In light of the Democrats getting wiped out in special elections across the country, the bell now tolls for Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
Members of her party have openly criticized her, calling for new leadership in preparation for the 2018 midterms.
Taking a cue from Hillary Clinton’s post-election “campaign,” Pelosi is defiant in her own defense, but recent events may be too much to overcome.
The special election in the Georgia sixth district between Karen Handel and Jon Ossoff was the last straw for Pelosi.
Republicans tied Ossoff to Pelosi, and watched them both sink.
From The Washington Examiner:
Democrats upset with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi after the party’s loss in this week’s special elections met privately Thursday to plot a way to oust her.
According to Politico, a dozen Democrats attended the meeting, out of 20 members invited.
“There are many more people today, even from November, who are much more vocal, who have approached us and said, ‘I’m done. We need to move forward and we need to get a new leadership team in place,'” Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., told Politico.
Among the Democrats who attended the meeting, Politico reported, were Rice, Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, Rep. Tony Cardenas of California, who is a member of House Democratic leadership, and Rep. Seth Moulton of Missouri.
Earlier in the day, Pelosi told reporters she does not plan to step down as leader and called herself a “master legislator.”
Pelosi has been the Democratic leader since 2003 and is the most prolific non-presidential political fundraiser in U.S. history.
In the Georgia special election, the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., spent more than $7 million aimed at tying Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff with Pelosi and her “liberal San Francisco values.”
Republican Karen Handel beat Ossoff to become the representative for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District.
The cries for Pelosi to step down will only get worse as the Democrats in-fight over what their direction should be; the “moderates” in the party are jockeying for control with the progressives.
As it stands, the progressives are the loudest and brashest, but they don’t seem to be winning a lot of elections.
From The National Review:
Throughout the two-month campaign, Republican candidate Karen Handel consistently labeled Democrat Jon Ossoff “Nancy Pelosi’s handpicked candidate.”
Many of her campaign e-mails told supporters that Pelosi and the “resistance” were pouring millions into the district to sway the results in Ossoff’s favor. That tactic clearly paid off. Handel was able to defeat Ossoff by nearly four points, despite Ossoff’s historic fundraising numbers and the additional millions infused into the race by the national Democratic party.
While there were surely many reasons for Ossoff’s eventual failure to flip the sixth, his loss has provided Democrats with an excuse to do some necessary soul-searching as 2018 approaches.
Nancy Pelosi is dogged in her attempt to stay in power. She described herself as a “strategic, astute leader” who’s “worth the trouble.”
That’s about as off-putting as people giving themselves nicknames.
Time is running out for Pelosi. However, she has one unlikely fan in her corner:
Donald J. Trump on Twitter
I certainly hope the Democrats do not force Nancy P out. That would be very bad for the Republican Party – and please let Cryin’ Chuck stay!