Waiting For Pelosi's Announcement
Tonight, political wonks will all be waiting to see the results of the off-off-year election come rolling in. There will be big races and small to keep track of, and much will be made of any demographic shifts in voting patterns. But there is also another thing Democrats will be waiting to hear, which is the political future of (as she is called now) Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. The rumor mill is expecting an announcement from Pelosi on whether she will be running for re-election next year to her House seat, or whether she will be retiring from politics and passing the torch to someone younger to take over.
What is largely driving this is Pelosi's age. She is currently 85 years old, and will turn 86 next March. That means if she does run for another term, she will be 88 by the end of it. At the start of 2023, Pelosi stepped down from her leadership role in the House after Democrats lost their majority in the 2022 election. She has been a "backbencher" ever since. So she's already serving in a diminished role, after leading the Democrats in the House for 20 full years (as both minority leader and speaker, depending on who controlled the chamber).
Pelosi hasn't said publicly what her plans are, but she did let it be known that she would be making some sort of announcement after today's election. She helped Governor Gavin Newsom's effort to pass Proposition 50 (to redistrict the state in order to add five Democratic House seats), but that effort concludes today.
It is hard to overstate Nancy Pelosi's importance and stature in the House of Representatives. Before she was elected minority leader in 2003, House Democrats were an awfully fractious bunch. Republicans regularly split the party with wedge issues and drew many Democrats across the aisle on important votes. Pelosi turned all of that around, in impressive fashion. Under her leadership, Democrats began sticking together a lot more, and as a result they became much more powerful and effective. Pelosi has already entered House history as one of the most powerful speakers of the modern age. She went toe-to-toe with presidents of both parties and her fellow Democrats backed her up to a remarkable degree.
It is hard to walk away from all that power, obviously. But Pelosi has largely already done so, by removing herself from the Democratic leadership ranks. She has not (as some had feared) tried to overshadow Hakeem Jeffries, who succeeded her as the top House Democrat. She has given him advice when he's asked for it, but she hasn't tried to be some sort of behind-the-scenes puppetmaster, no matter how tempting it might have been to do so. She should be commended for this.
Nancy Pelosi's list of accomplishments is a long and impressive one. But the people of her district (San Francisco) are going to have to be represented by someone else sooner or later, so the speculation now is whether Pelosi will use the victory of Proposition 50 as her political swansong, and announce she will not be running for re-election next year.
Some Democrats have speculated on this to the press, but anonymously. Nobody wants to be seen as pushing Pelosi out, obviously. An unnamed "Democratic leadership aide" recently told NBC: "I think she's preparing to exit the stage. We will not fully appreciate the time we have spent with her until she's gone."
Pelosi herself was instrumental in convincing President Joe Biden to forgo his re-election campaign (after his disastrous debate performance). Pelosi is still sharp as a tack -- just this week she ripped into Donald Trump, calling him "just a vile creature, the worst thing on the face of the Earth." She obviously hasn't lost her edge.
Even so, she is 85 years old.
Pelosi already faces two Democratic challengers for her seat, a state senator from San Francisco (Scott Wiener) and a tech millionaire who used to be Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's chief of staff (Saikat Chakrabarti). Both are decades younger than Pelosi.
I have always wondered whether Pelosi will attempt to keep the seat in the family, however. Her daughter Christine is a rising power in the Democratic Party. Christine has served on the Democratic National Committee and was a member of the Electoral College in the 2016 election. She has never held elected office before, but the power of seeing the name "Pelosi" on the ballot in San Francisco should not be discounted.
Whether Nancy Pelosi's seat turns into a dynastic one or not, though, it seems like a very good time for her to hang up her spurs. Even if the Democrats do manage to win back control of the House in next year's midterms, Pelosi won't be in a leadership role in the new Congress. And she could show leadership by voluntarily stepping aside for a younger Democrat to take her place, which would be in keeping with her convincing Biden to drop out of his race.
The Democratic Party seems eager for younger, fresher faces these days. Pelosi could probably stay in office until she dies (as Senator Dianne Feinstein, another San Francisco Democrat, did), but what message would that send to the party and to younger voters? She's already proved everything she needed to prove in politics, and as mentioned she will go down in history as one of the best and most effective speakers the House has ever seen. Nancy Pelosi has earned her laurels. Tonight, we may find out whether she intends to step back and rest on them or not.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
I think Pelosi will retire, but that doesn't mean she won't still be a major force in the Party.
Off Topic
There's simply no way to Trumpsplain or spin the absolute blowout that Republicans have been dealt all across the country by Democrats in today's elections (although expect the morons to attempt it).
In Virginia, Democrats have flipped 13 seats to Blue in the House of Delegates:
Dems: 64 (+13)
Reps: 36 (-13)
In Pennsylvania, all 3 Democrats on the PA Supreme Court have been retained by huge margins.
MAGA Cory Bowman, the brother of James Donald Bowman aka James David Hamel aka James David Vance aka J. D. Vance currently claiming to be "JD Vance," lost bigly and hugely in his run for Mayor of Cincinnati, OH... by almost 60 points.
The pendulum always swings back.
Did I say blowout? It's a bloodbath.
[2] Kick:
And it couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of chumps. Yes on Prop 50 in California is looking pretty good; I should think it's already out of range to flip to No, but it doesn't seem to have been called as yet. Stay tuned.
MyVoice
3
Appears you left coasters have turned out hugely and given Prop 50 about a 2-1 victory (when all the votes are counted)... another bloodbath.
I can already hear the WOTUS -- Wussy of the United States -- whining "woe is me" and claiming it's illegal because "mail in."
You ever heard the POTUS -- Pussy of the United States -- whining about the illegality of Utah's elections by mail? Rhetorical question.
Yay Californians and thank you for turning out bigly!
i don't like gerrymandering, even if it's done justly to counterbalance other gerrymandering.
Could we please implore Chuck Schumer to do likewise?
Sort of on topic I have a new (to me, anyways) name for “Establishment” and “Moderate” Democrats. They are the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.
nypoet22
5
i don't like gerrymandering, even if it's done justly to counterbalance other gerrymandering.
Would it be too much to assume you have another solution to the problem? ;)
The problem being that if Donald Trump actually believed his own pathologically lying bullshit that he has (quoting him) "the best Polling Numbers that I have ever received," then he'd obviously have no need for Texas to perform some "cracking" and "packing" in order to create five more gerrymandered seats for him. Quite obviously, Trump is well aware he cannot win without the additional gerrymandering.
The most recent live polls (ahem, yesterday) reinforce the fact that the wannabe king definitely has polling numbers that are at historic lows... of which he is obviously well aware.
They say you "can't fight fire with fire," but as someone trained in how to actually do that very thing, it's referred to as "controlled burns," wherein intentional strategic "backfires" are set in order to burn away the fuel in the path of another fire, which then has limited fuel with which to burn down your proverbial house.
We Didn't Start the Fire
Trump's mentor is immortalized in Verse 3 after the term "Communist Bloc." So you can either sit idly by and allow the pyro to burn it down or do something about it, and Californians came out in full force to fight it.
MtnCaddy
6
Sort of on topic I have a new (to me, anyways) name for “Establishment” and “Moderate” Democrats. They are the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.
That is a surefire way to lose a very large chunk of the Democratic Party. You win by addition and inclusion... not by subtraction and exclusion. Politics 101.
wow, there he is, Roy Cohn. right before Mr Mamdani's political model.
nypoet22
9
I'ma take that answer as you New Yorkers also not wishing to watch your house burn down.
Good talk. :)
in all seriousness i really do hope he does well as mayor. it's just that based on what I've seen so far, I'm highly skeptical.
nypoet22
11
Keep in mind that James Madison was 36 years old when he was the most influential delegate in drafting the United States Constitution and promoting its ratification; he had the help of this even younger lad, name of Alexander Hamilton and the "old man" John Jay.
New Yorkers... they get the job done. :)
@kick,
what does age have to do with it? being young and charismatic with economically leftist policy ideas are all good things in my book. it's the authoritarian instinct that concerns me. the four ballot measures to increase executive power, the threats of police action against foreign leaders, the refusal to retract comments about global intifada, and i'm sure there are more that i haven't even noticed or thought of. bloomberg was an authoritarian too, and we're still suffering under the yoke of his appointments and policy initiatives. we won't really know what kind of leader Mamdani is until the man is sworn in. then perhaps we'll find out just how serious those things are.
JL
nypoet22
13
what does age have to do with it? being young and charismatic with economically leftist policy ideas are all good things in my book.
So, I'm not a New Yorker who's spent many multiple months hearing over and over and on permanent loop regarding the pasts, presents and predicted futures of the various assorted candidates vying to become mayor of New York City. From where I am, the only thing I have heard repeatedly regarding Mamdani is in regards to his age and inexperience. Hence, my comment.
it's the authoritarian instinct that concerns me. the four ballot measures to increase executive power, the threats of police action against foreign leaders, the refusal to retract comments about global intifada, and i'm sure there are more that i haven't even noticed or thought of.
Definitely sounds concerning and indeed very Trumpian. In the future when the Right wingnuts attempt to lump all Democrats into those type categories, it seems to me like they're going to sound not unlike a group of gum-flapping hysterical hypocrites.
bloomberg was an authoritarian too, and we're still suffering under the yoke of his appointments and policy initiatives.
This obsession with authoritarianism definitely seems to follow a pattern wherein opportunist New Yorkers who are lifelong Democrats then run as Republicans.
we won't really know what kind of leader Mamdani is until the man is sworn in. then perhaps we'll find out just how serious those things are.
It doesn't matter what he does, Mamdani will be demonized and vilified by the Right wingnut fascists in the same racist and Islamophobic terms they hurled at "Barack Hussein Obama" because their tangible hatred for the "browns" literally knows no bounds. The conspiracy crazies in Congress and talking head nutjobs who praise the Mango Mussolini for the same qualities they worship and bow down like subservient helots in Trump will fall all over themselves to hang Mamdani in effigy, and they will thump their bastardized Trump bibles and wield their religion like a weapon. They will incessantly whine about their hatred for Democrats while they slavishly fall all over themselves year after year repeatedly in the service of Democrat Donald.
How freaking hysterical it was to recently observe the Trump Cult Zombies and Trump's Little Johnson literally berate Mamdani in terms that described their Orange Worship to a total "T." They are so intellectually ignorant, they have no idea they are projecting in the most hypocritical of terms.
Meanwhile, Fat Donny in orange clown face and fat tie to cover his fat body with his bulging fat cankles shoved into his 3-inch lifts claims hysterically that he is better looking than Mamdani. Quick... somebody check the deleted part of the interview for Trump discussing his Little Johnson and demanding a penis measuring contest but certainly not before bragging about a MOCA test that is administered for the purpose of determining dementia and not intelligence because pathological lying every time you open your fat trap is not a sign of intelligence but a definite hallmark of absolute nutjob senility.
But I digress.
My sincere best wishes to the citizens and the new mayor of your "little" city. :)