Freshman Democrats Defy Nancy Pelosi On Key Votes

[Purveyor]

By JOHN BRESNAHAN and ANNA PALMER | 8/2/13 5:01 AM EDT

Nancy Pelosi has worked overtime to help elect Democrats like Dan Maffei in order to grow her party’s House ranks — and get herself back in the speaker’s chair.

So how has Maffei thanked the House minority leader and other top Democrats now that he’s back in Washington?

By voting less with House Democrats than any other member of the 50-member Democratic freshmen class, according to a survey of all 436 House votes this year. On a recent bill to delay for one year the employer and individual mandates outlined in Obamacare — Pelosi and President Barack Obama’s signature legislative accomplishment — Maffei crossed the aisle and voted with Republicans.

Maffei wasn’t the only freshman Democrat to defy Pelosi on the health care votes. Fourteen Democratic freshmen joined with dozens of their veteran Democratic colleagues and Republicans in calling for a one-year delay in both the employer and individual mandates. These defections came despite repeated — and sometimes emotional — lobbying by Pelosi, who accused these Democrats of “undermining” her and Obamacare, said several lawmakers and aides.

Maffei, a former House staffer, is unrepentant. “What my constituents tell me and what best helps the community I represent is how I decide to vote,” Maffei said in a statement to POLITICO. “The people of Central New York have made it clear to me that the most important issues are growing our middle class, spurring our local economy, and creating more jobs across the region.”


Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/08/freshmen-democrats-nancy-pelosi-dan-maffei-key-votes-95103.html#ixzz2apHyB8QK

[millennialmax]

1. People that are not team players are a detriment to the party and the country.

The DNC should really look into primary challenges for these "Democrats"

[former9thward]

2. Nancy Pelosi is one vote.

She does not get to control the thoughts, words and votes of every other Democrat.

[millennialmax]

3. Nancy Pelosi is the House Minority Leader. That's kind of her job.

If they don't like her, then they should vote in another Minority Leader.

The title shouldn't be decoration. It should be respected.

[former9thward]

4. Why not just give her all the Democratic votes then?

Get rid of everyone else. A ton of money will be saved on salaries and office expenses.

[Purveyor]

5. "they should vote in another Minority Leader" The sooner the damned better! eom

[millennialmax]

6. Yeah, then those freshmen Dems can vote with the GOP to their heart's desire.

Because THAT will help the working poor and middle class.

[Purveyor]

7. Sounds to me like they are doing that now thanks to piss poor 'leadership'... eom

[NV Whino]

8. It is the party Whip who is tasked with rounding up the votes

A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy. A whip's role is also to ensure that the elected representatives of their party are in attendance when important votes are taken. The usage comes from the hunting term "whipping in", i.e. preventing hounds from wandering away from the pack.

[WI_DEM]

9. then he should talk with the republicans about jobs since they block anything on jobs.