Daily Kos

Is the Democratic Whip Sabotaging Pelosi?

by dwhite10701

Wed Dec 07, 2005 at 01:48:57 PM PDT

Is the Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer sabotaging Nancy Pelosi in an attempt to get her job? David Sirota makes a pretty good case for it here:
Finally, it has been Hoyer who has made a point of actively working against Pelosi on major congressional votes. You remember, it was Hoyer - the Democratic Whip - who refused to whip votes together to try to defeat the corporate-written Central American Free Trade Agreement. When Pelosi tried to build opposition to the disgusting bankruptcy bill, it was Hoyer, the second-ranking Democrat in the House, who not only didn't whip against the bankruptcy bill, but actually voted for it, after pocketing massive campaign contributions from the banking industry. While Pelosi was taking a stand by voting against the Iraq War, Hoyer was voting for the Iraq War. And when Pelosi worked to keep her caucus together in opposing the GOP Energy Bill, it was Hoyer who voted for the nauseating legislation after pocketing more than $300,000 from energy/natural resource industry cash. That legislation that literally gave away billions of taxpayer dollars to the energy industry profiteers who proceeded to bilk Americans with higher and higher gas prices.
Now, it's bad enough that the congressional Democrats as a whole aren't particularly unified. But if the leadership itself is this out of sync with each other, then how can we possibly expect any good to come from them?

Tags: Steny Hoyer, Nancy Pelosi, david Sirota, Congress, CAFTA, bankruptcy bill, Iraq, War (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions

Permalink | 15 comments

  •  Steny Hoyer (none / 0)

    has had many Lieberman moments.  And he does not seem to regard his job as Minority Whip as serious.  Good thing he's personal friends with ol' Ed Shultz, so someone can defend him every time Steny backstabs the Party.

    Angie and Bill: Colorado's bright future!

    by ubikkibu on Wed Dec 07, 2005 at 01:51:35 PM PDT

    •  Sirota's core paragraph: (4.00 / 3)

      These are the facts of the case - they are not debatable. They are cold hard facts. The second ranking Democrat in the U.S. House is focused like a laser not on winning elections, not on helping his party, but on helping himself by trying to take down the House Minority Leader, even as she shows more and more courage and leadership.

      This is petty and dangerous.  Hoyer needs to stop the sabotage.

      Angie and Bill: Colorado's bright future!

      by ubikkibu on Wed Dec 07, 2005 at 01:55:47 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Light (4.00 / 2)

        Sounds like we need to shine a light on Hoyer. Pelosi has a tough enough job to do without getting support from her #2.

        Remember, THEY hate us for our Freedom! The freedom for the President to do as he damn well pleases.

        by Tuba Les on Wed Dec 07, 2005 at 02:08:32 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  Everyone recommend (none / 0)

      this important diary before it slides into the abyss!

      -- war-weary.

      by peacemonger on Wed Dec 07, 2005 at 03:47:21 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Strange (none / 1)

    I didn't know about this, I thought Hoyer was reliably liberal and voted with the Dem Leader every time. It seems to me that he has no business being whip if he isn't on the same page with Pelosi...I mean if you're running for the job, you have to have a major amount of agreement with the Minority Leader, otherwise you only undercut his or her efforts. He needs to go!

    "People place their hand on the Bible and swear to uphold the Constitution. They don't put their hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible." --J.R.

    by michael1104 on Wed Dec 07, 2005 at 01:54:11 PM PDT

    •  I also... (none / 0)

      thought that Hoyer was a reliable vote. Saw him speak this summer to a group of young democrats and really enjoyed it. I didn't know he had such a poor voting record. THe energy bill was an American tragedy!

      Oh, the hills are groaning with excess, like a table ceaselessly being set.

      by faithfull on Wed Dec 07, 2005 at 01:57:39 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Steny Hoyer is a GOP Mole (4.00 / 2)


    Steny Hoyer is yet another GOP Mole, in the tradition of Joe Lieberman, who is working to undermine the Democratic Party message and speaker Nancy Pelosi.

    Can we run opposition against this guy in the 2006 Congressional Primaries?  

    We need to eject these kind of sabatogers from our Party.   We can never seriously compete with the GOP messages machine when our own Party is infiltrated with ... the same GOP message machine.

    Who will step up and challenge Hoyer?

    by NewAmerica on Wed Dec 07, 2005 at 02:13:41 PM PDT

  •  I hit the unrecommend button by accident!!!!!!!! (none / 0)

    Let me be clear:  I RECOMMEND!!!!!!!!!!!

    For people of deep faith like George W. Bush, beliefs are intoxicating, and facts are sobering. Sober up, America!

    by slip kid no more on Wed Dec 07, 2005 at 02:19:22 PM PDT

  •  Shame on Steny. (4.00 / 2)

    He deserves a few thousand finger-wagging letters from us. Here's his email.

    Other contact points below:

    Washington Office
    1705 Longworth House Office Building
    Washington, D.C. 20515
    Phone - (202) 225-4131
    Fax - (202) 225-4300

    by nancelot on Wed Dec 07, 2005 at 03:03:10 PM PDT

  •  Should Pelosi become speaker... (none / 1)

    will we be stuck with Hoyer as Majority Leader?  I hope not.

    by Skaje on Wed Dec 07, 2005 at 04:14:42 PM PDT

  •  If Nancy Pelosi (4.00 / 3)

    is getting whacked by her own DLCers, what the hell is the percentage for her in staying associated with them?

    The base needs an attractive candidate for President who's non-DLC anyway.

    As for Hoyer, that voting profile is that of a "drank the KoolAid DLCer"...

    He doesn't need a rebuke, he needs a good primary challenger and that challenger needs to get money and volunteer time out of us.

    Looking for intelligent energy policy alternatives? Try here.

    by alizard on Wed Dec 07, 2005 at 04:17:21 PM PDT

    •  Steny Hoyer & Chris Dodd against voting reform (none / 0)

      Primary opponents are needed for Steny Hoyer and Chris Dodd.

      from VerifiedVoting.org
      http://www.verifiedvoting.org/....

      "Although public (and media) interest in this issue continues to grow daily, movement on legislation slowed after four influential lawmakers from both chambers of Congress, both sides of the aisle, opposed further support by their colleagues for any voter-verified paper ballot legislation.  The March 3, 2004 "Dear Colleague" letter signed by

      Reps. Steny Hoyer (MD) A DEMOCRAT
      and Bob Ney (OH),
      and Senators Chris Dodd (CT) A DEMOCRAT
      and Mitch McConnell (KY),

      said they should simply "let the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) be implemented as written."

      from Lynn Landes:
      http://www.ecotalk.org/....

      "There's something strange going on in the Democratic Party. While George Bush's buddies dominate the vote counting business with no apologies to anyone about this rather incredible conflict-of-interest, Democrats are sending mixed signals on this continuing train wreck for democracy."

      many green, yellow, blue and now purple dogs are a majority.

      by Prove Our Democracy with Paper Ballots on Wed Dec 07, 2005 at 04:54:12 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Sirota (none / 0)

    Very interesting article by Sirota.  I think of even more concern than the Iraq stuff is that as we try and highlight corruption and ties to lobbyists in the Republican leadership, we have a guy in our own leadership who doesn't have any qualms about raking in the dough from K street.

    by Lets Be Frank on Thu Dec 08, 2005 at 11:31:56 AM PDT

Permalink | 15 comments