The White House is publicly steering clear of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to seek a spot in House leadership — but an open question is whether her new role would help or hurt
President Obama.
Some Democrats blame Pelosi for the party’s drubbing last week. And her attempt to hold on to power among House Democrats by running for minority leader comes up short of the fresh start that many believed was the voters’ mandate.
“The White House does not comment or get involved in leadership elections,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said. Obama “appreciates the work of the speaker and the entire House Democratic leadership team, who have been great partners in moving the country forward.”
With Republicans taking control of the House in January, both the administration and Democratic congressional leaders will have to rethink their strategies for dealing with a new, energized majority.
Republicans have been openly critical of Pelosi’s decision while also relishing the idea that the Pelosi-Obama team the GOP used so effectively as a foil in this year’s elections will remain in place for at least a short while.
“It’s almost as if they just didn’t get the message from the voters this election,” House Republican Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia said on Fox News. “I don’t think there’s any question that this says to the voters, ‘We’re not listening to you. We think we’re right. We’re going to continue the same path.’?”
Pelosi is more liberal politically than Obama and may prove less willing to accommodate the president if he decides to pursue a more centrist course.
“She has become an iconic figure for what [Republicans] think is wrong with the country,” said George Edwards III, a political scientist at Texas A&M University.
“From a public relations standpoint [for Obama], her staying is not particularly helpful,” Edwards said. “But on the other hand, she is a very effective leader in terms of getting things done.”
It remains unclear whether Obama will pursue former President Clinton’s example and triangulate the new Congress, taking small bipartisan victories where he can, or dig in and press for cap-and-trade environmental legislation, immigration reform and other stalled priorities.
For her part, Pelosi is already battling Republican rhetoric about repealing health care and Wall Street reform, signaling no retreat from the leadership’s prior agenda.
“We have no intention of allowing our great achievements to be rolled back,” Pelosi said in a statement. “It is my hope that we can work in a bipartisan way to create jobs and strengthen the middle class.”
The White House legislative team is generally well-regarded in Congress, even among Republicans.
There also was some relief among lawmakers when Rahm Emanuel, a former Democratic leader and Obama’s chief of staff, resigned to run for mayor of Chicago. His replacement, Pete Rouse, is more diplomatic and enjoys cordial relations on Capitol Hill, where he spent many years as a Senate staffer.
Later this month, Obama is hosting leaders from both parties for a closed-door meeting to identify any areas of agreement.
