There is a lot of nattering on the leftern side of the divide about how Nancy Pelosi should get the fuck out and let "a new generation" "take over." This is said by people who are dishonest (she's far to the left of the dudes who are always challenging her for Democratic leadership) or actively want Democrats to lose (to see what a weak Speaker looks like, look at Paul Ryan). In the case of some of our friends, perhaps it is both! Rolling Stone talked to Nancy Pelosi, and you will click it. For instance:
Let's look ahead to the speaker contest that would follow the election. What do you make of the Tim Ryans or Seth Moultons who've called for a new generation of leadership–
Inconsequential. They don't have a following in our caucus. None.
Is it frustrated ambition on their part?
I don't know. I think there are lots of people who have worked very hard, and are more in line for what will happen one of these times. But they're not to be considered [among] who those people would be. I mean, there are people who work very hard to win the elections, who have been in legislative battles. People who paid their dues. Not to put anybody down. Anybody is consequential. But I have great support in my caucus. I'm not worried about that. And I'm certainly not worried about them .
Anybody who says a WORD against Pelosi in the comments will be dealt with with extreme prejudice. (Waaah, she was TOO EFFECTIVE, which made the Republicans spend money against her, and also she passed the ACA too hard so there was a backlash. BETTER ELECT THE MORE CONSERVATIVE GUY INSTEAD.) Take her advice, and rag on some motherfucking bitchbastarding men instead.
"Nancy can herd those cats quite effectively."YES! Which is why if she wants to be Speaker again, she should be. As long as she wants.
Obama tried a little too hard to get even one fucking Rethuglican to vote for the ACA. Had he resigned himself early on to passing health insurance reform on a straight party line vote, we might have gotten a little more. But we can't fault him for not knowing in 2009 what he had learned by 2016. He doesn't have a time machine.