This evening, I received the following note from Speaker Nancy Pelosi, addressed to the Daily Kos community:
Thank you, Speaker Pelosi, for everything you have done. And thank you, to the Daily Kos community for helping to make this happen.
As we start to close the books on the Democratic leadership campaign, let me also say a word about the facile arguments surrounding Nancy Pelosi’s favorability rating. Anyone who thinks that this election turned primarily on the image of the Democratic Party and its leaders, rather than on the objective economic conditions Americans face in their daily lives, is just being superficial.
This election was not decided by image--it was decided by the results of public policy. If Democrats had enacted public policy that would have resulted in fewer homes being foreclosed, more people going to work, and most Americans experiencing an increase in real disposable income, then we would have done just fine in the 2010 elections. Further, if Democrats are going to perform better in the 2012 elections, our main goal needs to be enacting policy that will see fewer homes foreclosed, more people getting jobs, and most people seeing an increase in their real disposable income.
For the past two years, there was absolutely no leader in the Democratic Party who was more committed to, and more effective at, passing good public policy than Nancy Pelosi. That is actually her entire governing philosophy. In March, during a meeting she held for bloggers and new media reporters, she told me and the other attendees that her job as Speaker was to pass the strongest possible legislation which 218 members of the House would accept. Image never came into the discussion.
If all Democrats in federal office had worked to pass the strongest possible legislation, rather than trying to burnish their image as "moderate" or "independent," then both the economy and the Democratic Party would be much better off. Dumping the Democratic leader who is committed to, and most effective at, doing exactly what Democrats needed to do in 2010--and now absolutely must do in 2012--would be electoral suicide.
Electoral fortunes flow from objective economic conditions. Strong messaging and charismatic leaders cannot compensate for crappy public policy that makes people’s lives worse. If our voters are getting foreclosed on and can’t find work, then we are going to lose elections no matter what we say or who look like. But if Democrats repair the economy, our image will be repaired along with it. We need Nancy Pelosi for that.
With the prospects for strong public policy in 2011-2012 much worse than they were in 2009-2010, we need Nancy Pelosi now more than ever. Our leadership cannot be fixated on superficially repairing its image at the expense of policy, because we are still on the hook for governing in most people’s minds. Our only focus must be on making people’s lives better through what few remaining avenues we still have to enact good public policy. If we start caving into Republicans, and making things even worse for the country because we such capitulation will make us appear all reasonable and bi-partisan, then we are well and truly screwed.
Today was a victory for those who believe effective governance means a helluva a lot more to elections than media-friendly soundbites imagery. And you, the members of the Daily Kos community, helped make it happen.
Take another moment to re-read Speaker Pelosi’s gracious thank you note. Rejoice for a while, and savor the feeling. Then, let’s all gear up for two more years of epic legislative fights.