Speaker Pelosi announces she is running for reelection
Source: Washington Post
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Tuesday that she is running for reelection, citing the crucial need to defend American democracy through legislation on voting rights and other issues.
Pelosi, 81, has served in Congress since 1987.
While we have made progress, much more needs to be done to improve peoples lives, Pelosi said in a video posted to her Twitter feed. Our democracy is at risk because of assaults on the truth, the assault on the U.S. Capitol, and the state-by-state assault on voting rights. This election is crucial. Nothing less is at stake than our democracy.
She added: But as we say, we dont agonize, we organize. And that is why I am running for reelection to Congress and respectfully seek your support. I would be greatly honored by it and grateful for it.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/25/pelosi-running-reelection/
Short article.
George II
(67,782 posts)NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)Salviati
(6,001 posts)... that she should let the house decide who should take her place.
Grins
(7,111 posts)They will view this as a betrayal if she runs for Speaker again. This is not good!!!
calimary
(80,521 posts)She's a GREAT leader and we need that leadership even more, now.
Conditions back when she promised that - have RADICALLY and DRASTICALLY changed. Maybe now is NOT such a good time to switch from the experienced hand on the steering wheel to somebody who's new - and pretty much untested - at it. Might have been, a few years back, when American democracy itself didn't have its head forced onto a Republican chopping block.
pandr32
(11,419 posts)Better than all the rest!
bucolic_frolic
(42,478 posts)Where would we be without the brilliance, and brilliantly managed staffs, of Speaker Pelosi and President Biden?
abqtommy
(14,118 posts)LoisB
(7,013 posts)NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)Great news! Fuck the haters and especially David Hogg with his ageist and vulgar insults (which he still hasn't apologized for.)
Groundhawg
(497 posts)Biophilic
(3,422 posts)SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)JohnSJ
(91,807 posts)soldierant
(6,598 posts)If we didn't need her so desperately, why would right wing grifters be running ads "Click here to tell Nancy Peolsi to resign immediately" (frantic bolding, caps, and exclamation points omitted for clarity)? In newsletters from progressive sources, no less. I can't even imagine what they are running in their own swill.
empedocles
(15,751 posts)gab13by13
(20,782 posts)best Speaker ever.
Ford_Prefect
(7,772 posts)spooky3
(34,230 posts)Rhiannon12866
(202,168 posts)Where would we be without her??
DownriverDem
(6,187 posts)Pelosi knows the system. The voters need to help move the numbers up. We need more votes in the House and Senate.
LetMyPeopleVote
(143,630 posts)This is great news
Link to tweet
"I am running for reelection to Congress and respectfully seek your support," Pelosi, a Democrat from California, said in a video message posted on her political Twitter account. "I would be greatly honored by it and grateful for it."
Pelosi notably did not announce that she will run for speaker in her video announcement. She had promised in 2018 that this term would be her last in the position, but she has not confirmed if that is still her plan.
Pelosi's announcement for reelection comes as House Democrats are retiring in record numbers as district maps are being redrawn by Republican-controlled state legislatures to favor GOP lawmakers and the party faces potentially challenging midterm elections this fall. Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee on Tuesday was the latest Democrat to announce his retirement at the end of this Congress, bringing the total number of House Democrats retiring at the end of the term up to 29. But as a prolific fundraiser and experience as a deal maker, Pelosi is seen as crucial to helping Democrats running across the country.
LetMyPeopleVote
(143,630 posts)Historic NY
(37,449 posts)LetMyPeopleVote
(143,630 posts)oasis
(49,101 posts)niyad
(112,053 posts)live love laugh
(12,961 posts)NBachers
(16,964 posts)summer_in_TX
(2,655 posts)I'm sure she's aware that Dems could (but hopefully won't) be the minority party after the mid-terms. Her backbone, moral compass, and deep knowledge will be needed more than ever if that is the case.
I remember when W. thought he'd gained great political capital after winning re-election and decided to privatize Medicare and Social Security. Nancy was Minority Leader, but she and her leadership was so principled, so strong, that the GOP folded on that issue.
OneCrazyDiamond
(2,027 posts)I wish I could vote for her.
llashram
(6,263 posts)a strong, knowledgeable leader...
LiberalLovinLug
(14,144 posts)I'd love to have an honest debate about things like passing the torch, or do we need a younger more aggressive style speaker to combat the new more militant Repubilcan party, or the problem with money and corporate ties. Continuing the general philosophy since Bill Clinton, of shifting further to the right to gain votes from disgruntled Republicans, as opposed to shifting left to get those votes instead from disillusioned disgruntled Democratic progressives. And how this is a signal that things are not going to change in these regards any time soon. And how well are they reading their base on these issues in regards to exciting them to come out and vote next time?
I'm not going to say I am on any one side of these issues. I am merely wishing we could actually have discussion about them. But I know its simply not allowed in here. Or rather, it would only be one side with posts you could see. Which is a little sad on a political discussion board.
BumRushDaShow
(126,616 posts)thanks to her father being a Congressman from Baltimore (1939 - 1947, where she was born in 1940, literally roaming the halls of Congress through her young childhood).
Like Biden, she has some deep deep, near-primordial knowledge of the House and I think she has been mentoring members and will probably continue to do so during the post-2022 election's term (however it turns out). I know Hakeem Jeffries' (who is 51) name has been brought up a lot so will see if that possibility gets more developed as we move forward.
LiberalLovinLug
(14,144 posts)I just wonder if there has to be a much more visceral overhaul. A changing of the guard. That there needs to be more of a signal to younger and/or progressive members in the tent, or hovering just outside the tent, that we are done with things like "strongly worded letters".
That the party should move to be a progressive voice. Embrace it. And instead of working overtime to convince some red hat to vote Democratic, appeal to the ones whom you actually agree with on 90% of the issues, even if many are still to the left of the average. Convince more progressives, and those that think there's no difference in the partys, to have a reason to vote Democratic next time. Enough to balance any loss of voters from more conservative (moderate) voters who Fox News will no doubt try and scare off.
So sick of living in fear of Fox News, and other RW media. We need a more aggressive, younger, leadership well versed and active in social media, to counter instantaneously, any faux news about what they are proposing. To go forward fearlessly. In the belief that we can get through to the majority on the benefits of things like more universal medical care, maternity leave, SS funding, etc. But it sometimes feels like those best suited to promote these ideals are silenced by leaders who don't want to scare off "moderate" voters. Which is another way of saying "conservative".
We should be promoting the likes of AOC, who know how to use SM like live streaming to another whole generation:
https://fortune.com/2020/12/08/aoc-twitch-live-streaming-young-voters/
When Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) went live on Twitch in late October to play the multiplayer game Among Us and talk, game, and spar with users, it marked an inflection point in our society. If you were one of the 400,000 people who tuned in, you witnessed a moment in history. AOC and Rep. Ilhan Omars use of Twitch, as part of a get-out-the-vote effort, not only shifted the relationship between social media and politics, it also reflected a more significant cultural trend: a broader embrace of authenticity.
BumRushDaShow
(126,616 posts)and very little on the state and local ones.
Focusing too much on Congress ignores what needs to happen during OFF YEAR elections at the state level when turnout basically drops to 30% or less (unless there is some gubernatorial election that year). So much work needs to be done to get people into the habit of voting EVERY year. Not every 2 years or every 4 years.
But on a positive note, there are many many progressive voices who have slowly been elected as mayors and commissioners and in city/town/County councils, as well as a growing number in some state legislatures. I know here in Philly, we elected the first "Working Families Party" at-large Council member and just re-elected the progressive DA Larry Krasner (who gets endless crap from the "hanging judges" of the old older prosecutors). My State Rep. is also a progressive and is new.
by Chris Brennan and Sean Collins Walsh
Updated Nov 7, 2021
Local progressives are hoping to make major inroads into the citys delegation to Harrisburg by challenging Democratic incumbents in the May primary election. Many of the activists-turned-candidates have worked with groups like the Working Families Party, Reclaim Philly, and the Democratic Socialists of America. Their targets are at least five Democrats in the state House, as well as Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams, a Democrat who represents West Philadelphia.
That sets the stage for 2022 as another cycle of Philadelphia progressives tussling with the Democratic establishment for power in races that once drew little interest or competition. Theres a half-dozen people that are running. Im really excited that theres going to be a major effort, said Aileen Callaghan, a founding member of Reclaim running against his former boss, Rep. Joe Hohenstein. Were going to build power.
Some of the potential challengers are waiting to see which districts they end up in after redistricting by the state leads to new legislative district boundaries. Lots of people have ideas about running until they see a map, said Rep. Joanna McClinton, the House Democratic leader, whose district includes West Philadelphia and parts of Delaware County. Things change.
The upstarts will try to follow in the steps of State Sen. Nikil Saval and State Reps. Elizabeth Fiedler, Rick Krajewski, and Chris Rabb all progressive Philly Democrats who beat more moderate incumbents or establishment-backed candidates. Still, while the progressive trend appears to be growing in the city, what is looming for the 2022 cycle does not appear to be a cohesive action organized across the left but rather individuals seeking to build from past successes.
(snip)
https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-2022-legislative-races-progressives-democrats-20211107.html
So THAT is where the focus needs to be. When you have individuals with fresh ideas taking a bull and running with it, then they will hopefully have more personal sustainability because it is something they want... not necessarily what someone else pushes for them.
The U.S. Constitution fixed the size of the U.S. Senate to 2 Senators per state but the U.S. House of Representatives has no Constitutional size-requirement and the current size of 435 was set by law with passage of the "The Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929" which today, with over 330 million citizens, is ridiculous. Not counting the smallest population states that still have "at-large" seats, the average Congressional district is now up to trying to cover almost 3/4 million constituents each and it is near impossible. IMHO this needs to change but whether Congress would be wiling to spend time debating increasing their size is another matter altogether.
In the meantime, the average person would essentially ignore Congress (or be ignored by their designated Congress member just due to the sheer size of each district) and would have most of their direct contact with their state and local officials and that is where the efforts need to occur. Many of the current crop of those being called "establishment" cut their teeth in their state legislatures and that taught them the whole process of something as mundane but critical as "Robert's Rules of Order" so they can carry out the legislative process, and this experience provides a good jumping-off point for seeking higher office.
LiberalLovinLug
(14,144 posts)Think globally - Act locally
I'm probably talking more about image. you're right. How the party as a whole comes across before a federal election. How to get out the vote for those that don't normally vote. Or those that would vote, if there was a brand, sorry but its true, that they could support. I think partisan orgs like The Lincoln Project, or even individual SM platforms of reps like AOC, give hints about what the brand could be.
I'm of the belief that a lot of Americans do not like wishy washy politicians. And when they see Democrats arguing with each other about staying pat, or fighting for progressive goals....like the green new deal, that's how they see them. It feeds into Republican mottos for them as the Do Nothing Democrats. Sinema and Manchin are helping to extent that brand.
Whereas they see Republicans all speaking in unison. No matter even with truth or facts. They keep their base, and are always a threat to win, as in Virginia again, because they stick together, even if its a big lie. Like critical race theory is some commie plot to make white children feel bad.
We just say "come on man!" thinking they will be embarrassed and apologize and reverse course.
Biden should not apologize for calling out that reporter for instance. We have to put Republicans on their heels like they do to us. All the time. Every day. We have to go from them having a belly laugh at owning the libs every day, to watching them outraged and stuttering all over Fox News as pissed at some "outrageous statement by a Democrat" as they get at changes to M&Ms or Mr Potato Head.
BumRushDaShow
(126,616 posts)and I go by my friends and family and former coworkers - most people are not focused like we are who frequent and post in the bubble of a political discussion board, on "politicians" and "in-fighting". Few have any idea about things like "how a bill becomes a law" or other Civics 101 issues, which is even a HUGE problem with posters right here on DU.
And no - I don't think people see Republicans "speaking in unison". Perhaps those Democrats who are drowning in red areas may see that but those of us in blue and purple areas are not focused on that but are focused on things like why our water or other utility bills have gone up, which is not a "federal" problem but a state/local one... or why hospitals are eliminating maternity wards or are even closing, requiring a longer trip to get to one if required to take care of issues requiring treatment beyond "urgent care".
But what has happened in the GOP's case is that their party and supporters have fully embraced "dark money" (that Democrats refuse to use as a funding strategy) in order to primary dissenting voices - particularly at the federal level - and this has been going on, in earnest and in a planned way, since the astroturf teabaggers came into existence in the 2010s. I.e., they have deep pockets to "pay for" the imagery where we are left nickel-and-diming our own constituencies (I get dozens of begathon emails daily), many of whom are some of the poorest among us.
Oddly enough, I remember following the drama of the fall of Republican Bob Bennett and rise of Mike Lee in UT and that was the shot across the bow that would be replicated nationwide in the conservative-leaning states. In fact, in direct response to that primary, Bennett's colleague, the well-known Orrin Hatch, got the message and went HARD RIGHT LOON from his already very conservative position. So FUD and threats "work" for their party and it was certainly barely covered "nationally" because it was during a "Republicans in disarray" period to get to where they are today.
But interestingly enough what also only gets "local coverage", IS happening in many blue areas like mine, as more progressives are coming into the pipeline in a similar manner. But that becomes a "Democrats in disarray" narrative at the national level, so there needs to be some kind of waving away of that characterization, although note that Democrats have traditionally embraced the "big tent" because it does capture more electors. However for any of these new progressives to eventually take the next step up is going to require more funding than the nickel-and-dime strategy.
I also believe there truly are "personality types" where "birds of a feather flock together" and you have that break-out of world-views that are tapped and gravitate towards a party's persona. So those who believe in "individualism" and "for self" promote those who believe the same (and pay for the megaphone to blare it out). Those who believe in collectivism will try to "do" what they can but in order to do the same "megaphone blare", it requires the same level of funding and we continually refuse to go there in fear of then being co-opted by the funders. So that is a conundrum that really needs to be hashed out in a real way.
When Biden was campaigning, he was trying to tap into the "local issues" and the big take-away here is that many of our state party apparatuses are either non-existent or are weak/non-responsive and there is a need for many of them to touch base with all the thousands of grass-roots organizations that have popped up to be the "boots on the ground" and "hyper local", with direct contact to "the people". From what I understand, the way the national party is structured, their hands are tied regarding what they can and cannot do (and I don't know if that is by law or what, although I expect some of it is).
So IMHO, there needs to be a deep dive into how the national party apparatus can develop better relationships with the state and local party leadership, but also knowing full well that a large percentage of "politicians" (no matter what party) ARE "politicians" and have an overlay of "politics" that has enveloped them that can be hard to break through.
AZLD4Candidate
(5,536 posts)Go for it, Madame Speaker. Make those RW carnival barkers cry when you win again.
ShazamIam
(2,557 posts)She is the one who should have written a book about making deals.