Best News I’ve Heard All Month
I was talking to Pam last night and she said, “If Democrats retake the House and they elect Steny Hoyer (a 79 year old Democrat from Maryland who has served for 40 years) as Speaker of the House, I’m gonna just say screw ‘um.”
It appears that Hoyer is “next in line” to be speaker. But Pam ain’t the only one with concerns about another old white man. I tend to agree. Hoyer is also way too conservative for my taste.
I want a fire breathing liberal. When Republicans call us liberals, I want it to be bygawd right!
I discovered this morning, that some congressmen are thinking along the same lines.
That’s a good sign.
I’m an old white guy, and I definitely don’t want Steny Hoyer for speaker — we don’t need any more triangulating corporocrats. Much better to have a young, fire-breathing liberal to stoke the fears of the reactionary crazies running politics these days.
1Steny Hoyer is a congenial guy and Nancy Pelosi is one hell of a vote counting floor manager. However, the reality is that this country has swung so far right since Reagan with help from ‘third way’ Democrats that a serious hard left course correction is needed to even approach “center.”
2I’m an old white fire-breathing liberal woman. Let the younger
3fire-breathers have their day.
If Democrats retake the house Pelosi, one of the most competent speakers ever, will resume. She can make thing come together.
4Although I am an almost old fire breathing rock chunking liberal, I am brightened and encouraged by the youngest amongst us. Yes, let some of the youngest lead us. For now a 20-30-or-40 something as the next Speak is just fine with me. And I hope to live long enough to send congratulations to the HS graduating class of 2018 as their survivors become Congress members at 25, Senators at 30, and POTUS at 35. I don’t live in Flow-rye-DUH but if I did I’d vote for David Hogg, Delaney Tarr, and Samantha Fuentes, and others EVERY single time I could. They are are future. They must be educated, protected, encouraged, supported and elected.
5Would like to see Keith Ellison as speaker.
6One thing to consider . . . these “old-timers” know all the secrets and where the bodies are buried. This really helps when you have some great and necessary legislation backed up against a wall.
7maggie says:
these “old-timers” know all the secrets and where the bodies are buried
They also know, presumably, how to bury any new bodies should the occasion arise.
8Now, y’all, Steny is MY Representative, and I kinda like him. (Did you know he’s a Baptist? Sure looks like an Episcopalian to me.) But he is 79 years old, and I think maybe we could use somebody younger in the job. Not TOO fire-breathing, honesty, because look– there are a lot of people out there who aren’t lefties and aren’t wearing MAGA hats. Somebody needs to speak for them and attract their support, and a fire-breathing liberal (like me) won’t do that. This country needs to be LESS divided, not more so or even carry on as much as it is now. But no compromise on abortion without MASSIVE push on birth control, and no compromise on climate change and environmental protection because we’ve lost too damn much already!
9How about Joe Kennedy from Mass? He’s got a pedigree to match any and speaks well. The liberal Kennedy fire is still there. A speakership would be great. And I think his contact know where the bodies and all the dirt is hidden.
10Pelosi is not my favorite and her willingness to gloss over the crimes committed by the twits coup offended me then and still does. But one cannot deny her competency. Keep her if only as a thumb in the eye of the thugs. But have her completely redo her leadership team.
11Hoyer out any blue dogs get assigned to the postage and stationary committees no matter what their senoirity might be.
If we allow hoyer in we might as well keep ryan.
My suggestion is Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal from Seattle.
Kieth would be an acceptable comprimise but a bit too forgiving and moderate for my tastes.
Whomever it might be impeachment of the entire drumpf crime family with criminal referrals for all. This includes every judge, cabinet member, undersecratary etc. Those who, because of civil service rules, cannot be fired ( amazing how r’s can always find a way to fire people) develop a research program on the sheet ice of the artic and assign them all to it no matter what their position etc is. One thing the thugs have done is shown how non scientist’s can be placed in science roles so let any of demented donnies addled supporters (redundant) who don’t immediately resign and forfiet all benefits ( retirement etc) be used to see how fast artic ice will melt under their feet when forced to live on it 365 days a year.
If the justice department is fully occupied by the prosecution of this criminal regime for the next 4 years is fine by me.
No matter who becomes Speaker, Hoyer, Pelosi or Forrest Gump, he/she is going to have to pay the party (Dem or GOP) $25 million for the chair. That’s how ‘pay for play,’ conceived by Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay and quickly adopted by the Dems, works. And you wonder why they spend 30% of their time dialing for dollars? Time to go to Vendor-Based Campaign Finance Regulation.
12I do not like sexism or ageism. I have seen Steny with constituents and colleagues when the cameras are not about. Steny is genuine, diplomatic, and compassionate.
When Richard Collins III was murdered Steny was at the service of the family with no wish for the attention to be on him. Many, many months later Steny stopped speaking to fellow members of Congress when he saw Richard Collins II in the distance. He made a bee line to him, hugged him and had a private conversation. No need for an aide to identify Mr. Collins for Steny but the aide made sure to keep the cameras away.
Of equal import, his work behind the scenes has been most impressive. He knows how Congress works and of most import, the rules. This knowledge helps make McConnell so successful.
So while I usually agree with the folks on the site, not this time. Think long game — Steny does.
13The next Speaker of the House could very well end up being elevated to the Presidency once Trump and Pence go down. (I fear Pence more than Trump so both gotta go.) I have to wonder if the Senate could get 2/3 of their members to vote for impeachment if it meant that Nancy Pelosi would become President. I like Nancy Pelosi and she was a great Speaker, but the Dems might want to select someone that the Republican Senators could accept as their next President.
14I’m an old, very liberal white woman and I’m wholly in favor of a young woman of color leading, male PIC, 2nd option. The Seattle rep is one good choice. It’s not that I dislike any of the Democratic House leadership, but the top 3 are 78, 78, and 77. Younger ones, 40s, 50s, even 60s might think differently. Besides, the Dem House leadership ladder is stuck. If there’s no place to move up, some of our best may not try. That’s not good.
It’s time for Boomers such as myself to step aside and let the next generation have their turn. It’s not ageism. It’s fairness and decency.
15@ Gary St.Arnauld
16“Dems might want to select someone that the Republican Senators could accept as their next President.”
Tell the thuglicans that no one cares what they think.
You are advocating surrender to the criminal cartel.
This is like making sure the crooks approve of who the prosecutor is.
Nancy Pelosi
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal
Keith Ellison as top three d’s in the house and Kamala Hrris as Senate Speaker pro temp.
If any thug complains just tell them to “get over it, you lost”
I am not a big fan of her but if they could put Hillary in the WH ( maybe AG?) just as adding extra salt to the open wounds in the thugs political psyche.
No sympathy.
No consideration for them.
No comprimise on this with the thugs.
In my dream scenario:
The Dems win both Houses in the midterms.
Pelosi regains the House Speaker position.
At the beginning of the new Congress, Trump and Pence are both impeached, tried, and convicted. A goodly number of the thugs and mercenaries in their administration also resign or go to jail.
Pelosi becomes the first woman President! This is an especially gratifying thumb in the eye to all the misogynists and Hillary haters. She only serves until the 2020 election, leaving the Speakership and presidential nomination open for younger candidates. Her time in office is spent repairing the damage done to the government and leading Congress in strengthening the separation of powers, and codifying what had only been precedent or custom before, to prevent an aberration like Trump from ever endangering us again.
The Republic is saved.
Hey, a girl can dream, right?
17@Lunargent
18Yippee, Hear Hear