Pelosi = Tom Delay?

Welp, it looks like Pelosi is creating a habit of rewarding committee seats based on loyalty rather than seniority or expertise

Following two defections on key party votes by Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) met privately with Towns last week and threatened to pull his coveted Energy and Commerce Committee seat if he doesn’t start proving devotion to the party.

Sources said Pelosi, who has been increasingly tough on Democratic Caucus members who fail to show party unity, is furious that Towns missed a key Nov. 18 vote on the budget reconciliation measure and voted against the majority of Democrats in supporting the Central American Free Trade Agreement earlier this year. The only other Democrat to miss the budget vote was Leonard Boswell of Iowa, who was away from Washington for health reasons.

http://www.prospect.org/weblog/archives/2005/12/index.html#008630

She also threatened blocked Collin Peterson rise to ranking member of the Agriculture Committee until she got his oath of loyalty, and she opted for Sander Levin to be on the Ways and Means subcommittee rather than the less liberal Ben Cardin.

So is this good? In ordinary times, I'd think this is appalling, but when you are dealing with an out-of-control party that has successfully pushed you out of policy-making for more than a decade, it makes no sense to unilaterally disarm and let appeasers get control.

He supported Hastert for speaker. Do we really want to reward people like that?
I am highly offended by your title, "Pelosi = Tom Delay". Please change it now.

See "Jess Unruh" in the history of California politics, to see what a tough Dem leader can accomplish in the legislature...

remarked to me once when visiting us in California:"That Jesse Unruh's one of the last real politicians". It was said with admiration. :hi:

My Dad also told me that one day Truman would be recognized as a damned good President. This was when HST was just out of office and not at all popular.

I miss my Dad.

As to the OP - Good for Pelosi. I'm proud of her.

And I didn't even know him! But he has good taste in California politicians.

As for Truman, though -- I can't get past the fact he signed on to the national "security" apparatus, post WW-II, which continues to weigh us down, and -- let's be honest -- has had a hand in fomenting both unnecessary wars, and domestic political assassinations...

Until we get more reasonable people elected to office again, maybe we could benefit from a page of the repuke play book.

be a reversal of this Republican nightmare.

We need to whip our troops into shape or we will be living under Fascism forever. Go Nancy!

You should have seen the reactions here after the CAFTA vote.

till we start speaking off the same page. Everytime one of the Dems (like loserman) talks off the page the reptiles strike...and keep striking. GO Nancy

I'm glad to hear that she is reigning people in. The perception of the DP is that they are not unified, disorganized and without a message. It's long past time to play hardball. This is good politics. Tom Delay is a horse (ummmm... elephant) of a different color entirely.

Whip em into shape!

Voting against the democrats should get a dem the position of no higher than ranking member on the mousetrap regulations subcommittee with all associated rights and privleges.

She needs to get the Dems in the same boat. The CAFTA vote was a slap in the face.