Is Pelosi Going To Try To Hang On?

[Lord Jim]

One would have believed it unthinkable, for the leader of a Congressional Party, with a single digit national personal approval rating, who just led her party to the worst defeat since 1948, to even contemplate trying to retain the leadership of her party....

One would have expected that person, (quite rightly) to slink off quietly in disgrace.....

But apparently, Pelosi is actually giving serious consideration to trying to remain as House Minority Leader....

As a Republican, nothing could possibly make me happier of course...

And perhaps since her now much smaller caucus is overwhelmingly liberal, she might actually stand a chance....

[rubato]

She was an effective leader in a very difficult time. Unless she turns out to have a personal corruption problem like "Newtie" I bet she stays on.

She is disliked solely based on ideological rhetoric with no reason ever given. It is purely irrational like the "Hate Hilary" campaign which got the republican claque to chanting when there was no record to hate her for.

The fact that there is a large fraction of the population who are suseptable to mindless hatred and that there are people so wholly without morals who will manipulate that hatred is not a principle to base the selection of leaders on.

yrs,
rubato

[Crackpot]

Actually she is disliked for running the past two years like she had a mandate from GOd to push her agenda and her agenda alone bi-partizan consensus be damned. On the "bright" side though It looks like the Republicans are going to run things the exact same way.

[rubato]

Actually she is disliked for running the past two years like she had a mandate from GOd to push her agenda and her agenda alone bi-partizan consensus be damned. On the "bright" side though It looks like the Republicans are going to run things the exact same way.

Please try to translate that into concrete statements about actions she has taken.

Otherwise it is pure rhetorical bullshit.

yrs,
rubato

[Gob]

Ok, (gawd help me here we go again) what is Pelosi's role? Isn't the Pres the person in charge?

[Crackpot]

She is (till January) the speaker of the House. (the leader of the House of Representatives decided by vote of the majority party)

[Joe Guy]

Ok, (gawd help me here we go again) what is Pelosi's role? Isn't the Pres the person in charge?

Pelosi was 'Speaker of the House', which actually made her next in line to be President if Obama & Biden were to become dead.

That was a politically powerful position for her to hold. She was the leader of the majority party.

Now she may attempt to become the leader of the minority party, which isn't quite so powerful.

[Gob]

Thanks guys, a party leader (under the PM and Deputy PM) in the UK and Aus then, a similar role.

[dgs49]

I very much hope she succeeds. There could be no better start to the 2012 Congressional campaign than to have her elected minority leader.

[Andrew D]

Ok, (gawd help me here we go again) what is Pelosi's role? Isn't the Pres the person in charge?

You have to keep in mind that in the US, the executive and legislative branches are independent of each other.

The President is not the person in charge of the House of Representatives or of the Senate.

In 1994, Americans chose (unwisely) to elect Republican majorities to the House and the Senate. Nonetheless, a Democrat (Clinton) remained President.

In 1996, Americans re-elected Clinton, a Democrat, to the presidency while also electing Republican majorities in the House and the Senate.

In 2006, Americans elected Democrats to majorities in the House and the Senate (the two nominally independent Senators chose to caucus with the Democrats; labels aside, the Democrats had control), even though a Republican was allegedly the President.

The US system is fundamentally unlike the systems in which if a party has an outright majority in the legislature, the chief executive is necessarily a member of that party. In the US system, the chief executive can be (and at various times has been) a member of the party opposite to the majority party in the legislature.

[darkblack]

Isn't the Pres the person in charge?

Let's just say it depends on the administration.

;>)

[rubato]

Per the Sunday paper it looks like I was right. Pelosi will be back as minority leader and, we'll see, another shot at majority leader if the Republicans do what they promised to ...

yrs,
rubato

[Guinevere]

I very much hope she succeeds. There could be no better start to the 2012 Congressional campaign than to have her elected minority leader.

If that's the best you've got, bring it on.