Representative Michael Capuano (MA-8) has accused House Democratic leaders of "hubris" in seeking to retain their leadership positions after losing more than 60 seats in last week's elections. I think he's right.
Said Capuano:
"If the Red Sox came in and lost every game of the year and they kept the manager at the end of the year, that’s a problem. That’s what we seem to be on the verge of doing."
He went on to say that he would back Nancy Pelosi for minority leader, however, since there was no viable alternative. He has declined to say whether he would support Steny Hoyer or Jim Clyburn for minority whip.
Capuano's frustration highlights a serious problem for the much-reduced Democratic caucus: Stay the course or start anew?
On the one hand, Speaker Pelosi successfully heralded the most significant legislation in decades through a contentious Congress. On the other hand, much of that legislation, particularly health care reform, has proven to be hugely unpopular. We can argue ad nauseum about the "truth" of that unpopularity. We can point out (correctly) that many of the individual provisions of the HCR bill show broad support in polling. But the simple fact of the matter is that the bill as passed, particularly the individual mandate, is viewed negatively by a large portion of the electorate. It would be incorrect to say that HCR was solely responsible for our losing the House. But we would be deluding ourselves if we denied that it played a major role.
There were other factors. An economy still stuck in the doldrums, at least for those not in the top 5% of earners, certainly did not help. But I believe a Democratic leadership, from the president on down, that seemed at times almost willfully indifferent to public sentiment was perhaps the most damaging. In a recent diary, I wrote:
Many people's image of a typical Democrat is someone with a graduate degree who drives a Volvo, listens to NPR, shops at Whole Foods, and likes to tell working class people what is best for them. We are seen as treating less "enlightened" people with condescension, and disapproving of their values and choices.
Nancy Pelosi has come to personify this perception. Whether it is true or not is irrelevant. In politics image counts, and Pelosi has an image problem. No matter how much liberals may love her, the rest of the country clearly does not. She is a lightning rod for the right, and a huge political liability for Democrats.
As has famously been said, elections have consequences. You can't preside over the biggest House losses since 1948 and expect to retain your leadership position. There has to be a price for losing.
The problem is who would take her place? Steny Hoyer is the the presumptive next in line, but he is widely seen as too much of a moderate for the decidedly more left-leaning incoming Democratic minority. Besides, as majority leader he too bears responsibility for our electoral rout. What we need is a fresh face. But who? Clyburn?
I would like to suggest the aforementioned Mike Capuano.
Capuano was first elected to the House in 1998. (His seat is a celebrated one in Democratic lore, having once been occupied by John F. Kennedy, Tip O'Neill, and Joseph P. Kennedy II). He is the chairman of the Task Force on Ethics Enforcement and serves on the Financial Services Committee and the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. Late last year, he ran an unsuccessful primary campaign to succeed the late Senator Ted Kennedy. He lost that race to the better-funded establishment candidate Martha Coakley, who went on to defeat by Republican Scott Brown. It is widely believed that Capuano would have waged a more successful campaign against Brown.
Capuano is a dedicated and much loved public servant. He is pro-choice and has a strong commitment to the environment, health care, and labor. Just as important, I believe his strong working class roots would give him credibility among those who feel that the Democrats have become the party of elitists and snobs.
There is no reason to think that Capuano is positioning himself for a run. But I for one would love to see him do so. I think he is exactly the kind of leader our party needs.