"You're Not Taking My Gavel"....Madam Speaker to Boehner

[monmouth]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cali.) said last Friday that she fully expects to hold on to her gavel even as Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) finishes every campaign-related speech by predicting he will be the next Speaker.

"Of course that's what he says," said Pelosi, in an exclusive interview with the Huffington Post. "Of course he does. But we are very confident we will because we don't take anything for granted. We run every race one race at a time, and I make it really clear to my colleagues that my responsibility is to reelect our incumbents, to win our Democratic open seats and then to go after some of their seats."

In a quick detour into the world of electoral politics, Pelosi predicted with gusto that Democrats will retain control of the House even during the likely tumultuous midterm elections. Part of the reason, she said, is that the slate of House Democrats in close races has already "fought the fight" with respect to health care reform, and has the time and confidence to win over their constituents before the election. The main factor, however, is that the GOP has yet to present itself as a threat.

Asked, for instance, about remarks from Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.) apologizing to BP for the pressure it received from the White House to set up a $20 billion escrow fund, Pelosi offered a tongue-in-cheek lament.

Soo much more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/30/pelosi-to-boehner-youre-n_n_631024.html

[ejpoeta]

1. that just shows what his concern is.... not with doing the people's business.

not with representing his constituents. it's winning.

[lpbk2713]

2. They named a river in Egypt after that orange dumbass.

The Boner River.

[Dr Morbius]

3. I like Nancy Pelosi. She's feisty and effective. I know many view her as...

...yet another "corporatist" but I think she's on our side and she kicks ass.

[Radical Activist]

4. Republican strategists have long understood that predicting something helps to make it happen.

It contributes to creating a "common knowledge" or general sense of things that people accept. It builds expectations and motivates people to work toward that goal.

The left has a harder time with that. Our pundits usually assume and predict the worst outcomes. Cynicism kills movements.

[leftstreet]

5. "the GOP has yet to present itself as a threat"

I wonder how they'll do that...

:shrug:

[Forkboy]

6. Last time I said that I spent the night in jail.

:hide:

[cutlassmama]

7. He'll be too busy in the tanning booths and using Coppertone to be the speaker

[HipChick]

10. He's too busy hanging out at the bars in DC...

He's pretty easy to spot..

[thetonka]

8. Would be nice to see real leaders in leadership positions

Would be nice if the positions of authority in our government, like the Speaker of the house, were filled by people based on experience, talent, and the will of the people instead of which corrupt party has power. Wouldn't it be nice if these positions were occupied by people who could lead this country, instead of changing hands every time the score sheet changes?

[Hekate]

12. "...instead of changing hands ..."You mean, like, President-for-life? Have you thought this through?

The reason the "score sheet changes" is we have elections -- we count the votes -- that's the score.

If you think the electoral process is flawed, work to bring back hand-counted ballots, and to get rid of electronic voting machines. If you think too much money changes hands, work for campaign finance reform. If you think the office-holders are venal, work to get someone else in office.

What you seem to have here is an ill-thought-out screed against democracy itself, or at least our Constitution's version of same.

Nancy Pelosi actually is intelligent, talented, experienced (she's the daughter of an old-school Democratic mayor, and has been working in the Dem Party since birth), and quite effective. She got to this position by being all of those things -- and by being a member of the party that won the most House seats in the last elections. Her constituents elected her to Congress, and her peers there elected her to be Speaker.

If the Repubs win more House seats this year, Boehner WILL be the next Speaker of the House. If you don't want him in that position, work to get Dems elected and re-elected.

But don't ask that elections themselves be abolished because the system is flawed. Who do you think that would leave in charge?

Hekate

[thetonka]

13. You miss understand

My problem is not with elections or democracy, my problem is with the overwhelming amount of power and influence that the two parties have over out government and our country. Why is it that the group that gets to decide who is speaker is the party with the majority? Why can't it actually be an election by the people?

You seem to think I am against democracy and elections that enforce the will of the people. My contention is that the election of the speaker of the house, by the majority political party, is in no way a representation of the will of the people.

Nancy Pelosi is a perfect example of the problem. This is supposed to be a government of the people for the people. Nancy Pelosi's agenda is not representative of the people in this country. Nancy comes from a very insulated area of California where the ideology is far more important than reality.

And she is just the most obvious as she is in that position now. People who agree with and support her ideological position of course would never disagree with her holding this office, but what happens if the Republicans do regain power. Boner will then become the speaker of the house for no other reason than the fact that the Republicans have a majority and thus get to select the new Speaker.

I'd rather a process be in place that does not determine eligibility based on club membership, in the hopes that we would get a leader who would work to lead our government in directions that made this a better place for all the people, not just the few members of his or her club.

[Hekate]

14. Well, tonka, what exactly is wrong with Nancy P's liberal and progressive agenda?

She's not only been all over California, the biggest state in the nation, but her district is far from isolated either geographically or in its worldview. She is demonized by the Right for being so liberal. If she makes compromises as Speaker, it is to get legislation passed, not to make a grand statement and flame out in one go.

House members each represent districts that are supposed to be equivalent in terms of population -- remember, that is one purpose of the US Census, to redraw district lines. They may be gerrymandered, but they do have equivalent numbers of people in them. ANYONE who gets chosen Speaker of the House comes from a district no larger than anyone else's.

It's the Senate where each state gets exactly 2 Senators regardless of how many or how few people are in that state. California gets no more representation in the Senate than Hawai'i does.

This country has a 2-party system. It's just who we are. If you want to have a 3rd party, start at the local level and gain adherents from the ground up. If you don't succeed at that, perhaps The People have spoken.

Please tell me what your beef with Nancy P is.

Hekate

[thetonka]

16. Nothing wrong with an agenda supported by those your supposed to represent

I never had a real problem with Nancy when she was representing her constituents, that's what she is supposed to do. Many of the people she represents are on the more radical side of the spectrum, like some places in Texas. However as she took the position of Speaker of the House she needed to leave behind her hard line support for only the viewpoints from her constituents. She needed to lead the house towards real reform that would improve our lives.

You seem to think that I have little understanding of how our government works. I understand how it works, and I understand how it was meant to work. Currently our government works for the two parties, and their power and control is at the root of almost every problem we have. Nancy Pelosi has done everything she can to ensure that this two party war continues. My preference would not be to just add another party, my preference would be to seriously curtain the amount of power the two current parties have.

[Historic NY]

9. Boehner "not the hardest worker in the world"..........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6jEIh52jbA&feature=player_embedded

"I hear it on the Hill, I'm sure you hear it on the Hill all the time, it's not reported, but so many Republicans tell me this is a guy that is not the hardest worker in the world," said Scarborough on Wednesday's edition of Morning Joe. "Every Republican I talk to says John Boehner, by 5 or 6 o'clock at night, you can see him at bars. He is not a hard worker."

[madamesilverspurs]

11. As if she would ever

give credence to the megalomaniacal delusions of a drunkard. I'd be willing to bet that DC bartenders have some tales to tell about Boehner. That said, what's the excuse for the rest of the GOP?


-

[DavidDvorkin]

15. It's our gavel, not hers

I very much hope she does hold onto it.