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November 16, 2006The rise and fall and rise of Pelosi - UPDATED:::UPDATE:::SCROLL DOWN FOR ORIGINAL PIECE::: Shortly after the elections, I wrote three small predictions, here. Many agreed with my second and third predictions, but took issue with my first: Nancy Pelosi will not be the Speaker of the House. Partly because she’s too far to the left, partly because she really doesn’t “play” well to the ordinary folks who will not want to watch her on Russert week after week, and mostly because she’s not going to be two heartbeats away from the presidency where if - God forbid - something were to happen to Bush and Cheney, she would become the first female president of the US. Oh, no. There’s no way Hillary’s gonna let Nancy sit in that chair for two years and possibly get the “First Woman POTUS” gig to which she, Hillary, has felt entitled to (and been groomed for) for the last 30 years. Uh-uh. I expect Rahm Emmanuel will get the job. And I think he’ll be a whole lot smarter than to suggest Alcee Hastings for anything. Today, I read this in the Kaus files. My prediction seems less silly? When I made that prediction, I was thinking it was a long way ’til January - and I’m going to stick with what I wrote - but allow me to clarify my meaning: Nancy will make her historic ascension to the Speaker’s chair. She “earned” it and the Dems rather like owning the “First Woman Speaker” bit (because heaven knows, Republican women are never “first” at anything). But she will not be there long. I figure 6-8 months - a year, tops - when all the hype and hysteria have died down, Rahm Emmanuel will be slipped into that seat and start putting everything in play for November ‘08. He might even smack down this thug and say “quit dictatin’ to us!” There will be, btw, lots more hype and hysteria about Nancy. She’s had a few weeks of beautiful press, the sort usually reserved for a Clinton, and now she’s stumbling and making Ruth Marcus at the Washington Post and even ultra-loyal Joe Conason gasp a bit. Words like “unintelligent” are being murmured and put away, as Nancy wraps herself around John Murtha and Alcee Hastings, seemingly oblivious to the reports that “corruption” swayed the recent votes. Jules Crittenden says sit back and enjoy all this and I agree with him that when you’re licking your wounds and trying to remain philosophical, watching this can be mildly amusing…but only for as long as you can make yourself forget that - as Jules correctly notes - “Lives hang in the balance. Possibly thousands of American lives and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives…All of it carries the threat of grave consequences.” Once you recall just how very serious are the times and the issues, it is very difficult to take much pleasure in the spectacle of joint-house muddled leadership. It’s not quite on the level of being told if rape is inevitable you may as well lie back and enjoy it, but it’s not too far off, either, thanks to that sense of helplessness. Things are now out of the immediate control of the American public, who last week were told to feed their futures with a choice of either unfresh fish or transported dairy. Cheered on by a relentless and single-minded press, they chose the dairy, having no idea that the curds and whey were so near-expiration date they wouldn’t even carry into January without media help. But, thankfully for the Democrats, there will be enormous amounts of media help in the coming months. While the GOP certainly did all it could to lose the mid-term election, one cannot help but wonder if the Democrats would have won both houses were it not for the press helpfully playing up - and even distorting - some stories and playing down others. Between now and and the third week of January, there will be lots of hype to keep you distracted from the Dem in-fighting and disorganization, and from the fact that the incoming majority has no real plan for Iraq, or the War on Terror. Hence, Pelosi has risen, now she stumbles, she’ll soon rise again, before she falls. We’re going to be treated to pageantry and spectacle, gushing bios and Oprah-esque pronouncements and re-assurances. The ascendancy of Nancy Pelosi will be the country’s dress rehearsal for the year-long parade/procession - oops, I mean campaign - and Coronation - oops, I mean Inauguration - of our human Statue of Liberty, Hillary. You know, a chance to work out all the kinks and bugs, because as Hillary wrote in her own book, Living History, (paraphrased) “I love the parades and the pageantry…” Clintons are much larger than life, and the pagantry is going to have to match. Thanks to the dry-run rise and fall of Pelosi, it will be flawless. UPDATE: DJ DRUMMOND, who is very, very smart says Media fantasies aside, a Republican will win the WH in ‘08. A little early for the prognosticating, but he makes an interesting case. But it must be noted that Dem Contenders for ‘08 are pulling out… well, they’re pulling out like Democrats facing a difficult battle. Something to keep in mind. http://theanchoressonline.com/2006/11/16/the-rise-and-fall-and-rise-of-pelosi/trackback/ 9 Responses to “The rise and fall and rise of Pelosi - UPDATED” |
November 16th, 2006 at 10:21 am
Nancy Pelosi is a grasping shark but HRC is a great white with teeth of tungsten. The precise second that Pelosi makes Hillary feel threatened, she will GO DOWN in flames!
What we need to be considering is what VIABLE and ELECTABLE alternative to that despicable grifter the Republicans can field.
The WORST thing we can do is fight amongst ourselves for an entire year, thus leaving the field free for HRC to feather her nest! She may lack a soul and she may be completely venal and she isn’t the smartest woman in America (I’d nominate you for that post long before I’d consider her), but she has a kind of wily, oily viciousness against which it is difficult to defend.
November 16th, 2006 at 10:27 am
“Nancy Pelosi will not be the Speaker of the House…I’m going to stick with what I wrote, but allow me to clarify my meaning: Nancy will make her historic ascension to the Speaker’s chair.”
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I’m sorry, Madame A: this is not “clarifying” your prediction, but rescinding it, unless you meant “Nancy Pelosi will not be the Speaker of the House forever,” an assertion that makes no very great demands on anyone’s prescience. Why not just go with Ron Ziegler’s famous “that statement is inoperative” (or borrow that all-purpose Reaganism with “the Anchoress misspoke”) rather than the weasel-word “clarifying,” which you would quite properly deride were it used in like fashion by the Clintonistas?
November 16th, 2006 at 11:00 am
The Silly Speaker
Remember the big push in the MSM, prior to the elections, claiming Democrats might not select Nancy as the Speaker?
November 16th, 2006 at 11:01 am
Anchoress, GJM is right. The Republicans have to do the hard work now, not next year, to position somebody worthwhile to run for the White House. I’m thinking Fred Thompson - a good man, once a fine, honest Senator (Tennessee), and every bit Presidential. That’s something we need badly.
We can wait for Pelosi to stumble, but the Media won’t let that stop Hillary.
November 16th, 2006 at 11:03 am
Rahm Emmanuel will be slipped into that seat and start putting everything in play for November ‘08
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I’m not so sure that a majority of the Dem Party, in or out of Congress, is so ready to embrace Clintonism and the Clintonistas again. For the eight years of Bill, and more, they were forced to suppress their own super egos and ambitions for the Clintons, and I don’t know that they will want to go back to being subservient serfs in their own party.
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As for the Dems ascendency — I had thought it would be a catastrophic national disaster (and it still might be), but now that they are in charge, it looks like some of them realize that it is no longer enough to simply hate Bush and criticize Bush for every wrong in the world. They now actually have to come up with some plans and policies of their own — something that they have not done for the last six years. They are beginning to see that “cut and run” sounds good in the minority, but as an actual policy will lead to disasterous results. Now that they have to be grown-ups, rather than petulant brats, perhaps the Dems will start being more rational and reasonable. One can only hope and pray.
November 16th, 2006 at 12:41 pm
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November 16th, 2006 at 1:02 pm
Dems Pick Hoyers for Majority Leader; First Setback For Pelosi
Crossposted from Gribbit:
The House Democratic Caucus has selected Steny Hoyer to become the House Majority Leader Designee. In a bitter internal battle the House Democratic Caucus by secret ballot elected Hoyer by a vote of 149 - 86.
Hoyer you may …
November 16th, 2006 at 2:40 pm
Winners and Losers:
From CNN, Confederate Yankee screen caps a sample of this morning’s mood among the House Democratic leadership. MORE: The Anchoress predicts that Pelosi’s reign as Speaker will be short-lived….
November 16th, 2006 at 7:17 pm
Pelosi wins one, loses one in leadership votes
Democrats picked Rep. Steny Hoyer to be House majority leader today, spurning Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s ha