Abbreviated pundit roundup: Smiling at murder; Beto O'Rourke shows Dems how to talk climate crisis
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Jay-Newton Small at The New Republic writes—Why the Left Needs Nancy Pelosi: The minority leader has spent almost her entire political life under threat. Conservatives have vilified her as a San Francisco wingnut who wants to drag America into socialAbbreviated pundit roundup: Smiling at murder; Beto O'Rourke shows Dems how to talk climate crisis
Jay-Newton Small at The New Republic writes—Why the Left Needs Nancy Pelosi: The minority leader has spent almost her entire political life under threat. Conservatives have vilified her as a San Francisco wingnut who wants to drag America into socialized health care, weaken the military, and throw money around like confetti at a Pride parade in the Castro. (They often trot her out as the unwitting star of their attack ads, linking her to Democratic candidates all over the country.) At times, moderates in her own party have piled on. Last year, Tim Ryan, a centrist Democrat from Ohio, led an insurrection in which 63 members voted to remove her as minority leader. Now, however, Pelosi is under assault from a new cohort: the left politicians eager to distance themselves from an ossified Democratic establishment. Dozens have rushed to announce that they wouldn’t support her for speaker should they take back the House in November. “While I respect Leader Pelosi’s years of advocacy on behalf of California and the Democratic Party,” said Gil Cisneros, the Democratic nominee for a Los Angeles House seat and a self-described Bernie Sanders Democrat, “it’s time for new leadership.” Democrats should be careful what they wish for. Pelosi’s longtime number two, and the person most likely to succeed her if she is pushed out, is Steny Hoyer, a moderate Blue Dog Democrat from Maryland. No matter how much left-wingers pillory Pelosi’s willingness to compromise with Republicans, and her ties to big donors, she is still a better fit than Hoyer for their agenda. She may not be a purist, a Democratic socialist, or even particularly charismatic. But she understands her party and the pressures it faces. Democrats can dismiss her as a relic, a fossil like those she was hoping to dig up in Kenya, but they may be surprised at how much of an asset she can be. xHere's the thing-- Mitch McConnell is gaslighting us. Republicans rammed through a bill to give huge tax breaks to corporations and the mega-rich, and now they're using its consequences as an excuse to propose cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. It's all part of the GOP fever dream.— Senator Mazie Hirono (@maziehirono) October 17, 2018 x20 DAYS!! WeâÂÂre organizing to get idâÂÂs, GOTV Efforts and getting voters to polls! Contribute here. #NDNativeVote #GOTV https://t.co/hXuquZv53C— ND Native Vote (@NDNativeVote) October 17, 2018 Read more