While it is definitely too early to be issuing report cards, when the dust finally settles on health care reform, I’m finding hard to believe that Nancy Pelosi won’t be receiving an A-Plus. She’s been stellar throughout this whole process. I feel like we might just get something good out of the Senate, too, but it’s much harder to give Harry Reid any credit for that. He’s had a harder job and a shifting landscape (in terms of how many healthy members he’s had), but his leadership has been lacking. At best, he’s known how to get out of the way and not foul up the glacial progress by taking arbitrary and meaningless lines in the sand. If the Senate does something positive, I’ll be more inclined to give the administration and the party activists the credit than I will be to give it to Reid. But, who knows? Maybe Reid can ace the final exam and bring up his grade.
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BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
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Agreed re:Pelosi. She has not received nearly enough credit from progressives. Not only has she fought back against the Blue dogs and Stenny Hoyer, but she most likely has had to put up with all kinds of threats from Rahm Emanuel.
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PHOENIX — Dozens of local mothers descended on the office of Republican Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona Wednesday to denounce what they say are sexist attitudes held by Kyl and the Republican Party in general. The demonstration was organized by Phoenix area mothers in response to Kyl’s recent quip during a Senate committee meeting that he doesn’t “need maternity care.”
IMPACT ON GOVERNOR RACES
Chris Christie, Republican gubernatorial candidate from New Jersey, has come under fire for a remark he made that critics say equates preschool to babysitting. In Virginia, gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell is drawing fire for his college thesis, written in 1989 when McDonnell was 34 years old, in which he seems to call working women detrimental to families.
On Tuesday, 30 Republican senators voted against an amendment put forth by Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.), that would have barred companies that discourage female employees from filing sexual harassment suits from securing government contracts. This coincided with a press release issued by the National Republican Congressional Committee saying Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should be “put in her place.”
The Hill: Democrats decry Republican Party as sexist, out of touch and `extreme’
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."regardless of what happens with respect to healthcare reorm, i would have a gard time giving harry anything better than a D- for his efforts to publically endorse and actively support the bill.
now, this might change if we get soe kind a “leak” that shows him to have used his office in some way to achieve reform. his public support has at best been visually luke warm. he has never presented anything even suggesting that he would be willing to employ the kind of actions needed to hold the dems together. maybe that is his method but i doubt that he presented the kind of model that would in any way display the strength and solid support that is needed in a situation such as what is needed by a leader.
but- maybe we will discover that harrys behavior was just what was needed???????
Maybe Rachel Maddow was indicating Reid in her cracking heads time statement, but I doubt it. Perhaps Reid could take a makeup exam and still get some credit.
I just take it for granted that most of Reid’s work occurs behind the scenes, making it impossible for him to be evaluated until the results are in.
Pelosi’s role seems different. Since she has more of a margin for error in getting legislation passed, she has the freedom to be the public face of the party and deal with all that entails.
l’d agree that pelosi has done a commendable job, but she couldn’t have done it without the impetus of the progressive caucus and their line in the sand stance.
on the other hand, and regardless the outcome of the healthcare debate in the senate, reid is not destined to join the ranks of effective senate majority leaders.
the man’s not a leader.
If that comes to pass then it would be an enthusiastic A+ for Pelosi.