The Mother of the Establishment: Nancy Pelosi
Change is coming to the House.
Egemen Aray | 1/5/21
2020 was a challenging year for humanity, but it was even harder for the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Leading the Democrat-controlled House, Nancy Pelosi shouldered a massive responsibility in a year full of chaos. After Trump’s impeachment in the House at the end of 2019, Pelosi was the top Democrat under the spotlight. She was the one who initiated the impeachment process in the first place, but many progressives still believe that she should not be considered a superhero for doing the right thing. Furthermore, some accused Pelosi of being reluctant to initiate the impeachment process. After all, she succeeded. The House of Representatives officially impeached President Trump.
2020 started very well for Pelosi. Ripping Trump’s state of the union speech in front of the entire country, her message was loud and clear: the House of Representatives would try everything to prevent the agenda of the Trump administration. Some called this a “show-off,” but many appreciated how brave she was.
The problem with Pelosi was people could not identify her political position. For liberals, Pelosi was the leader of the so-called Democratic establishment, preventing progressive candidates from replacing more moderate incumbents. For Republicans, she was a San Francisco liberal. Looking at her voting records makes it harder to identify what Nancy Pelosi believes in. Previously an antiwar Democrat, Pelosi backed Obama’s war efforts in Libya and urged Obama to take military action against Assad. In the Libyan case, she explicitly denied that Obama even needed to get congressional authorization for the war, advocating for the kind of imperial presidency she had opposed under Bush. Indeed, when asked if the public should be informed when the government assassinates a US citizen via drone, Pelosi said, “it depends on the situation,” and that “people just want to be protected.”
Later on, she became the first female Speaker of the House. She held this position from 2007 to 2011. Then, she secured a majority in the mid-term 2018 election with a gain of 40 seats over Republicans, the largest win in over 40 years. Pelosi has a lifetime of political experience. Her father was the mayor of a large city, and she has served in multiple capacities. She understands Congress and how legislation is created, and votes are managed for the passage of laws. She is capable of resisting against House Republicans and Senate Republicans under the leadership of Mitch McConnel. Pelosi became the fearless woman warrior figure for all, but the way she handles the chaos within the Democratic Party terribly affects her credibility as the leader of the party.
The general election of 2020 was a total disappointment for the House Democrats and Pelosi. Despite Biden’s historic victory against the most corrupt president in the country's history, Nancy Pelosi failed to protect the overwhelming majority of House Democrats, contenting with a slight majority. "I'm certainly concerned by the slimming of the majority. I indicated to the administration very early on that I wanted them to be very careful in terms of the members that they appointed from Congress," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters. A narrow majority means that Pelosi will face greater challenges trying to unite the party caucus. Progressives protected their seats, and “The Squad” welcomed new progressives who have replaced moderate Democrats. Pelosi must unite progressives and moderates to follow the agenda of the Biden administration. It won’t be easy, at all. “…but we also learned that progressive policies do not hurt candidates. Every single candidate that co-sponsored Medicare for All in a swing district kept their seat. We also know that co-sponsoring the Green New Deal was not a sinker. Mike Levin was an original co-sponsor of the legislation, and he kept his seat,” Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez recently told reporters. In another interview, AOC stated that the Democratic Party needs new leadership, in a snub to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Ocasio-Cortez and the rest of “The Squad” did their best supporting Biden to unseat Trump. From now on, as it is pretty obvious, they won’t refrain from publicly opposing the agenda of the Biden administration and the efforts of Nancy Pelosi to pass them through the House.
AOC was not the only one who called for a change in the Democratic leadership. There are so many Democrats, especially the supporters of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who want to see a real change in the Democratic agenda. In 2016, Hillary Clinton’s nomination over Bernie Sanders was vehemently criticized by the left, causing thousands to vote for Trump or not vote at all. In recent years, there have been rumours about the establishment favoring moderate Democrats in the presidential primaries. We have seen this right before Super Tuesday, when Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Biden. Many people believe that the reason why Klobuchar and Buttigieg dropped out and threw support to Biden is crystal clear: the establishment. Democratic leadership did not want Warren and Bernie to win Super Tuesday, so they united moderate candidates under Biden. All of this left us nothing but a rock-solid reason to consider Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer as an obstacle against the more progressive Democratic Party. For young people, Pelosi represents the dying breed of Democratic leaders. It was ironic that the Democratic Party called for change within the leadership of the country while nominating fossilized politicians like Pelosi, Biden, and Schumer to rule the country.
It is time for a drastic change in the Democratic leadership. Democratic Party needs younger, more progressive, and brighter leaders in Congress. It is clear that by bringing in new blood, there would be new ideas that might change how Washington operates. A Democratic leader launching dirty attacks on freshmen members of Congress shouldn't be the image of the Democrats. There should not be Democratic leadership undermining progressive values. The idea of providing free healthcare for all should not be demonized. The fight against climate change shouldn’t be called radical. What should be condemned are the politicians who abuse the power of their office in favor of their political benefits. Above all, an 80-year-old politician shouldn't lead a party supposedly embracing progressive values.
2020 was a challenging year for humanity, but it was even harder for the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Leading the Democrat-controlled House, Nancy Pelosi shouldered a massive responsibility in a year full of chaos. After Trump’s impeachment in the House at the end of 2019, Pelosi was the top Democrat under the spotlight. She was the one who initiated the impeachment process in the first place, but many progressives still believe that she should not be considered a superhero for doing the right thing. Furthermore, some accused Pelosi of being reluctant to initiate the impeachment process. After all, she succeeded. The House of Representatives officially impeached President Trump.
2020 started very well for Pelosi. Ripping Trump’s state of the union speech in front of the entire country, her message was loud and clear: the House of Representatives would try everything to prevent the agenda of the Trump administration. Some called this a “show-off,” but many appreciated how brave she was.
The problem with Pelosi was people could not identify her political position. For liberals, Pelosi was the leader of the so-called Democratic establishment, preventing progressive candidates from replacing more moderate incumbents. For Republicans, she was a San Francisco liberal. Looking at her voting records makes it harder to identify what Nancy Pelosi believes in. Previously an antiwar Democrat, Pelosi backed Obama’s war efforts in Libya and urged Obama to take military action against Assad. In the Libyan case, she explicitly denied that Obama even needed to get congressional authorization for the war, advocating for the kind of imperial presidency she had opposed under Bush. Indeed, when asked if the public should be informed when the government assassinates a US citizen via drone, Pelosi said, “it depends on the situation,” and that “people just want to be protected.”
Later on, she became the first female Speaker of the House. She held this position from 2007 to 2011. Then, she secured a majority in the mid-term 2018 election with a gain of 40 seats over Republicans, the largest win in over 40 years. Pelosi has a lifetime of political experience. Her father was the mayor of a large city, and she has served in multiple capacities. She understands Congress and how legislation is created, and votes are managed for the passage of laws. She is capable of resisting against House Republicans and Senate Republicans under the leadership of Mitch McConnel. Pelosi became the fearless woman warrior figure for all, but the way she handles the chaos within the Democratic Party terribly affects her credibility as the leader of the party.
The general election of 2020 was a total disappointment for the House Democrats and Pelosi. Despite Biden’s historic victory against the most corrupt president in the country's history, Nancy Pelosi failed to protect the overwhelming majority of House Democrats, contenting with a slight majority. "I'm certainly concerned by the slimming of the majority. I indicated to the administration very early on that I wanted them to be very careful in terms of the members that they appointed from Congress," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters. A narrow majority means that Pelosi will face greater challenges trying to unite the party caucus. Progressives protected their seats, and “The Squad” welcomed new progressives who have replaced moderate Democrats. Pelosi must unite progressives and moderates to follow the agenda of the Biden administration. It won’t be easy, at all. “…but we also learned that progressive policies do not hurt candidates. Every single candidate that co-sponsored Medicare for All in a swing district kept their seat. We also know that co-sponsoring the Green New Deal was not a sinker. Mike Levin was an original co-sponsor of the legislation, and he kept his seat,” Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez recently told reporters. In another interview, AOC stated that the Democratic Party needs new leadership, in a snub to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Ocasio-Cortez and the rest of “The Squad” did their best supporting Biden to unseat Trump. From now on, as it is pretty obvious, they won’t refrain from publicly opposing the agenda of the Biden administration and the efforts of Nancy Pelosi to pass them through the House.
AOC was not the only one who called for a change in the Democratic leadership. There are so many Democrats, especially the supporters of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who want to see a real change in the Democratic agenda. In 2016, Hillary Clinton’s nomination over Bernie Sanders was vehemently criticized by the left, causing thousands to vote for Trump or not vote at all. In recent years, there have been rumours about the establishment favoring moderate Democrats in the presidential primaries. We have seen this right before Super Tuesday, when Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Biden. Many people believe that the reason why Klobuchar and Buttigieg dropped out and threw support to Biden is crystal clear: the establishment. Democratic leadership did not want Warren and Bernie to win Super Tuesday, so they united moderate candidates under Biden. All of this left us nothing but a rock-solid reason to consider Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer as an obstacle against the more progressive Democratic Party. For young people, Pelosi represents the dying breed of Democratic leaders. It was ironic that the Democratic Party called for change within the leadership of the country while nominating fossilized politicians like Pelosi, Biden, and Schumer to rule the country.
It is time for a drastic change in the Democratic leadership. Democratic Party needs younger, more progressive, and brighter leaders in Congress. It is clear that by bringing in new blood, there would be new ideas that might change how Washington operates. A Democratic leader launching dirty attacks on freshmen members of Congress shouldn't be the image of the Democrats. There should not be Democratic leadership undermining progressive values. The idea of providing free healthcare for all should not be demonized. The fight against climate change shouldn’t be called radical. What should be condemned are the politicians who abuse the power of their office in favor of their political benefits. Above all, an 80-year-old politician shouldn't lead a party supposedly embracing progressive values.