Sanders' rise fuels Dems' angst; Pelosi won't intervene

[RandySF]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Bernie Sanders’ ascendancy as Democrats’ leading presidential hopeful fueled growing unease as lawmakers openly expressed anxiety that the self-proclaimed democratic socialist could cost them House control and questions abounded over what party leaders should do.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Washington’s most powerful Democrat, signaled Thursday it’s not her role to try thwarting Sanders to protect the House Democrats’ majority.

“Our responsibility is to win the House,” Pelosi told reporters at the Capitol. “My responsibility is to make sure that those we elected last time return to Congress, keep the majority and add to our numbers. The presidential is its own race.”

The speaker downplayed a meeting later Thursday at Democratic National Committee for lawmakers to review the party’s rules for the July nominating convention in Milwaukee. This summer the elected officials could play an over-sized role as delegates helping to choose the party’s nominee if no presidential candidate emerges with the majority.

Yet with Sanders, I-Vt., riding high after early nominating contest wins in New Hampshire and Nevada and a virtual first-place tie in Iowa, other House Democrats were less sanguine.

Time was growing short to head Sanders off. South Carolina holds its primary Saturday, followed three days later by Super Tuesday, when contests in 14 states and one territory will decide one-third of the delegates to this summer’s Democratic convention.

Rep. Tom Malinowski, a freshman from a closely divided New Jersey district, said Democrats have “a simple path” to defeating President Donald Trump by focusing on health care, the economy and a promise that their presidential candidate won’t lie. “I don’t want to squander that opportunity” by nominating a contender who divides Democrats, he said in an unspoken reference to Sanders.

Freshman Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., who defeated an incumbent Republican in 2018 in a swing district in coastal Virginia, said a Sanders candidacy would be “incredibly divisive” and endanger more centrist lawmakers like herself. The former Navy commander said of GOP efforts to paint all Democrats as socialists, “Bernie Sanders just adds fuel to that fire.”



https://apnews.com/9a4c92caee9b60e52cba3742df3acfea

[empedocles]

1. Delicate speech by the Speaker aside, the interests of new 2018 Dems, and Sanders campaign

which hurts those Dems, - are not separable.

[Cha]

3. There is that looming crisis.. but Nancy

still can't intervene.. just advise the candidates what to run on like she did the last time.. when they won the House Back.

[Buzz cook]

2. Pelosi doesn't have the authority

She has no direct control of party politics. It would be bad form for her to weigh in for or against any candidate.