A New Leader for the Democrats (NY Times editorializes against Pelosi for minority leader)

[tritsofme]

Nancy Pelosi has been an extremely effective speaker of the House for four years, shepherding hundreds of important bills toward passage and withstanding solid Republican opposition. Her work in passing health care reform and strong ethics oversight achieved what many thought was legislatively impossible. But is she really the best the Democrats can come up with as their leader as they slip into the minority?

Ms. Pelosi announced on Friday that she would seek the post of House minority leader. That job is not a good match for her abilities in maneuvering legislation and trading votes, since Democrats will no longer be passing bills in the House. What they need is what Ms. Pelosi has been unable to provide: a clear and convincing voice to help Americans understand that Democratic policies are not bankrupting the country, advancing socialism or destroying freedom.

If Ms. Pelosi had been a more persuasive communicator, she could have batted away the ludicrous caricature of her painted by Republicans across the country as some kind of fur-hatted commissar jamming her diktats down the public’s throat. Both Ms. Pelosi and Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, are inside players who seem to visibly shrink on camera when defending their policies, rarely connecting with the skeptical independent voters who raged so loudly on Tuesday.
With President Obama proving to be a surprisingly diffident salesman of his own work, Congressional Democrats need a new champion to stand against a tightly disciplined Republican insurgency.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/08/opinion/08mon4.html?_r=1

[JDPriestly]

1. Pelosi is less of a problem at this point than Reid.

Reid was completely, utterly ineffective. The Senate was as slow-moving as he was. Really, if the Republicans had put up a more credible candidate, they probably would have won just because Reid was so weak. Apparently he is a wonderful person. But he is just not fast enough or strong enough or determined enough to lead the Senators. It would be best for him and the American people if he gave up that post. Great guy, but ineffective leader.

[pnwmom]

4. He's not about to give up that post. The people of Nevada were smart

enough to realize that Reid has more influence in the Senate than any fledgling Senator would, and that's what tipped the scales for reelecting him. He'd be crazy to give up the post as long as he wants to remain.

[JDPriestly]

6. Then he should be replaced.

Maybe now that the Blue Dogs are fewer, we can get a real Democrat to lead the Senate. Someone who can speak well and sell our ideas to the American people.

[Major Hogwash]

2. If the Times is against Pelosi, then I am for her. I don't listen to the media no more.

They were the same ones that published Judy Miller's stories.
Let them eat cake.

[DCKit]

3. And, if we had the WaPo, NYT, CNN, MSNBC and Faux on OUR side...

the Democrats would have all the time they needed to explain these programs to the people.

Instead, we're saddled with a Right Wing echo chamber of stenographers and news readers and the people remain ignorant and angry.

[Skink]

5. We need a new leader for the editorial board at the NYT.

[Bitwit1234]

7. Since Pelosi's strong stand in the House got good bills passed and sent

on to the senate where they good shot down, of course the republicans and corporations want her gone.

[gratuitous]

8. She's great at her job, the media don't listen to her, so she has to go

Shorter Times Editorial.

[OHdem10]

9. Unfortunately the best communicators are Liberals. They have

beliefs and fire in the belly. Liberals are not permitted
on TV.

[highplainsdem]

10. And if the NYT had been more persuasive, they "could have batted away the ludicrous caricature"

the wingnuts have painted of them.

God, what a stupid argument for the Times to make against her.

[kysrsoze]

11. If it's not Pelosi, the next person will be demonized in the same way. Doesn't matter who it is.

[WI_DEM]

12. So they acknowledge she did a great job, but she still shouldn't be minority leader

The problem wasn't the House it was the Senate. Nancy and The Dems in the house passed one important piece of legislation after the other only to find the senate bogging down because of the filibuster threat. I often wish they would have allowed the GOP to filibuster more so that the American people could see how destructive they were.