Watching Pramila Jayapal talk to Rachel M, I had the eeriest feeling I was looking at the next...

[Hekate]

…Democratic Speaker of the House.

Should Nancy Pelosi ever retire. No hurry.

But some of us have been wondering who’s been building up the skills, and I think I just saw that.

[joetheman]

1. We could do a lot worse and not much better than. nt

[hurl]

2. She is awesome

A bright future for sure

[brush]

3. Jeffries, already in a leadership position, is in the mix for that.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. I like Jeffries. I think he's the front runner.

But I am a bit concerned he seems not to maintain a high public profile. He is often upstaged by a few others, AOC and Jayapal among them.

[msongs]

8. oso he's not trying to be a celebrity. how is that concerning nt

[Budi]

12. 👍

[NJCher]

14. Not so sure you're right about that

Around this area he is a frequent radio guest. I love it when Leonard Lopate has him on because he is such a straight shooter and doesn’t mince any words.

True he doesn’t have the star power of an aoc. Not sure that’s a requirement for a good speaker, though.

[brush]

16. And he's got the Speaker's back, never trying to upstage her.

[lapucelle]

4. Hakeem Jeffries...

The Next Face of the Democratic Party
Hakeem Jeffries could end up being the first Black speaker of the House—but not all progressives are happy about his rise.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/08/hakeem-jeffries-nancy-pelosi-speaker-house/619695/

[brush]

17. He had already risen to leadership before AOC and the rest of the squad were even elected.

Why AOC, when she was still on her jag of primarying Democratic incumbents (mostly unsuccessfully), even threatened him once. And that was post election but before she had even taken her seat in Congress. I think she's learned and gotten away from that.

I'm not sure if he's a fan of her's.

[George II]

24. She and her Justice Democrats have threatened to primary him several times. No, he's not a fan.

[brush]

25. They have no chance against him in his district.

I do hope she has learned. I haven't heard of her working against incumbent Dems lately.

[George II]

26. She doesn't do so directly, but her supporting organization, Justice Democrats, does so repeatedly..

If you saw some of the emails they send out almost daily they would send chills up your spine.

They're backing primary challenges of some of our most experienced and accomplished representatives - Carolyn Maloney (rated #3 among Democrats for effectiveness in the 116th Congress by Center for Effective Lawmaking) and Danny Davis (#40), among others.

[Calista241]

27. Which is probably why AOC hasn't gotten some of the choice committee assignments she's pursued. n/t

[Cha]

29. Yes to Hakeem Jeffries! NO to Jaypal..

Didn't she endorse Nina Turner?

Not good.

Mahalo!

[qazplm135]

6. you don't tend to have someone on the far side

as Speaker. Whether that's a centrist moderate or a far left liberal. Nothing wrong with either, but you need someone able to bridge between the two groups like Pelosi has done. Otherwise, you have one side being favored and the other digging in.

It's not necessarily about skills or even merit, it's about bridging.

[JohnSJ]

7. +++

[Budi]

13. Helps to respect the position as well as the committment to carry it out.

Jeffries is far more centered for the power that Speaker position requires.

[brush]

18. Good thought. Agreed.

[Hortensis]

31. Yes! Pelosi is strongly liberal progressive, BUT she's also determined

always to advance legislation by fighting for it and bringing together the consensus needed.

Pelosi lacks that fatal willingness to walk away with nothing, combined with belief that compromise is corruption, that too many on the far left have. That determination to always advance her goals for the people requires her to be pragmatic -- in the good, bridging way too many called "purists" can't imagine. Where does Jayapal fall on this spectrum?

Rep. Jayapal's still pretty new to congress also, only since 2017. I was dismayed to hear she was weeping in the Oval Office about the Dreamers. Everyone cares about them, but almost every other issue in that historic bill is hugely important to far more people. It made me wonder about her ability to be objective.

Of course, the people who choose their speaker, the 435 members of the house, decide and are in good position to. They'll have their ideas, and they're the only ones who matter.

[Captain Zero]

9. I actually thought that myself.

Thought. Wow that's weird why would I think that?

I think because she seemed to have a plan not all of which she was revealing.

[Hekate]

10. Exactly. A plan, working with, and counting votes. Hm. nt

[cilla4progress]

11. She does have an equanimity

I admire.

I also love Hakeem Jeffries.

[JI7]

15. Nope, Jeffries is more likely

he has been learning from Pelosi and the older members who are ahead of him in leadership will likely step aside to support him.

[brooklynite]

19. Not a chance...

The progressive wing isn’t that large, and Jayapal has no chance at all if seen as spiking Biden’s major policy achievement.. Hakeem Jeffries is a much more likely choice.

Add to which, listening to her speak is precisely the wrong strategy for picking a Speaker. The job isn’t to talk to base voters; its to rangle votes to get Bills passed.

[Rhiannon12866]

20. Here's the video for those who missed it (great interview!):

Progressives Not Falling For Games; Insist On Biden Agenda - Rachel Maddow - MSNBC

Rep. Pramila Jayapal makes clear to Rachel Maddow that she's is more committed to getting the Biden agenda items that progressives (and Democrats broadly, and American voters) want in the reconciliation bill than in keeping an "arbitrary" Thursday voting deadline even as time runs short. Aired on 09/27/2021.


And the entire TRMS segment:

Why This Week In Congress Is Really, Really Going To Matter - Rachel Maddow - MSNBC
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1017683949

[BlueLucy]

21. Hard pass. nt

[NurseJackie]

22. No.

[betsuni]

23. No way.

[Calista241]

28. Doubt it. Her stance on the Israel and Palestinian issue alone will cause some Reps

to not support her.

[maxsolomon]

30. She is my Rep & I love her, but she'll never be Speaker.

When Pelosi steps down, that will go to someone in Leadership now.

[Hortensis]

32. I saw her last night. She'd recovered and put on her positive face

and expressed her message competently. I was glad she did, it's appropriate for someone speaking for our party, but they are all supposed to be able to do that. Speakers function at a much higher and more difficult level, working with their colleagues to decide on and make national legislation happen -- history!. They have a bunch of people they can assign to the public speaking.