Pelosi's Whip: A Blue Dog vs. A Progressive
By Big Tent Democrat, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Tue Mar 20, 2007 at 09:20:24 PM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Posted on Tue Mar 20, 2007 at 09:20:24 PM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Progressives are saps. Blue Dogs know how to fight better. Case in point:
The Blue Dogs get an Iraq funding bill tailored for them and one of their leaders says:
Tanner, the Blue Dog representative on the chief deputy whip's team, had been undecided until yesterday morning. Now that he is on board, he hastened to add that he is not about to start leaning on his Blue Dog colleagues. "I don't ask people to vote on the leadership's behalf, particularly on a vote like this," he said.
A progressive, who got figuratively spat on by the Dem leadership, says:
Schakowsky, like Waters, is one of nine chief deputy whips, and her early statements of opposition had stunned leaders. She pledged yesterday to press liberal members of the House Out of Iraq Caucus and Progressive Caucus to fall into line.
Progressives are saps. And saps get pushed around:
Pelosi plans to speak to Lewis as soon as possible, if not to win his vote, at least to secure his silence. The speaker held pointed discussions this week with the leaders of the Appropriations Committee, making it clear that she has the power to determine the popular panel's membership. That was a clear indication that she might move against Rep. Barbara Lee (Calif.), an antiwar activist and the only Democrat to vote against the war spending bill in committee last week. As for Waters, action may not come until after the House votes on the Iraq bill, but aides close to Pelosi made it clear that there will be consequences for a chief deputy whip working against the leadership she had sworn to help on tough votes. "Let's just say, the speaker has taken notice," one aide said.
Let's just say, SHAME on Nancy Pelosi. She can't whip a Blue Dog but she'll beat the crap out of progressives.
| < The Politics of Ending the Iraq Debacle | Tony Snow On Executive Privilege > |
