What is the procedural mechanism for electing a new majority/minority leader?

Clearly it is not dependant on the start of a new legislative session since Trent Lott was kicked out of his position in December 2002.

Is there a secret society of Senate members that authorizes a vote or can anyone call for one? If the latter is true then Feingold, Dodd or some other Senator needs to rattle the cage, because I am starting to think that Tom Daschle was not the worst Democrat to ever occupy that post.


What say you?

leadership to act, especially when what is being pushed is more of a threat to their power than something silly like ending the war or impeaching the criminals.

Short of a scandal or criminal conviction that would "reflect badly on the party", the Dems in Congress will not go up against the entrenched powers.

The only sure way is to get the Rep. or Sen. out of office, and that cannot happen until their next election. In other words, we are screwed. Again.

That is, Private. This only happens at the start of a new legislative session, unless there's an unplanned vacancy due to death or scandal.

The basis comes from the US Constitution:

The House of Representatives shall choose their speaker and other officers.... (Article I, Sec. 2, para. 5)

The Senate shall choose their other officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the office of President of the United States. (Article I, Sec. 3, para. 5)

Majority and minority officers are decided upon by the party itself in private caucus and are usually picked based on seniority. Speaker and Pro Tem. are technically selected by the body as a whole, but when there is a majority party, the vote is just a technicality to affirm the majority party's choice; again, that choice is usually based on seniority.

At no point is the public involved, as these offices are all strictly internal matters.

I don't know the answer but I doubt there is enough will in the Senate to even mention it. Go along to get along. Yeah, thats the ticket!

Ousting Pelosi would give msm a field day indeed, and 'not good for Dem moral' they would say, but I think after the spin and dust clears and the power is in favor of 'we the people', it would be the most positive move as we head into an urgent election year.
The record of Pelosi is a blatant slap to those who once cheered her victory, and her removal would be a sign that America is beginning to rid itself of the lies of the Bush gov't.

A signal of enormous and necessary healing and a sigh of relief that their are greater minds in our government and we indeed do have the power to take back our country.

Pelosi has not served this Nation well, and Bush & Cheney should have been stopped long ago.

Who would be the best replacement?
Is there a certain order of succession to this process? Maybe Reed should go also.
How do we begin this process?