Pelosi readying a pre-emptive House agenda

[nodular]

("She's not going to let State of the Union overshadow the state of the nation")--- second part of title

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/22/MNGJAMHNT61.DTL

San Franciso Chronicle


"' (11-22) 04:00 PST Washington -- House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi made clear Tuesday she's not willing to cede the public spotlight to President Bush in the weeks before his State of the Union speech.

Pelosi plans to start the 110th Congress with a bang on Jan. 4 -- when the House holds its ceremonial swearing in and elects her as speaker -- by immediately setting off on a sprint of several weeks to enact the Democrats' ambitious 100-hour agenda.

Lawmakers usually return home between the swearing-in ceremony and the president's speech, but analysts say the hurried schedule gives Democrats a chance to show instant results. It could also put Bush on the defensive, forcing him to sign or veto a host of popular initiatives.

"Given the well-earned do-nothing reputation of the 109th Congress and its record-setting minimal number of days in session, Pelosi is right to get a quick and sustained start to the 110th Congress," said Thomas Mann, a congressional scholar at the Brookings Institution. "Forget the vacation time -- better to move quickly to set an expectation of more time and serious work in Washington." '"

Very cool. Tactically aggressive and sharp move. An excellent start will completely wipe out any potential negative vibes left over from the fight over the number 2 spot.

[Drum]

1. I like the sound of this...

hopefully a harbinger of No More Business As Usual.

[nodular]

2. Yes. Being as its Congress...

...of course it is difficult to eliminate our skepticism completely. But with this announcement of hers, I am starting to believe that she is really going to take action.

The next step will be to see how successful that action can be. That is hard to predict because there are 400-some people involved, the Democratic margin is narrow, and no one knows which way the "blue dogs" (the relatively conservative House Democrats)will go. It may well be that before the first month is over, Pelosi will be glad she lost the fight to replace Hoyer---who is reputed to be very strong on vote counting and "lining up the troops for battle." In close fights, his skills may be critical.

Regardless of how much legislation they actually pass however, if the Democratic leadership starts out aggressively trying to accomplish something, that is a huge plus in itself.

[Drum]

4. Thanks for fleshing that out,

as I am not well-versed in the interior mechanisms of Congress, procedurally and all. I do hope that something else may create changes: the willingness of some Republican congress-people to dote with the Democrats, especially on the domestic agenda. Some initiatives are just too good for the nation to vote down on party lines. Let's hope there are some courageous unknowns on Capitol Hill that think of their constituents first....

[nodular]

12. You're welcome.

Hopefully, that may happen, as you say. The House is not known for having moderate Republicans, but the "shock and awe" of the last election may put some of the conservatives in a cooperative mood.

The Senate, on the other hand, definitely had a contingent of moderate Republicans---before the election. Most of them have now (as of January) been replaced by Democrats however.

[wryter2000]

6. Welcome to DU

:hi:

Astute analysis.

[nodular]

11. Thanks.

[dansolo]

10. Unless he secretly wants to undermine her

I know that he claims that he harbors no ill feelings towards her, but I don't entirely trust Hoyer, or the people he's allied with (DLC). He could very easily sabotage some legislation that she wants to pass early on in order to weaken her, especially if it is things that the DLC are against.

[nodular]

14. I agree with your suspicion of Hoyer.

The simple fact of the matter is---Hoyer and Pelosi hate each other---or something close to it. When Pelosi became the minority leader for the first time, Hoyer ran against her, thought he had the votes to win, and apparently has never got a gotten over the setback emotionally.

As far as the Pelosi's feelings towards Hoyer, those are clear enough. She recently backed Martha in an attempt to remove Hoyer from his number two spot---eliminate him from the leadership altogether.

Nonetheless, I'm not really worried about these factors. All the Democratic congressmen seem to agree that Pelosi and Hoyer have been working very well together so far. The fact is they have very different personalities. This creates friction---but it also indicates complementary strengths. Hoyer is a and nuts and bolts guy---count the votes, trade the favors, etc. Pelosi is more of a spokesman and into a broader vision.

Don't forget these are professional politicians. Getting along with people they dislike---or even hate---is really an important part of their job. It is also an important part of democracy.


Which is why I would encourage everyone who participates in this forum to also participate in the actual political goings-on of the Democratic party on a local level. It's an eye-opener.

[TankLV]

17. If the Dems just manage to BLOCK this from getting WORSE, as it has continually

slid for over 10 years now, THAT in itself would be a big accomplishment.

Put the brakes on all this evil shit that the repukes have wrought...

Then begin to make this world and country a better place...

[CTyankee]

20. Yes, I think you are right

Dems are on the right side of so many issues that the Repubs have either flubbed or been outrageous about that Dems can't help looking good. For example, family planning, fiscal responsibility, real education reform, tax relief for the middle class, raising minimum wage and I could go on and on.

This is gonna be good to watch!

[zanne]

3. Yes, please.

Pelosi has to be crafty and aggressive if she wants the majority to dominate.

[lapfog_1]

5. Most Americans that became aware of the Congressional

3-day work week are going to like the new business hours that Pelosi is going to institute.

[17yroldtwins]

7. Go Nancy!

This is the kind of no-nonsense, working congress we need!

I'm still recommending to all my friends that they write members of the 110th (theirs and others) and let them know that they cannot fail us.

[wavesofeuphoria]

8. I think this is fantastic, long over due

in making Congress a place that actually works both metaphorically and literally.

My concerns however is .. what will bush/cheney/rove have up their sleeve as a "distraction" from the Democratic legislation? Hopefully they won't feel desperation and pre-emptively start another war.

[Zenlitened]

9. K&R

:dem:

[loyalsister]

13. Brilliant

It takes ovaries to steal the spotlight from the president like this.

I love this line.....
She's not going to let State of the Union overshadow the state of the nation

[Tom Joad]

15. Defunding the war part of that initiative?

[BlueCollar]

21. why defund the war?

Why not just re-direct the funding towards the Veterans Administration, re-open the hospitals and hire the Doctors and other profesionals required to at least honor the commitment we made to support our troops?

[Bjorn Against]

16. But, but the Democrats don't have a plan!

Time to watch another right-wing talking point die a painful death.

[dmosh42]

18. Good for the country & a great strategy!

I like the idea of putting the administration into a position of either vetoing or passing legislation. If they reject these bills, there will be a need for an 'official' explanation. That will make them have to take a public stand on issues, a world they have been able to avoid in the past.

[PurityOfEssence]

19. I don't think there really are any negative vibes from the majority leader fight

She lost, and that's that. The heart and soul of being a Democrat is reaching consensus. For whatever variety of reasons, the party spoke. It wasn't nasty and embittering, and it should show an ability to embrace all and get on with business. Those of us who don't worship naked power and lock-step obedience don't see this as a "defeat" or embarrassment.

It doesn't seem like Pelosi does either; she's moving forward with a few slight adjustments, and that's how it should be.