Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., isn’t loosening her grip on House Democrats anytime soon. The only people who say otherwise are candidates running in tight races. Most of those won’t even commit to opposing a second Pelosi speakership if they make it to Congress.
According to a new report by Politico, of the 43 Democrats in races that “lean Democrat” or are ranked “toss up,” only 11 have said they will oppose Pelosi if she runs for speaker. Pushed further, only four had the courage to commit to a vote against her on the House floor.
Who are the brave ones? Rep. Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania, Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, Paul Davis of Kansas, and Dan McCready of North Carolina. Does it matter? Not really.
Pelosi knows Congress forward and backward after serving for three decades and watching six presidents come and go. Rumors of upheaval in the ranks just don’t rattle her. She even fundraises for the candidates promising to dethrone her. Asked back in June whether it was wise to support those who promised to oppose her, Pelosi had a simple enough answer: “We just want to win.” That answer also explains why Democrats would disown her — they just want to win. They’ll probably vote for her if it matters.
Take Antonio Delgado, the Democrat breathing down the neck of Rep. John Faso, R-N.Y. He won’t vote for Pelosi, he said in a debate. Pelosi cut his campaign a check for $14,000 dollars, giving him 14,000 reasons to think twice before mounting an insurrection.
Danny O’Connor of Ohio says he will vote against Pelosi, but only in conference with his fellow Democrats — not on the floor where it actually matters. He wilted all the way back in July when pressed on this by MSNBC’s Chris Matthews.
After throwing out some platitudes about needing “change on both sides,” O’Connor admitted to Matthews that if it came down to it, if the vote on the floor was between a Republican or a Democrat, he “would support whoever the Democratic Party puts forward.”
Pathetic and telling all at once, that answer illustrates the uncomfortable truth for Democrats eager for change. Whatever they think of Pelosi, this is still her party. She is the one building their House majority, and they owe her if they win.
