. However, I do believe this is the time for a new direction and am confident my colleague from Ohio is the right choice."

When it became clear that DCCC Chairman Steve Israel had implemented his own racism in DCCC policies by refusing to fund African-American candidates-- including an incumbent-- in white-majority districts, the only prominent Democrat to call him out on it was Congressional Black Caucus then-chair, Marcia Fudge. Pelosi let her complaints pass.

The leadership election will take place in 4 days-- Wednesday, in a closed door Democratic caucus session. Pelosi has come up with a plan to have 5 elected DCCC co-chairs but is still clinging to her prerogative to appoint the actual DCCC chairman, unlike the Republicans, who elect their NRCC chair. Pelosi's 4 DCCC chairs-- Rahm Emanuel, Chris Van Hollen, Steve Israel and Ben Ray Lujan-- have all been complete catastrophes and are responsible for the loss of dozens and dozens of Democratic seats and the dominance of the GOP in Congress.

UPDATE: The Useful Idiot

The Blue Dogs and New Dems, far more eager to collaborate with Trump than Pelosi is, hope to use Ryan to take out Pelosi. No one thought it could happen but if the New Dems stick together they can cause a lot of damage. A notorious womanizer, some people find Ryan's presumption smacking of frat boy sexism.

Ryan’s challenge to Pelosi is remarkable in that despite his seven terms in Congress he has always been considered a backbench member. Typically, to aspire to leadership, a member needs to demonstrate a particular savvy to network with other members to get them on side, which requires a decent amount of skill and personality to pull off.

Ryan has the personality, he has yet to show the skill.

...But Ryan’s biggest challenge is also his best attribute; he is everything 76-year-old Pelosi isn’t. She is the progressive liberal from San Francisco, an affluent cosmopolitan city; he is the moderate New Deal Democrat from Youngstown, a former industrial giant trying to recover from decades of decline. She is a very wealthy political dynamo, he is upper-middle class at best and a novice.

Pelosi is a woman, Ryan is not.

This last difference was underscored in a recent tweet by justice editor Ian Millhiser at the left-wing Web site Think Progress: “This thing where an obscure male backbencher thinks he deserves to replace the most accomplished woman in Congress is how sexism works,” he declared.