I do not think that Speaker Nancy Pelosi should lead the House Democrats in the 112th Congress. I respect her, and admire her accomplishments. She has been one of the most effective Speakers in recent memory and is an inspiration to progressives all over the country.
The reason I came to this conclusion is simple; the most important task for the Democratic Party in 2012 is to re-elect President Obama in 2012. If he is not re-elected, it would be the biggest disaster for the United States since the defeat of President Carter in 1980. It will set back environmental policies, responsible economic policies, and responsible foreign policies immeasurably.
The fact of the matter is that Democrats were handed a defeat the size of which we haven’t seen since the 1930s. Democrats are at their weakest level in the House since 1946. Democratic Representatives were turned away in droves because of a nationally toxic atmosphere toward Democrats.
As a result, I am really concerned about the message that is being sent by Congressional Democrats to independent and moderate voters with no significant change in the Democratic starting line-up in Washington, D.C. The voters view of Congress have never been as low as it was in the last days of the campaign. Fair or not, the face of Congress in those last days was Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, both of which seem to be sticking around.
So, what we have here is a Congress repudiated by the voters. The faces of that Congress being Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, and both of them again leading their parties in their respective chambers. In addition, Nancy Pelosi retains all of the negatives perceived about her prior to the election and a scant fraction of the power she had in the majority. That is not a winning combination. The Republicans will use her image and name against Democrats in districts across the country yet again.
Also, I hear people talk about what a strong fund raiser she is for Democrats in Congress. That cannot be argued. However, just because she had been successful in the past at raising money does not necessarily translate into success in the 112th Congress. As a matter of fact I think we can expect the opposite. Not so much because Nancy Pelosi is the minority leader, but because I would guess there will be substantial doubt as to whether or not Democrats could possibly regain the majority in 2012. If lobbyists don’t think the Democrats will regain the majority in 2012, they will advise their clients to give to Republicans. I think Pelosi’s reputation with regard to fund raising is about to take a hit because of circumstances outside her control.
The bottom line is that Democrats got their asses kicked in the election and if there is not a change in the starting line-up, the perception could be that Democrats didn’t get it and need sent to the showers again. This time it could include our clean-up hitter, which would be a real . . . well, you know.