WP: Pelosi would award chairmanships by rank, but give conservatives voice

[DeepModem Mom]

Rank Would Guide Pelosi As She Chose Chairmen
By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 21, 2006; Page A06

If Democrats win control in November, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) has decided to award committee chairmanships based almost entirely on seniority, ensuring that the House would feature far more minority faces, and some liberal firebrands, in key posts.

But, mindful of the growing power of an expanding band of Democratic moderates and conservatives, Pelosi has also vowed that she would keep her chairmen on a tight leash, according to leadership aides and current and former Democratic lawmakers. She has assured conservative Democrats that she would personally temper the legislative impulses of her most liberal chairmen while keeping close tabs on the investigations that could dominate the final two years of the Bush presidency.

House Democratic leaders and their would-be chairmen are careful to say in public that they are focused only on the Nov. 7 elections and have not begun to plan for a possible takeover. But privately, Pelosi has had several conversations with the senior Democrats on the House's most powerful committees, as well as with conservative "Blue Dog" Democrats, who have sought assurances that they will have a voice after the polls close.

"We've inched our way back toward the majority by replacing Republicans with conservative-to-moderate Democrats, and you're going to see a lot more of that November 7," said Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.), one of the leaders of the Blue Dog coalition. "Do I believe Blue Dogs will have a greater voice in the Democratic leadership? You betcha."

The Blue Dogs could hold the balance of power in a Democratic House. With 37 members, the group already has clout; 16 Democratic candidates have the Blue Dogs' endorsement, and a dozen of them could win. That would give them numbers surpassing the Congressional Black Caucus's 43 members....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/20/AR2006102001786.html

[Ian David]

1. Oh, great. Just what we need Repukes in Democrat clothing.

Hopefully, after we take The White House sometime between now and 2008, they'll kick the so-called "Blue Dog" DINOS to the curb.

[Me.]

2. The Plan Sounds Even Handed But Somebody Better Alert

dems like Landrieu and Nelson that they better start voting with the democrats if they want a voice. They also better make a real attempt at undoing the damage they helped, allowed, to be done.

*shadow government*

[INdemo]

3. Not so fast Nancy ..being minority leader does not give

you an automatic promotion to the Speakers chair..There are those in congress that would agree with me......

[mmonk]

4. She needs to be careful in trying to appease right leaning

members (unless she wants to be flooded with emails from activists or wants her colleagues flooded with them asking she not be speaker or majority leader). Democratic voters and the membership in general make up the democratic party, not just a few in positions of power.

[talk hard]

5. who cares what they think