SF Chronicle: Pelosi makes nice with Hoyer

Any chance the "we're doomed/it's all over for Dems" contingent could cool it, now?



By the way, this is the AP photo that accompanies the story, captioned simply "Pelosi and Hoyer":




Gosh, how will they EVER be able to work together? :cry: :cry: :cry:

we are in control right now, let's not screw it up.

I doubt many catholics doubted god was going to work when they were electing the new pope.

Pelosi and Murtha. I was reassured -especially with her unanimous ascendency- that Hoyer seemed to sincerly understand the situation. Bonus, imo (because I was hoping for Murtha based solely on Iraq): Steny gets 100% rating on choice.

the best advocate for universal healthcare, for stem cell research, and for peace. I hope these new leaders remember include him before making key decisions.

http://www.house.gov/murtha/diabetes.shtml

Murtha is one of the most socially conservative dems in Congress. He co-wrote and sponsored an amendment to the constitution to ban flag desecration, for cripes sake, and he has a 0 rating from NARAL. His record on Health care is worse than Hoyer's. I'm fine that Murtha didn't get it.

Does anybody really give a shit about a house of congress' internal procedural moves?

"The fight had raised a firestorm in Washington, ending Pelosi's honeymoon just five days after she led her party from 12 years in the wilderness in last week's election. " I mean, c'mon. The only ones who thought this was a story was the MSN. Most Americans were watching "Dancing with the Stars". And even among those of us who are political junkies, how much does this really affect us?

The people have spoken, but the MSN is still at it. Most of the stories have been not about how the Democrats won, but about how the Republicans lost. And if they can create negative drama in the Dem's direction, they will, it seems.

And as anyone who's ever sat through "Writing Fiction 101" knows, the key ingredient in drama is... conflict.

No conflict to work from? Not a problem for the MSM -- just invent some!

Conflict too minor to bother with? Well, pump it up! Inflate it to crisis-like dimensions! "Pelosi's reign in jeopardy!" "Democrats in disarray!" "Look how white my teeth are!"

Jerks.

There's no way to put a stop to this kind of nonsense all at once. To put it bluntly, I think the Democrats are going to have to re-train the media into doing actual journalism.

And they can do that by making Congress do actual legislation again. The Repukes turned Congress into a circus, and the media followed right along.

If our new, Democratically controlled House and Senate can focus on doing the American peoples' business -- good legislation, designed to address real issues, brought to a vote because the Dems decide what gets voted on now...

Well, if they can do that, things will change for the better in so many ways, on so many levels. The media might have no choice but to start doing Journalism with a capital "J" once in a while.

And our side is off to a good start, really, despite this week's breathlessly-reported drama. Sen. Kennedy is speaking loud and clear about the minimum wage. Others are putting the environment and energy independence back on the table for action, not just sound-bites. Scientific research that creates jobs while tackling tough problems. Diplomacy. Tough oversight on spending. Making sure free trade means fair trade. And probably lots of other things I'm overlooking.

The basic, bottom-line task for our party now is to demonstrate the value of Democratic leadership. You do that by rolling up your sleeves, getting down to work, and producing practical, real-world results. I think our team knows that, and is ready to hit the ground running in January. They won't win every battle. But the American people will know who's fighting for them. And the media will have to take notice, too.

:dem: