Old Congress – New Congress
FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | November 29, 2018
“The dissidents have not raised questions about Rep. Pelosi’s skills or capabilities, and there is a good reason why. No one among House Democrats can compete with her on the merits.”
By an overwhelming vote of 203-to-32, House Democrats yesterday voted to continue Rep. Nancy Pelosi as their Democratic Leader and to nominate her as House Speaker when the new Congress begins on January 3, 2019.
Nevertheless, a small minority of House Democrats are attempting to hold hostage the majority of their own party by taking the position that they will not vote for Pelosi for Speaker on the House floor.
Pelosi needs a majority of those voting on the House floor to once again become Speaker – 218 if all 435 House Members cast their votes.
Pelosi will be working to pick up at least 15 of those 32 “no” votes between now and January 3 to reach 218, and she is widely expected to do so. Retiring House Speaker Paul Ryan had 43 votes against him when the Republican conference chose him to be Republican Leader prior to being elected Speaker in 2015.
We are just finishing a Congress where a minority of House Republicans, known as the Freedom Caucus, held their party and the House hostage repeatedly on far right ideological grounds.
Now, just as the Freedom Caucus stranglehold on House Republicans is coming to an end, a small group of House Democrats, led by Reps. Seth Moulton (D-MA), Kathleen Rice (D-NY), and Tim Ryan (D-OH), are attempting to impose their own stranglehold on House Democrats.
As the opening act of the newly controlled Democratic House, these Members are aligning themselves with House Republicans in an effort to block their own party’s choice for Speaker.
The dissidents have not raised questions about Rep. Pelosi’s skills or capabilities, and there is a good reason why. No one among House Democrats can compete with her on the merits.
Former Rep. Dave Obey (D-WI), who served in the House for 42 years under eight House Speakers, said that Pelosi “is the best Speaker I’ve ever seen.” Obey said Pelosi “works harder than anybody I’ve ever seen, and I think she has more determination to stand for something than anybody I’ve ever dealt with.”
Rep. Pelosi will be the next Speaker of the House.
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Fred Wertheimer is the Founder and President of Democracy 21, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to strengthen our democracy and ensure the integrity and fairness of government decisions and elections. See previous Notes from Fred here.
