March 2, 2009
Pelosi's "Enemies List"
Yes, Democrats have them too although if news of such a list ever made it on the front pages of the New York Times, I would have a heart attack.
Allies of Speaker Pelosi swears she is not "vindictive" but does, in fact, have a list of least favorite people - including many Democrats - who are denied favor and promotion at her whim:
In some cases, Pelosi has mended fences with people on the list, most notably House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), a former party rival who has become an indispensable lieutenant.
But she has also moved to strip power from longtime adversaries — and she has a propensity for remembering slights and grievances for years.
Hawkish Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), who clashed with Pelosi on Iraq and intelligence policy, assumed she was in line to become chairwoman of the Intelligence Committee when the Democrats seized control of the House in 2006. But Pelosi refused to appoint Harman to even a seat on the committee, and she handed the chairmanship to Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas).
As speaker, she did nothing to stop her ally Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) from ousting Rep. John Dingell as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee after clashing with the octogenarian Michigan Democrat on energy policy and global warming.
The list, Pelosi allies say, is real — even as they warn that overstating her vindictiveness feeds into the right-wing caricatures of Pelosi and perpetuates ethnic and gender stereotypes.
Moreover, they argue that portraying her as payback-obsessed misses a fundamental political point: Despite her commanding majority, Pelosi is painfully aware that powerful speakers, including Republican Joe Cannon, have been toppled for using their power heavy-handedly.
I don't think Pelosi is paranoid but despite the assurances of her allies, she no doubt has a vindictive streak a mile wide. Denying Jane Harman the intelligence chair -- at the expense of the California Democrat's expertise and experience -- reveals someone who would place her own feelings of disgust for someone's political beliefs above the good of the country. By anyone's definition, that is small minded and petty.
The rest of her "list" is full of those who have either crossed her personally, or like Heath Shuler, have violated her hyper partisan rules of engagement. Her disdain for the opposition will eventually come back to haunt her as even big majorities like the Democats have disappear over time as the pendulum swings back. She very well may regret her torturing Republicans who will find great pleasure in sticking it to her as the Democratic majority gradually - or more quickly - disappears.
Hat Tip: Ed Lasky
FOLLOW US ON
Recent Articles
- Democrats Trade Morality for Madness
- Bringing Immigration Policy into Focus
- Judicial Imperialism: The House of Boasberg and the Left’s War on Sovereignty
- Rebirth of Beauty and Faith
- Straight Talk Regarding Church and Society
- The Dos and Don's of Negotiating with Iran
- The Bodycam Presidency
- How Elon Musk Could Fix Medicare
- The Left’s Marxist Resistance
- The Whole World is Losing Factory Jobs
Blog Posts
- Why we’ll almost certainly never see a 1929-style crash again
- Impatiently waiting for the Trump team in Oregon
- The Maximum Support Act: A bipartisan push for Iranian democracy and human rights
- The intifada in Germany claims another victim
- A majority of Americans oppose defunding colleges that allow antisemitism
- What does it mean to be a Democrat today?
- The newest hate crime in England: ‘Speak English’ *UPDATED*
- Democrats have been wondering why they lost to Trump
- More cowbell: While insane leftists keep screaming, DOGE finds more outrageous spending
- Can the Iranians get the nuke?
- Something in the air, and it’s not carbon dioxide
- Public schools define ‘excellence’ differently than the rest of us do
- Assassination culture comes for America
- The courage of a female fencer
- The Democrats’ laughable foofaraw over Obama’s relocated portrait