Hakeem Jeffries emerges as Congress' shadow speaker

[RandySF]

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) found himself in an unusual position for a minority leader last week: It was he, not the House speaker, who had the ultimate power to decide whether legislation came to the floor.

Why it matters: Democrats got everything they wanted – a $95 billion foreign aid bill, the credit for passing it, and adversaries more divided than ever. In their telling, that total victory wasn't a sure thing.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a master legislative tactician, heaped praise on her successor: "He is fabulous. We're so proud of him."

One senior House Democrat told Axios: "It easily could have fallen apart ... He played the cards the way you'd want to play them."

"I would not want to play blackjack against him," the lawmaker added.





https://www.axios.com/2024/04/21/hakeem-jeffries-speaker-mike-johnson-israel-ukraine

[Cha]

1. So Good on Hakeem Jeffries! "Unsung Hero.. " too..

Behind Speaker Johnson's Conversion on Ukraine Aid

All these votes underscore how Jeffries, leader of House Dems, is an unsung hero in all of this — the only one to deliver majorities of his members on every bill. In many ways, he's Johnson's savior.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=18883405

TY.. I love hearing Nancy's comments on Rep Jeffries!~💙

[Hekate]

2. I am gratified, but not at all surprised. Nancy Pelosi teaches well.

[Oopsie Daisy]

7. Yes. All Freshmen and Junior congressional reps should spend time LEARNING from her *

* and basking in her institutional knowledge and experience, rather than undermining her, or publicly challenging her, or trying to embarrass her, or making insulting insinuations about her age.

[betsuni]

8. Absolutely.

I remember some elected officials saying that Pelosi and Schumer had absolutely no replacements in mind, there was no pathway for that, weren't mentoring anybody, as if they only cared about power and money and ego and were corrupt old gate keepers : "If you create the vacuum, there are so many nefarious forces at play to fill that vacuum with something even worse."

I'm not a member of Congress and I knew that Jeffries was going to replace Pelosi. Common knowledge. Duh.

[NBachers]

3. Let's deliver the House for Speaker Jeffries in November.

[ShazzieB]

5. Absolutely!

Was just going to post the same thing. Hakeem deserves to be Speaker for real!

[Bucky]

4. That Pelosi line: "We're so proud of him" just kills me 😆

Is she just everybody's grandmother?

[NJCher]

6. This makes me so happy

I want Speaker Hakeem right now! Imagine how nice it would be to see him leading the House every day instead of Johnson.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

9. When I saw and heard Hakeem Jeffries last year at the DFL Humphrey-Mondale Dinner...

I knew he would be great as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi's successor. He has learned well from her and it shows.

[tanyev]

10. That one time Marjorie Taylor Greene tried to play chess:

[Hugin]

11. Checkers.

[republianmushroom]

12. A real leader and a master politician, and what is needed today to lead this country.