Monday, December 5, 2016

The Old Bat is Still in the House Belfry

Dems Don’t Want “A New Direction”

Examiner - House minority leader Nancy Pelosi downplayed problems with the Democratic Party, saying that the party's values "unify us."
"I don't think that people want a new direction," Pelosi said on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "Our values are supporting working families. What we want is a better connection of our message to working families." Pelosi's appearance came a few days after she was re-elected by Democrats to serve another term as House minority leader, beating back a challenge from Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio.
Host John Dickerson said that Democrats have been clobbered at every level since 2008, which Pelosi attributed to natural reactions to the party that holds the White House.
"We went up so high in 2006 and 2008 and let me put that in perspective," she said. "When [Bill] Clinton was elected Republicans came in big in the next election."
Here she is. A woman who in spite of handing the House back to the Republicans years ago under her leadership, and after yet another bruising election for the Democrats which really has rendered the Dems almost a regional party, remains at the head of the party. Almost Castro style at this point. The identity politics that has so defined the Democrats over the past 15 years or so has failed. But Ms. Pelosi still thinks it’s a winning strategy. She knows nothing else. Maybe she's less interested in building a majority than in having a safe space.