Pelosi needs to go

[Txbluedog]

She lost the speakership in 2010 and yet almost 7 years on she insists on hanging on to the leadership. It has been three elections in a row now where we have lost congress under her leadership. What will it take to get her to go?

[chillfactor]

1. since when is it her fault that we lost congress?

you have some weird ideas.

[Txbluedog]

2. Seriously?

It is NOT her fault they we keep losing congress? Is she not the leader of the democratic party in Congress?

[George II]

6. Seriously? Do you even understand the role of the minority leader in CONGRESS? Seriously???

[DURHAM D]

20. Obviously not.

[treestar]

26. She represents her district

She would not be responsible for the 437 other districts and who they vote in. Once elected, only then does she come in.

[George II]

4. Indeed. I'm getting tired of all these attacks on our leaders.

[Gothmog]

46. Same here

Attacking the leaders of the party without a construction suggestion are getting old. Pelosi has done a good job of leadership and does not need to be replaced.

[WhiteTara]

56. Specifically the attacks on the women leaders.

[question everything]

50. It is not a question of "fault." The person on top usually takes the responsibility

and steps down.

At least, it used to be..

[La Lioness Priyanka]

51. And that's not her role either. She's not the one who has to fall on a sword

That's the job of the DNC.

[yardwork]

55. Pelosi not responsible for the Democratic Party.

[lostnfound]

58. How about a "succession plan"? Time to develop new leaders. Nt

[MineralMan]

3. I'm not sure I'd blame her for losing Congress, frankly.

I don't think cause and effect are working there.

[demmiblue]

5. I think the DNC holds the majority of the blame.

Then and now.

[kentuck]

7. I do not necessarily think she is the reason we lost the Congress but...

I think it would be better for the Party if we had some new leadership. She has been attacked almost as much as Hillary Clinton. It's a difficult obstacle to overcome.

She is very good at raising money for the Party but our Party needs more than just money, in my opinion.

[randome]

9. Exactly. It's not her fault, it's the GOP's, but she carries too much baggage.

I'm hardly the one to advocate for knee-jerk responses but I do think it's time to purge our ranks of the septuagenarians. We need something similar to term limits in the DNC. If someone has been in the same position for 10 years, they should be strongly encouraged to let someone else take over.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[Demsrule86]

41. No she doesn't and we don't need inexperienced people in important jobs with the damned

GOP having all three branches of govenment...and a rustbelt person would not be good...you need someone from a deep blue state who can fight Trump...sick of the attacks on Nancy.

[randome]

59. Whatever Pelosi's been doing isn't working. It's no attack on her, it's just reality.

If I had that position and was ineffective, I think I'd be objective enough to step aside and let someone else try.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[emulatorloo]

8. She's done a good job as minority leader. I understand y'all wanna purge all liberals

but it is up to the Dems in the House to choose who is their leader.

[randome]

10. Not necessarily. It's up to us, too.

Term limits for positions within Congress or the DNC. We need this.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[emulatorloo]

13. I don't agree with term limits. That's what elections are for. Pelosi is up for

Re-election every two years. You wanna purge congressional liberals, then vote them out.

[randome]

16. Play the game according to Hoyle and we will always lose to the card sharks.

I meant 'term limits' regarding Pelosi's position as minority leader and other positions of authority. Our internal leaders are not doing the job. There's nothing wrong with us on leaning on the DNC to elect better (younger) leaders to carry the flame.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[emulatorloo]

18. Give me specifics on how Pelosi has not done her job as minority leader

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_leaders_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives

[Txbluedog]

24. ohioblue gave you your answer below

[emulatorloo]

30. That's a bumpersticker, not an argument

Ya'll are short on specifics and big on lashing out in all directions, especially at liberals. That's fine, I understand the anger and frustration. I've said my piece so y'all knock yourselves out.

[Txbluedog]

35. on the contrary

It shows that she is willing to roll over and play dead easily instead of fighting the good fight

[randome]

45. No. I can't prove a negative.

We've tried everything else but we keep losing. We keep losing with the same damned people calling the shots. It's time to try something different.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[Demsrule86]

43. No we don't actually.

[Ohioblue22]

11. She should have been thrown out after impeachment is off the table

[La Lioness Priyanka]

52. Even though Obama wanted that?

[Txbluedog]

12. We need fresh blood if we are going to appeal to middle america

[emulatorloo]

14. Yes, a post-menopausal liberal just won't do.

<sarcasm>

[Demsrule86]

44. Shoud we show true bipartisanship and get a GOP to run our minority then? Sarcasm.

We don't need to appeal to middle America...in Congress. That is not her job...her job is to fight Republicans period...and if many who are posting right now had voted in 10, we would not have lost the house which is gerrymandered...and if we don't get off our butts in (not you in particular) in18 and win some legislatures and statehouses...we have another 10 years...it is census time in 20. Time to stop rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic like we have power or something. Our sole goal is to win.

[alarimer]

65. Some of middle America needs to be written off.

These people used to be called Reagan Democrats. They are never coming back. But holding Wall Street to account (instead of accepting campaign contributions from them), shoring up social programs, advocating universal health care, lower cost college, environmental programs, etc) would maybe help attract those who don't otherwise vote.

[KatyMan]

17. Tired of the "they go low we go high" mantra

Fuck them. Do everything to Republicans that they do to us, and smile and smirk on TV when we do it. Gloves need to be off. Not a game anymore, these people are lunatics and should be (figuratively) put down.

[Txbluedog]

21. Not going to happen

Its much easier to do when your base is uneducated shepple who cannot think for themselves vs. ones who are highly educated and capable of rational thought

[David__77]

22. The line about "going high" struck me as very ineffective.

It strikes me as akin to "I won't even address that, because it's unworthy of being addressed." While I don't think every criticism should always be addressed, I do think that assessing the impact of employing "going high" is important - it may be counterproductive to winning votes.

[treestar]

27. True. The American voter has shown they

don't care about facts, and want it to be like high school.

[David__77]

19. I think that it would be good to lay out performance metrics for leaders.

If maintaining a majority is a criterion for keeping leadership, then that should be agreed upon in advance, optimally. I think that it would be reasonable to factor electoral performance/caucus numbers into leadership performance assessment. I also think that imposing a rule that losing a majority must mean replacement of leadership may be harmful. A more complex rule may be appropriate.

[Txbluedog]

23. I agree

but it has been six years since "she" lost the majority (I agree that she is not solely to blame for that) but three election cycles after that people have to realize that she is part of the problem

[David__77]

28. I understand your perspective.

I definitely have the sense that leadership gets too entrenched. There should be accountability to generate specific, measurable results. And part of those results should be expanding caucus membership.

[Achilleaze]

25. Time for a new generation. Turn, turn, turn.

Face reality.
To everything there is a season.
Time for the old to step aside.
Do the right thing Nancy.
Step aside.

[hrmjustin]

29. I think she shares the blame for poor candidate recruitment these past few cycles.

Raising money is nice but you don't win if you have piss poor candidate recruitment.

[emulatorloo]

31. Specifics, or is this just something you feel?

Thanks in advance.

[hrmjustin]

32. This is how I feel. I am not saying necessarily get rid of her and I am not sure Ryan is up to it.

But Pelosi, the DCCC, and the DNC share the blame for poor candidate recruitment. I have a feeling it will be better this next cycle.

[emulatorloo]

34. Thanks n/t

[Warren DeMontague]

57. She's not the one who keeps saddling us with East Coast beltway boomers

Heres a radical idea. A west coast gen xer who is brave enough to support things like marijuana legalization.

[hrmjustin]

60. I am not sure he would sell well in the middle of the country.

[Warren DeMontague]

61. That's certainly what the East Coast Beltway Conventional Wisdom types would have you believe.

Of course, they're the same people who thought Joe-Mentum Lieberman was the 'smart' choice for Al Gore's veep. The same people who said Hillary would win in a landslide. I'm sure they're the same people already laying the groundwork for Tim Kaine's 2020 run.

They also wouldn't touch marijuana legalization with a ten foot pole. Well, guess what-- The ONLY thing that won a clear and unequivocal mandate on Election Day wasn't the Democratic or Republican Parties; it was marijuana legalization.

[Me.]

33. Frankly, If Anyone Needs To Go

It is dem blue dogs who often hold the dem agenda hostage and side with the cons. Nancy Pelosi isn't the problem.

[Txbluedog]

36. lol!lol!lol!lol

You seriously think you are going to get socialist democrats elected in the South? If so, can I have whatever you are smoking?

[Me.]

38. 1st Off

As long as people keep voting against their best interests...no. But that doesn't mean the rest of us have to go along with their misguided notions.

2. As far as I know progressive Dems are not socialists...that would be someone like Bernie who I understand did pretty well for himself

3. Maybe the next four years will be the schooling that teaches old dogs new tricks.

[emulatorloo]

37. Thanks for posting

I dont understand this impulse to purge liberal Democrats like Pelosi, but apparently it is a thing right now.

[Me.]

40. When In Doubt...Blame The Woman

Though President Obama said, just the other day, that she accomplished everything he asked of her. Where the Dem caucus went sour was when Rahm, who was in charge of recruiting, at one point tried to fill the place up with blue dogs and poured most money into their races only to have them either lose or cog up the works.

[liberalnarb]

39. While I wouldn't put all that on her shoulders, I will admit that she is not very popular. nt.

[kentuck]

42. I have no problem with including "economic" Democrats to the broad Democratic coalition.

Most of them believe in the same social agenda as those already in the coalition.

But, basically, they do not believe the Democratic Party can win without the support of common working people. You cannot exclude them and expect to win.

We are much "Stronger Together"...

[JI7]

47. Ryan didn't do much in helping democrats win in Ohio

[George II]

48. FYI, under Pelosi's "reign" (quotes because she doesn't control who runs for Congress, but...

....since you're putting the burden on her shoulders....) here in Connecticut we flipped three of our five Congressional Districts from republican to Democratic, and we've had all five seats occupied by Democrats for three terms now.

So, does she get "credit" for flipping those three seats or does she only get blame for negative things?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

49. democrats losing is not her job. She doesn't

Run campaigns. For fucks sake.

[skylucy]

53. TXbluedog...You are WRONG. I very much hope that Nancy Pelosi continues as minority leader of the

house Dems. She will is NOT to blame for Dems loss to Trump etc. Also I have watched the guy who is trying to unseat her on MSM day after day. I am not impressed with him at all. Stop trying to scapegoat Speaker Pelosi.

[Warren DeMontague]

54. C'mon, lets throw some bullshit in about "San Francisco Values" & insinuations that 50 million of us

Who live on the West Coast aren't the "real America"

[kebob]

62. No. Way.

She's got 10 times the balls of every male Republican in Washington!

[Mc Mike]

63. (Bronx cheer)

[alarimer]

64. We GAINED seats this time

8 in the House and 2 in the Senate. So we didn't control in the Senate. No coattails when you lose the election.

I do blame the Democratic Party as a whole and the way they have sold their souls to Wall Street. THAT is one reason we keep losing (although we did pick up some ground this time). We also have weak machines in many states, where the battle really is. But losing what should have been a walk in the park IS the fault of the party, not any individual within it, not even Clinton. It just goes to show how out of touch the Democratic Party really is, more interested in fundraising from millionaires than in doing things that would help people the most, like advocating for universal health care or Social Security or holding Wall Street accountable.

Gerrymandering and voter suppression are also not Pelosi's fault.