After women yanked Democrats out of the minority and dragged them over into the majority, five white dudes would like to deny Nancy Pelosi the Speaker's gavel in favor of...no one. Seriously, they have no one in mind to pick up the gavel and the trials which accompany it but they know for sure they do not want Nancy Pelosi, no way, no how.
The leaders of the pack are Ohio's "I-used-to-be-anti-choice-but-I-changed-my-mind-for-convenience" Tim Ryan and Massachusetts Representative Seth Moulton, both of whom have been running for the coveted White Man of the People Running For President role in 2020.
Moulton is "a man who has been farting higher than his own arse ever since he got elected in 2014," says Charlie Pierce, which certainly makes him a pair with Tim Ryan.
Ryan and Moulton are joined by three other corporate Democrats: Ed Perlmutter of Colorado, Kurt Schrader of Oregon, and Bill Foster of Illinois.
Here's the best part: They don't have the vaguest idea who to suggest as an alternative so they want to defeat Nancy Pelosi...and elect no one. They've even threatened to join hands with Republicans to make that happen!
Spandan at The People's View writes:
This is where these five white guys are creating an insidious trail. They are promising to, and pushing their colleagues to, vote against Pelosi on the floor of the House even if she wins the support of her caucus in a vote. They lack an alternative to Pelosi, but are promising to throw the process into chaos, demanding that they, as a small, fringe minority within the party be allowed to dictate its leadership, and create a dysfunctional House that cannot save health care or conduct the oversight so badly needed.
Let’s be clear. They cannot come up with a challenger against Nancy Pelosi for one simple reason.
Nancy Pelosi has no equal.
Republicans are clearly terrified of Pelosi, who remains the most effective speaker in modern history. Fox News bloviators spent all year talking about her “San Francisco values” (read: supporting LGBT rights) and Republican campaign ads railed against her “liberal agenda” in hopes of resisting a blue wave. That plan clearly failed, but it has also inspired a handful of white, male blue dog Democrats to take up the Republican cause.
But again, they have no plan. They have no replacement. It's agitating for agitating's sake, and little more. A way for the conservadems to make sure everyone knows they're there.
Over on social media and Twitter in particular, the bots and echo chambers have been busy. Many, many tweets saying they respect Nancy Pelosi but she is "damaged goods," or "past her prime," or whatever. Today Chuck Schumer was elected Senate Minority Leader again and there wasn't so much as a peep about his age, his prime or his qualifications, even after he gave away the judicial store to Republicans.
But for Nancy Pelosi, the rules are different. Very, very different. These guys and those whom they seek to influence appear to be just fine with any old Speaker of the House as long as it's not that lady who got so much done back in 2010.
It wouldn't matter who was Speaker. He or she would not, by any stretch of the imagination, satisfy everyone all the time. The disappointment from some faction will always be there. But somehow in spite of all of that, she'd get it done.
My final point is the strongest one. Women delivered this House Majority. Not white men. Women, especially women of color. Women, and especially women of color, are the voices we need to hear right now. All of them. Nancy Pelosi facilitated those wins. And Nancy Pelosi will be the next Speaker of the House.
Pelosi gets the last word:
