My Two Cents on The Nancy Pelosi Wedge Issue. Should She Stay or Go?

In the 1970s, Lee Atwater coined the term 'wedge and magnet' issues to describe issues that divide Democrats and unite Republicans. And Republicans have been successfully hammering away at those issues ever since. So successfully in fact, that the United States has become virtually ungovernable. Congratulations, Republicans. If your goal was to win government, and hold semi-permanent control over an ungovernable country, you've succeeded brilliantly! You now control the government of a country that's so paralyzed over gun control and gay marriage, that it can't even act to prevent Vladimir Putin from choosing our leaders.

Nancy Pelosi seems to be the latest issue that divides Democrats while uniting Republicans, and they're using it to full advantage.


Here's my two cents on it.

On the one hand, Pelosi is and always has been a superb leader, and an expert fundraiser. On the other hand, people get tired of the same old faces, and people have definitely gone off PROFESSIONAL politicians. (We want to excite millennials? Well, not only has Pelosi been in government since before they were born...she's been in government since before their PARENTS were born.)

If you want to hold on to Pelosi, do it because you think there are no Democrats in Congress who could do a better job (and who are INTERESTED in the job, of course). Last time around, the only challenger was Tim Ryan, and (IMHO) there is no question that Pelosi would do a better job. However, if more people challenge her in the future, that should be ENCOURAGED, not discouraged. And then the House members can decide, among MANY alternatives, if any of them would do a better job.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but there are 193 Democrats in the House. Are we saying that, out of 193 Representatives, NOT ONE of them could do an as good or better job than Pelosi? If so, that's a pretty sad comment on the Democratic Party talent pool.

And if one of Pelosi's main selling points is that she's a woman (a legitimate point), there are 62 Democratic women in the House. Again, are we saying that out of 62 female Representatives, NOT ONE could do as well or better than Pelosi? Again, if true, that's a really sad comment on the Democratic Party talent pool. But I don't believe it is true.

Bottom line: keep Pelosi if you think there's nobody who can do a better job. But DON'T keep Pelosi just because the GOP is "Tripple dog daring you" to keep her. I'm already seeing the wedge and magnet in play. There are too many people who are instinctively defending Pelosi just because Republicans are attacking her. And that's not a reason to elect somebody as Party leader.