House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is not just inviting, but demanding, that the media do stories about Democrats in disarray and she's doing it over the critical issue of impeachment, if Politico is to be believed. And seeing the last disastrous few weeks of Democratic muddied waters on the issue, this time it seems likely.
In last week's conference meeting, she reportedly "stunned lawmakers and aides with a swipe at Democratic staff on the House Judiciary Committee," saying that committee aides are pushing too hard when the entire conference hasn't agreed on impeachment, although now more than half have. She added, according to multiple attendees, "And you can feel free to leak this." For one of the smartest, most effective leaders the Democratic party has had, she's really flubbing the messaging to the outside world. Inexplicably. Because this:
"I think the speaker wants to be careful of all the different members of the caucus," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a vocal impeachment advocate. "She doesn't always want to use the word 'impeachment' but believe me, she signed off on every piece of what has been put forward."
A spokesman for Chairman Jerry Nadler agrees, saying Pelosi has been "fully supportive of our investigative work." But she's slamming Nadler's team in private and inviting people to share that with the traditional media. One Judiciary member trying to straddle what appears to be a very real divide between Nadler and Pelosi, says that "Nadler is talking about law, Pelosi is talking about politics. Rep. Jamie Raskin from Maryland, a member of the Judiciary Committee, continued. "Nadler is looking at high crimes and misdemeanors, and we are inundated with them in the Judiciary Committee. But Pelosi is looking at the political side of it."
She's convinced, apparently, the politics are bad because right now it doesn't poll very well. Of course it doesn't poll very well because the House of Representatives is not having hearings that are educating and informing the public as to the depth and breadth of Trump's criminality. This isn't a case in which the public can lead, which is what she's seems to be asking for. This is when we need a real Democratic leader to emerge to give the public the sense that there is indeed some adult in charge who can do something to stop the chaos. She might think this waffling and this lack of clarity is somehow helping politically. It is not. It is reinforcing all the old tropes that Democrats are keystone cops.
She's also sending very mixed messages to her conference and this is not good. With a deeply, deeply corrupt White House and a Senate in Moscow Mitch's collaborating iron grip, we need one functioning government body and the House has to be it; Pelosi has to be the leader. She has an instruction manual that tells her how to do it, and in fact has sworn an oath to that manual. She might think this waffling and this lack of clarity is somehow helping politically.