by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer are weathered old barnacles who have tenacious grips on on our rusting ship of state. They have some power and are determined to hold on to it fiercely for all of their days.
Pelosi, in particular, did not get to where she is today, however, by being naive. She knows that there are many good Democrats across America who are not enamored of her, and she recognizes that she has become a lightening rod of dissent within certain party circles. Some Democratic candidates for congressional seats are facing considerable blowback from the voters of their districts because of Pelosi, and those candidates are being put on the spot regarding whether they will support Pelosi in her bid to retain the leadership of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives.
Pelosi's response to these candidates is that it is perfectly fine to speak out against her on the campaign trail. She will sort through all of that political bother once the upcoming election is over.
One constant complaint about the Democratic Party in Congress is that it stymies the advancement of its elected members. The Democratic Party in Congress operates on a seniority principle, and once those senior Democrats finally achieve power, they are loathe to give it up.
Republican members of Congress, on the other hand, appear to be more democratic in the treatment of their members than the Democrats are. Way back in 1994 the Republicans instituted a plan that limited the amount of time that a member could serve as a chair of one of the twenty or so various congressional committees. A Republican committee chair gets three two-year terms at the helm and then must step aside. That practice shakes things up in the congressional party hierarchy, but, as happened this year, some chairs feel ill-used when they have to give up their fiefdoms of power and decide to retire from Congress. Some wags feel that dynamic is a "brain drain" whereby Congress loses members who have developed valuable institutional knowledge. Others see it as a much needed reinvigoration of the Republican Party and Congress.
But Democrats aren't having any of that touch-feely democratic stuff. They are breeding barnacles - like Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer.
One other Democratic barnacle, a man who held the exalted position of Democratic Caucus Chair in Congress was Joseph Crowley of New York. His position as a party bigwig within Congress was secure via seniority. Crowley even fostered hopes of eventually replacing Pelosi as the party leader and perhaps even becoming Speaker of the House. Crowley was so powerful - and protected in his power - that he seemed to have forgotten that his visions of grandeur ultimately rested on the will of the people who sent him to Congress again and again. To the horror of Crowley and the other Democratic barnacles, he was soundly defeated at the polls in a primary election last month by a very young woman, a new face and a new energy who is headed to Capitol Hill with a stated agenda of shaking things up.
Nancy and Steny should have taken the primary victory of Alexandria Ocasio-Ortiz as a wake-up call, but one suspects that they remain complacent and secure in their bubbles of power. They have a better knowledge and control of their districts than poor Joe Crowley had with his, and with the current party rules, their positions in Congress are set in cement.
Pelosi and Hoyer are as strong and immovable as the statues and marble columns that litter the building in which they work. The Grim Reaper is the only one who has the ability to remove them from power. But, in addition to ruling the Democrats in Congress with iron fists, Pelosi and Hoyer also cast a shadow over the future of their party.
Hey, Nancy - Hey Steny - here is my humble plan for invigorating the Democratic Party within Congress and hopefully increasing its membership significantly. You two should promote a plan to cap the amount of time that members can serve as chairs of congressional committees - in fact, you could borrow the one that the Republicans have already put in place - and then you should announce a similar plan to limit the amount time that the party leader and whip could hold their positions.
And then - announce that you will not run for leadership positions when the new Congress organizes in January - regardless of whether the Democrats are in the majority or not. Tell the candidates and the voters that you will give up your powerful holds on the machinery of government and will instead dedicate your efforts to welcoming new members and teaching them how to navigate the halls of power.
It's time for change. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez delivered the message, and now you need to take it to heart.
Citizen Journalist
Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer are weathered old barnacles who have tenacious grips on on our rusting ship of state. They have some power and are determined to hold on to it fiercely for all of their days.
Pelosi, in particular, did not get to where she is today, however, by being naive. She knows that there are many good Democrats across America who are not enamored of her, and she recognizes that she has become a lightening rod of dissent within certain party circles. Some Democratic candidates for congressional seats are facing considerable blowback from the voters of their districts because of Pelosi, and those candidates are being put on the spot regarding whether they will support Pelosi in her bid to retain the leadership of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives.
Pelosi's response to these candidates is that it is perfectly fine to speak out against her on the campaign trail. She will sort through all of that political bother once the upcoming election is over.
One constant complaint about the Democratic Party in Congress is that it stymies the advancement of its elected members. The Democratic Party in Congress operates on a seniority principle, and once those senior Democrats finally achieve power, they are loathe to give it up.
Republican members of Congress, on the other hand, appear to be more democratic in the treatment of their members than the Democrats are. Way back in 1994 the Republicans instituted a plan that limited the amount of time that a member could serve as a chair of one of the twenty or so various congressional committees. A Republican committee chair gets three two-year terms at the helm and then must step aside. That practice shakes things up in the congressional party hierarchy, but, as happened this year, some chairs feel ill-used when they have to give up their fiefdoms of power and decide to retire from Congress. Some wags feel that dynamic is a "brain drain" whereby Congress loses members who have developed valuable institutional knowledge. Others see it as a much needed reinvigoration of the Republican Party and Congress.
But Democrats aren't having any of that touch-feely democratic stuff. They are breeding barnacles - like Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer.
One other Democratic barnacle, a man who held the exalted position of Democratic Caucus Chair in Congress was Joseph Crowley of New York. His position as a party bigwig within Congress was secure via seniority. Crowley even fostered hopes of eventually replacing Pelosi as the party leader and perhaps even becoming Speaker of the House. Crowley was so powerful - and protected in his power - that he seemed to have forgotten that his visions of grandeur ultimately rested on the will of the people who sent him to Congress again and again. To the horror of Crowley and the other Democratic barnacles, he was soundly defeated at the polls in a primary election last month by a very young woman, a new face and a new energy who is headed to Capitol Hill with a stated agenda of shaking things up.
Nancy and Steny should have taken the primary victory of Alexandria Ocasio-Ortiz as a wake-up call, but one suspects that they remain complacent and secure in their bubbles of power. They have a better knowledge and control of their districts than poor Joe Crowley had with his, and with the current party rules, their positions in Congress are set in cement.
Pelosi and Hoyer are as strong and immovable as the statues and marble columns that litter the building in which they work. The Grim Reaper is the only one who has the ability to remove them from power. But, in addition to ruling the Democrats in Congress with iron fists, Pelosi and Hoyer also cast a shadow over the future of their party.
Hey, Nancy - Hey Steny - here is my humble plan for invigorating the Democratic Party within Congress and hopefully increasing its membership significantly. You two should promote a plan to cap the amount of time that members can serve as chairs of congressional committees - in fact, you could borrow the one that the Republicans have already put in place - and then you should announce a similar plan to limit the amount time that the party leader and whip could hold their positions.
And then - announce that you will not run for leadership positions when the new Congress organizes in January - regardless of whether the Democrats are in the majority or not. Tell the candidates and the voters that you will give up your powerful holds on the machinery of government and will instead dedicate your efforts to welcoming new members and teaching them how to navigate the halls of power.
It's time for change. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez delivered the message, and now you need to take it to heart.
1 comment:
As the wheels of justice grind slowly towards the day of judgment for both Trump and Pence Pelosi is nursing a dream of becoming the President of the United States by default. That result, like her prolonged death grip on the leadership of House Democrats, would give Republicans a treasure trove of negative campaign fodder.
As you said the problem is with complacency. Ocasio-Ortiz can partly credit her victory on low turn out. Another interesting factor is not merely the younger voters in her district (mid twenties to mid thirties, I am guessing) but the impact of gentrification. These young home owners tend to be better educated, involved, and ready to see a new generation of Congressional leadership. Grace Segers, writing for the magazine "City and State New York" examines three Congressional districts through the lens of gentrification and younger voters.
An interesting phenomena is the IDC. No not the one described in the Urban Dictionary as I Don't Care, but the Independent Democratic Conference. For a brief period certain state senators in New York who were not content with Democratic Leadership formed a separate caucus called the Independent Democratic Conference. While they did ameliorate the harshness of certain Republican legislation, like a $15.00 minimum wage and more money for Public Housing, they were not the avant garde of progressive politics in New York.
The lessons of the IDC Hearken back to Scripture, Revelation 3: 15-16 "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Liberal activists, New York's Working Families Party, and Labor aligned to end the IDC. Cynthia Nixon's campaign against Andrew Cuomo is in part premised on the alliance Cuomo helped to forge. So, in New York and as we are learning in Kansas, the so-called moderate tends to be a person who flies under false colors. The era of toss a bone politics is fading away. Either support the people or support the moneyed interests of society. For far too long the wealthy have forged economic policies designed to exacerbate income inequality by tossing a bone to the rest of us.
At any rate the times they are a changing. Democrats are wise to support universal health care, living wages, education, infrastructure, and sustainable tax policies where all segments of society pay their fair share. The likes of Pelosi and Hoyer are too entrenched in Wall Street and don't play well on Main Street.
In my district Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders have endorsed a young labor lawyer named Brent Welder for Congress. There are other promising candidates running in this primary but I am staying with Welder. It is time to pass the torch.
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