Thoughts On Pelosi Becoming The Next Speaker

Much has been made of opposition to Nancy Pelosi becoming the next Speaker of the House on cable news programs. Those talking heads and pundits would have you believe this is a divisive issue among Democrats, and that Pelosi may not be able to get the votes to become Speaker. That's nonsense.

The truth is that Pelosi has strong support among the Democratic base. The Quinnipiac University Poll, the Politico / Morning Consult Poll, and the CBS News / SSRS Poll all show that the Democratic base supports Pelosi -- with many more supporting her than opposing her. Democrats like Pelosi, and respect her service to the party and the country. Her election to the speakership is not going to split the party.

There seems to be a feeling among some that the argument about Pelosi is between the progressive and the moderate/conservative Democrats -- with progressives being the ones wanting a Speaker other than Pelosi. Not true. Pelosi is a progressive, and many of those opposing her are not.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York) is one of the most progressive members of the new Congress, and she campaigned saying she would support someone other than Pelosi for speaker. But after talking with Pelosi and those who oppose her, she has realized that Pelosi is the progressive choice for speaker. She wrote this to her supporters:

“Right now, out of the field, I would say that [Pelosi] is the most progressive candidate. All of the rebellion for the Speakership are challenges to her right, and so I think it's important to communicate that. My standard in this is: I'm going to support the most progressive candidate that's leading the party, and right now, that is Nancy Pelosi, in terms of the running. I would like to see new, younger leadership, but I don't want new leadership that's more conservative.”

As of today, there is no one running against Pelosi for Speaker. There was some talk that Marcia L. Fudge (Ohio) was thinking about running against Pelosi, but after talking with Pelosi she changed her mind. She is now supporting Pelosi.

One reason there is no candidate that has come forth is that Pelosi has the votes in the Democratic caucus to be the caucus nominee on the House floor. The best another candidate could do would be to force the Speaker vote to a second round. That would be pointless.

While saying he would stay out of the race for Speaker, President Obama called Pelosi one of the most effective legislative leaders the country has ever seen, and said:

“Nancy is not always the best on a cable show or with a quick sound bite or what have you. But her skill, tenacity, toughness, vision, is remarkable. Her stamina, her ability to see around corners, her ability to stand her ground and do hard things and to suffer unpopularity to get the right thing done I think stands up against any person that I’ve observed or worked directly with in Washington during my lifetime.”

It's time to stop the nonsense arguments against Pelosi. She will be the next Speaker of the House -- and that's a very good thing for Democrats.