There have been a few diaries since the election touting Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House. The running theme in these diaries is that Nancy is good at garnering votes for the caucus and she is someone who terrifies Republicans. I wholeheartedly disagree. I actually believe the Republicans are excited to see Nancy Pelosi run for Speaker again. She's their boogeyman and helps to motivate the Republican base. There should be a change in leadership. Barbara Lee is an excellent alternative to Nancy Pelosi.
First of all, let's get identity politics out of the way. She's African-American, she's a woman, and she's 72. So anyone who wants to hide behind racism, sexism, or ageism while defending Nancy Pelosi, you're wrong. My issues with Mrs. Pelosi- and Chuck Schumer for that matter- have to do with policy and tactics, not identity. They have both been failures for working class people.
Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are excellent fund raisers for the Democratic Party. Nancy herself has stated that she is a master legislator because she raises the most money. That alone is a huge problem. In fact, it's the biggest problem I have with her. Being able to raise the most money means that she is also the most beholden to corporate interests. It's how she maintains her hold on the party. She and Steny Hoyer funnel money to the candidates that fall in line. That means that we end up with a bunch of corporate Democrats. Because she raises the most money, Nancy benefits the most from the system as it is currently set up. This, in addition to her belief that "we're just capitalist, and that's just the way it is", poses a huge road block for any legislation that will help working class people. It's the corruption that's the problem. Her being the biggest fundraiser makes her the biggest liability.
Second, in her victory speech after the midterms she did not outline a clear agenda for Democrats for the next two years. She made her case for bipartisanship. Bipartisanship with fascists. Bipartisanship with someone who is supposed to be an existential threat to democracy. Bipartisanship with racist, xenophobic, homophobes. No mention of Medicare for All. No mention of an infrastructure plan. No mention of tuition-free college. No mention of a Green Energy Plan. No mention of ending these unnecessary wars. Just "common ground" and a "bipartisan marketplace of ideas". No thank you. When you try and find common ground with these people, they're going to pull you to the right. We need policies that will swing the Overton Window back to the left. Bipartisanship with this group won't allow that to happen. Also, as a reminder, with her and Schumer at the helm, Democrats have lost 1000 seats accross the country, lost the White House, and the Judiciary. I'm appalled that Schumer was voted as leader in the Senate. They both need to go.
We are at a moment in history when we need someone to be bold. We need someone who is going to be a fighter. We need someone who is going to inspire people. After Trump won, she stated that she didn't think people wanted a new direction. That’s not a bold person. That’s not a person who is going to inspire people. That person is Barbara Lee.
Barbara Lee checks the boxes we need. She has a strong anti-war voting record, being the only person to vote against the AUMF in 2001. She voted against the Iraq War. She is a co-sponser of HR 676, the Medicare for All bill. She introduced the Women and Climate Change Act in February 2018. She is against fracking, she supports automatic voter registration, she is for taxing Wall Street, and she wants to ban private prisons. Nancy is on record for not supporting any of that. Barbara Lee could actually show the the country that Democrats are offering a change in the status quo. On top of that, her policies are right in line with what most of the country, not just Democrats, want. She also has mentioned that she wants a leadership role.
Go to https://barbaraleeforspeaker.com/. This is a petition to get a champion for the working class and a person willing to tout progressive values. Sign it. Let’s make the change.