A Few Considerations Prior to the Vote for Leader
A few things to share prior to the vote for Democratic Leader of the House of Representatives...
Steny Hoyer is a better choice for the Democrats and for the country. His attributes were ably laid out in an endorsement by the Washington Post. The ethics case against Jack Murtha is capably described by Ruth Marcus. Jack Murtha will create a far more partisan atmosphere in the House than will Hoyer, and will create a tone that is contrary to all that Pelosi and Reid has laid out to date.
Now I am a sucker for an amazing success story, and Hoyer's is unique. He was the Boy Wonder of Maryland Politics, elected to the State Senate at the age of 27 and President of the Senate by age 35. He joined the Blair Lee ticket in 1978, but was defeated in the Democratic primary. All seemed done...until US Rep. Gladys Spellman fell into an incapacitating heart attack shortly before the 1980 general election, at which she won easy reelection and then resigned shortly thereafter. Hoyer won the nomination for the seat in a crowded field, and then won the seat...where he has stayed ever since. Not a logical reason to pull for him, but there it is.
Now some call the Murtha choice a gamble. I think it is a win-win for her. If Murtha wins, she has her pal by her side. If he loses, she has demonstrated unshakeable loyalty to her friends, which will serve her well in future congressional negotiations.
I think the key to being a good Speaker of the House is to realize you are not just a national leader, but effectively the mayor of a small town full of powerful people, and you have to keep your people happy. Nancy Pelosi is well schooled in the needs of being a mayor. Her father Tommy D'Alesandro was a congressman (MD-3) and the Mayor of Baltimore. She knows you have to reward those who help you, because then they will help you again...not to different from a mayor making sure his supporters get jobs.
It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
Steny Hoyer is a better choice for the Democrats and for the country. His attributes were ably laid out in an endorsement by the Washington Post. The ethics case against Jack Murtha is capably described by Ruth Marcus. Jack Murtha will create a far more partisan atmosphere in the House than will Hoyer, and will create a tone that is contrary to all that Pelosi and Reid has laid out to date.
Now I am a sucker for an amazing success story, and Hoyer's is unique. He was the Boy Wonder of Maryland Politics, elected to the State Senate at the age of 27 and President of the Senate by age 35. He joined the Blair Lee ticket in 1978, but was defeated in the Democratic primary. All seemed done...until US Rep. Gladys Spellman fell into an incapacitating heart attack shortly before the 1980 general election, at which she won easy reelection and then resigned shortly thereafter. Hoyer won the nomination for the seat in a crowded field, and then won the seat...where he has stayed ever since. Not a logical reason to pull for him, but there it is.
Now some call the Murtha choice a gamble. I think it is a win-win for her. If Murtha wins, she has her pal by her side. If he loses, she has demonstrated unshakeable loyalty to her friends, which will serve her well in future congressional negotiations.
I think the key to being a good Speaker of the House is to realize you are not just a national leader, but effectively the mayor of a small town full of powerful people, and you have to keep your people happy. Nancy Pelosi is well schooled in the needs of being a mayor. Her father Tommy D'Alesandro was a congressman (MD-3) and the Mayor of Baltimore. She knows you have to reward those who help you, because then they will help you again...not to different from a mayor making sure his supporters get jobs.
It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
Labels: House of Rep, National Politics
posted by Bwana | 9:24 PM
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