A new WaPo piece quotes by an unnamed member congress who Dan Blatz wants to portray as some sort of consensus view of Pelosi.
How Pelosi's determination could hamper Obama
John Feehery, a former top aide to Hastert. "Pelosi is going to keep the progressive flames alive and make it a lot harder for him to cut deals with Republicans and move to the center."
A Democrat with wide experience in the House agreed that Pelosi's decision to stay on could cause problems for the president. "The problem for the party and the president is that Obama needs someone in Congress who can help him get things done and reposition himself," this Democrat said. "She will be there to stoke up the left, and that's what he doesn't need."
Undoubtedly this comes from a Blue Dog (who's default mode is craven groveling to Republicans). Blue dogs are uncomfortable with a Leader who stands up for Main Street, and who will fight Republican efforts to dismantle common sense initiatives like Financial Reform. Blue Dogs want a Leader who will help Republicans push the Obama White House to the Right.
No surprise there.
What is so unseemly is the way Dan Blatz tries to transform the views of Blue Dogs (who after Tuesday's election losses are the Democratic Party's smallest least influential faction), into some sort of prevailing consensus inside the Democratic Party. Blatz warns us that Pelosi will screw up Obama's chances to cave in to Republican demands
Pelosi would be a symbol of resistance and liberal opposition to the Republicans. If Obama wants a House leader who will help draw bright lines of distinction with the new House majority, Pelosi could be exactly the right person to lead House Democrats. If he wants more room to maneuver, to make deals with Republicans as well as confront them, she might not be at all what he wants.
Blatz buys into the conventional "wisdom" that Obama needs to follow Bill Clinton's "third way" model of capitulating to Republicans on a range of issues, to get along.
How did that work out for Bill Clinton? Attack Dog/Independent Counsel Ken Starr was Bill Clinton's reward for playing ball with the Republicans.
Darrel Issa is preparing to launch a whole series of Witch Hunts targeting the Obama White House.
Soon-to-be GOP chairman Darrell Issa: Obama must answer ‘several hundred’ inquiries
Now Eric Cantor has instructed Democrats not to make Pelosi our Minority Leader:
Cantor: If Pelosi stays, then Dems don't get it
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican leader says that if Democrats keep Rep. Nancy Pelosi as their party chief in the House, then "it's almost as if they didn't get the message."
Cantor wants Democrats to make his job of cramming Tea Party nonsense down our throats easier. Not having Pelosi as Minority Leader would help Cantor prevail.
Should Obama play ball with a Party is is out to destroy his Presidency by any means they can? At best working with these Republicans radicals would be a major set back for the country. At worst it would be naive and foolish way to res-erect the GOP's stature, and help them destroy the Obama Presidency.
Having Nancy Pelosi as Minority Leader changes that equation. It means that Democrats will be less complicit with the irresponsible nonsense we can expect to come out of a house run by this bunch of radical Republicans. It will help the Obama White House stand up to pressure from Blatz and the Beltway Talking Herads' conventional "wisdom" to play nice with the Republicans in ways that hurt Main Street.