Pelosi: Electoral Poison

It seems like Democrats have finally discovered what Republicans have known for years: Nancy Pelosi is electoral poison.

Every Democrat that’s actually interested in winning can’t run far enough away from the eternal leader of the minority party.  The new litmus test for “sensible” Democrats is whether or not they go on record vowing to vote against her for leader.

The possibility that other candidates might join the Never Pelosi camp raises a math question to consider, should Democrats take back the House: If the number of Democratic members who are on the record saying they won’t support Pelosi is greater than the Democrats’ margin heading into the next Congress, how could Pelosi win a speaker’s election on the floor?

No matter how clear her own party is in practically begging her to step down, one thing is almost certain, Nancy Pelosi refuses to get the message.

While Democrats should be worried about the booming economy and ever-increasing popularity of GOP tax reform, instead they are forced to squabble with each other about the future of the liberal from San Francisco.  The New York Times’ report on Democratic discontent illuminates the underpinnings of the Democratic Civil War: 

Yet her resolve is at odds with growing numbers of Democratic candidates who view her as politically toxic and are pledging to vote against her as their leader, as Mr. Lamb did without suffering consequences with voters and donors. These candidates and some current House Democrats — tired of years of attack ads invoking Ms. Pelosi as a “San Francisco liberal,” and impatient to see a younger set of leaders take power — are now openly distancing themselves from Ms. Pelosi or declaring outright that it is time for her to go.

No matter what the growing contingent of #NeverPelosi Democrats wish, it doesn’t look like she’s going anywhere soon. Just like the last election, and the one before that, if you don’t want Nancy Pelosi to become the Speaker of the House, you only have one option: vote Republican.