That’s
because she’ll tell us.
Nobody
counts votes better than Pelosi -- whether it’s ginning up support for
ObamaCare or marshaling votes for her own leadership contest.
Some
Democrats turned on her when Democrats failed to get within striking distance
of reclaiming the House last fall. Those same Pelosi critics returned to the
cutlery drawer this week when Democrats wore the collar, going 0 for 4 this
year, in a series of special House elections.
We’ll know
if and when Pelosi decides to step down from her leadership post or retire from
Congress -- because she’ll know, too. Pelosi will know if she has the support
of House Democrats to continue.
Following
last fall’s elections, Pelosi faced an internal challenge from Rep. Tim Ryan,
D-Ohio, for the top House Democratic leadership position.
Related
Image
House
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif. responds to questions about President
Donald Trump's actions and agenda, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in
Washington, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)Expand /
Collapse
House
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif. responds to questions about President
Donald Trump's actions and agenda, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in
Washington, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (AP)
One evening,
Ed O’Keefe of the Washington Post and I staked out the route that leads from
Pelosi’s office, through the Capitol’s “Rayburn Room,” to the House Democratic
Cloakroom and on to the House floor.
Sure enough,
Pelosi came by a few moments later. We asked if she commanded enough support
from her colleagues to survive Ryan’s insurrection. What was her vote
prediction? The hall was crowded and it was hard to hear above the din. As she
went into the cloakroom, I thought Pelosi replied that she had “three-fourths”
of her caucus.
“Three-fourths?”
I asked to clarify as the leader disappeared into the cloakroom.
Without
missing a beat, Pelosi stuck her head back around the door of the cloakroom and
into the hall.
“Two-thirds,
Chad,” she corrected. “Two-thirds.”
Democrats
cast their ballots for minority leader in a closed-door meeting a few days
later. Pelosi vanquished Ryan.
She garnered
precisely 67 percent of the vote.
Democrats
did well to even compete in this year’s special elections. All of the vacant
seats tilted heavily toward Republicans. But all the losing streak did was
embolden Pelosi’s critics and provide them a forum in which to air their
grievances.
“If we are
to regain the majority in 2018 in the House, we have to have new leadership,” said
Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Texas.
Calling #Trumpcare a #HealthcareBill is absurd. It’s nothing more than a massive tax cut for the rich on the backs of working families.
Republicans
turned to a familiar playbook in this week’s special House election in Georgia,
the Democrats’ fourth loss. They linked Democrat Jon Ossoff to Pelosi to help
Republican Karen Handel keep the seat for the GOP.
Pelosi’s
name recognition is high. Her negatives are high. She’s unpopular in the south
and rural Midwest where Democrats need to capture House seats to reclaim the
majority. That baggage hamstrings Pelosi from traveling to those venues to
campaign for Democratic candidates. It forces Democrats to erect firewalls
between themselves and their leader.
That’s why
some Democrats believe it’s time to bounce Pelosi. She’s served as the top
Democrat in the House since early 2003.
“It’s a
problem,” one Midwestern House Democrat told Fox News.
Some
Democrats close to Pelosi indicate she may have to make a choice over the next
year. Should she stick around with the wing-and-a-prayer hope that Democrats
win back the House, capitalizing on President Trump’s chaos?
That would
triumphantly return Pelosi to the House Speaker’s suite at the Capitol for the
first time since January 2011.
Or could
Pelosi decide to leave early and rob Republicans of a foil? Would that move
give Democrats the chance to capture the House?
Some House
Democrats concede privately that such a personal sacrifice could be the salve
the party needs. However, the gambit runs against Pelosi’s DNA. She always
stays and fights. The latter move far from guarantees success. And let’s make
things clear. At this stage, Nancy Pelosi isn’t going anywhere.
“I love the
arena. I thrive on competition,” Pelosi said Friday on Capitol Hill, daring
those who want her gone to do their best. “When it comes to personal ambition
and having fun on TV, have your fun.”
Pelosi
characterized herself as a “master legislator.” She declared she was “worth the
trouble.” And finally, Pelosi fired off this munition: “(The) decision about
how long I stay is not up to them.”
Related
Image
Newt
Gingrich, contendiente a la candidatura republicana a la presidencia, habla
durante una reunión en el hotel Hilton de Naples, Florida, el viernes 25 de
noviembre de 2011. (Foto AP/Erik
Kellar)Expand / Collapse
Former House
Speaker Newt Gingrich (AP)
That’s the
chutzpah that drives some House Democrats crazy.
A senior
House Democratic member who asked they not be identified told Fox News that
Pelosi did herself “no favors” with those lines. The lawmaker added that the
remarks revealed her “hubris” and that she was “blind” to her impact.
A longtime
Democratic source close to Pelosi tells Fox News that she routinely evaluates her standing with
Democrats. The source said Pelosi “would never do something to hurt the
caucus.” The Pelosi ally dismissed calls for her to disappear as normal in politics,
noting that one side always “views the opposition leader with supernatural
evil.”
Consider how
Democrats framed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay,
R-Texas.
The Pelosi
ally questioned whether GOP efforts to link Democratic candidates to Pelosi in
fact worked.
“Is it
turning votes or reaffirming votes?” asked the source, who added that voters
who despise Pelosi “couldn’t name three other members of Congress.”
That said,
some Democrats are revved up.
.
Democrats will fight with all of our strength to protect American families from the moral monstrosity of #Trumpcare. goo.gl/5wekaZ
“It’s as
real as it gets,” said one House Democrat about concern over Pelosi. “I’ve
never seen people this torqued. She’d be out if there was a clear plan in place
for secession. The question is, where does this end?”
The problem
is that the fate of Pelosi is tied inextricably to her long-time rival, House
Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md.
There is
also a connection to Assistant Minority Leader Jim Clyburn, D-S.C.
The troika
represents different wings of the Democratic Caucus. Prying one loose doesn’t
necessarily propel one of the other two to the top spot. Moreover, a Pelosi
departure creates a void not necessarily filled by either Hoyer and Clyburn.
That’s why
some Democrats ask why only Pelosi should be on the ropes. What about the other
two?
“The problem
is that you can’t replace somebody with nobody,” said one senior Democrat close
to Pelosi.
Republicans
struggled with the same issue in the fall of 2015 when the conservative House
Freedom Caucus wanted to remove then-House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
Those who
wanted to replace Boehner didn’t have an immediate successor in mind.
Republicans quickly burned through House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy,
R-Calif., in less than a week. Then
there was a dalliance with Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C. -- perhaps running on a
“ticket” alongside an embattled McCarthy.
Republicans
finally settled on House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. Keep in mind that Ryan said
for years, let alone days before taking the speaker’s gavel, that he didn’t
want the job.
This is why
leadership elections are not “partisan” politics, but “particle” politics. The
events that influence who climbs the leadership ladder are decided at the
sub-atomic political level.
Related
Image
House
Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. speaks in support for the Republican health care bill
during a TV interview in Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill in Washington,
Wednesday, March 22, 2017. Ryan and President Donald Trump are trying to
persuade reluctant GOP conservatives to vote for the bill. (AP Photo/J. Scott
Applewhite)Expand / Collapse
House
Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. speaks in support for the Republican health care bill
during a TV interview in Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill in Washington,
Wednesday, March 22, 2017. Ryan and President Donald Trump are trying to persuade
reluctant GOP conservatives to vote for the bill. (AP Photo/J. Scott
Applewhite) (AP)
If Pelosi
were to depart, could her successor be the natural number two in Hoyer? Or
could there be another trio on the horizon? Try House Democratic Caucus Chairman
Joe Crowley, D-N.Y.; Vice Caucus Chairwoman Linda Sanchez, D-Calif.; and
Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Cedric Richmond, D-La.
In Crowley,
Sanchez and Richmond, Democrats score political, geographic and ethnic
diversity, hitting all constituencies of their caucus. That threesome could be
the next generation of Democratic leaders. But the sub-atomic quarks and
leptons haven’t yet aligned yet.
“Every
leader should have the courage of knowing when to step down,” said Rep.
Kathleen Rice, D.N.Y., one of Pelosi’s most-vocal critics. “We’re not going to
do something in secret away from the caucus.”
Rice says
she and others won’t try to stage a coup. That nearly happened to Gingrich when
a rump group of Republicans nearly overthrew the him in the summer of 1998. But
from that point forward, Gingrich’s days were numbered. He left the speakership
after the 1998 midterm election.
Is this
episode for Pelosi similar to Gingrich’s reckoning? Unclear. Many Democrats
don’t think she’s going anywhere.
“She’s like Trump,”
said one senior House Democrat who’s had his differences with Pelosi. “She
could shoot somebody in broad daylight on Fifth Avenue and nothing would
happen.”
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