Nancy Pelosi Has Serious Clout in Fiscal Cliff Talks

Ex-speaker, now-minority leader, will likely deliver majority of votes

Nancy Pelosi's back. The San Francisco Democratic congresswoman lost her speakership in 2010 after four years, amid that year's Republican sweeps. Now she's likely to deliver the majority of votes on a fiscal cliff-avoidance deal, reports The San Francisco Chronicle.

Pelosi "leads a unified caucus whose votes will be needed to pass any deal to avert more than $600 billion in tax increases and spending cuts come Jan. 1." House Speaker John Boehner's "Republicans, by contrast, are rebellious and fractured, having abandoned their leader."

The situation is ironic considering the political target Pelosi once was. "Having lost the speaker's gavel in 2010 after a GOP pummeling that drove her approval rating into the basement, Pelosi now finds herself more popular than Boehner, whose 31 percent approval rating in a recent Rasmussen survey now ranks him as the least-liked congressional leader."

Pelosi's Democratic Caucus doesn't have many moderate or conservative-leaning lawmakers left. Most are cut from the same liberal cloth as Pelosi, so she's in little danger of losing her leadership position.

Via The San Francisco Chronicle.

Has Nancy Pelosi been a better party leader than Speaker John Boehner in the fiscal cliff negotiations?

[PNWest]

Boehner is the weakest speaker I can remember. He didn't even have enough clout to bring his own bill up for a vote. He's a joke.

[mtkopf]

Careful you're going to make him cry.

[PNWest]

@mtkopf That's true. If he does he may short out his tanning bed.

[mtkopf]

@PNWest 1st chuckle of the day. Thanx

[DARSB]

I think Speaker Boehner will be used in future poli sci classes as an example of the collision of practical politics and naive ideologues, I.e., Teapartistas.

[martydotcom]

Boehner's new HR is made up of 234 Republicans just 15 sit in congressional districts that Obama also won. There is no risk to most of the GOP House Rep's of incurring their voters wrath for going over the cliff. The people who elected these loonies believe as they do.
All worshipping at the Alter of Grover Norquist (Koch's funded)

[tomincali]

after saying they had to vote on obamacare before they could see whats in it i don't see how anyone could see her as having clout. maybe those who sign contracts without reading them first?

[mimi57]

She's baaaack...Oh, that's right she never left did she?... She's kinda like Jack Torance ( Jack Nicholson ) in the
'Shining'. Totally insane and NEVER leaving... how nice. Serious Clout? It must be all the wine their drinking at
her mansion w/ the 70 acres of grapes on one of her vineyards, what's worse then a 'bunch' of drunken Libs
discussing the future of this country?... Pretty scary, and we wonder what's wrong. LOL

[Penn1699]

A psychiatric eval should be required of all elected officials.

[PoliticalSpice]

Only thing worse then liberals, drunk or otherwise deciding our future, is letting the repubs do it.....

[mudpike]

Agreed, she seems to be like a case of herpes , once you have it - you got it for life - like luggage. Seems odd how some have such an aversion towards wealthy people , unless they are of the 'wine-sipping , brie-munching , liberal-socialist persuasion ! They seem to think that all the millionaires are strictly Republican or Conservative. Is there any such thing anymore as a middle class congressman or senator ? Unlikely.

[martydotcom]

@mimi57 She's bad Boehner's worse !!!

Republicans Must Oust John Boehner as Speaker
By JUDSON PHILLIPS , Founder of Tea Party Nation
Judson Phillips is the founder of Tea Party Nation, one of the largest Tea Party Groups in the country and the number one national Tea Party site on the Internet.

John Boehner has a problem. If he were the captain of the Titanic, he would not be satisfied in hitting the iceberg only once. Plan B was more than just a backfire—it may well be the straw that broke the camel's back and the moment that ends John Boehner's run as Speaker of the House.

Conservatives have long been unhappy with John Boehner. In March 2011, I expressed my displeasure with the Speaker for surrendering on spending and, even as early as 2011, called for someone to primary Boehner.

The fiscal cliff is a disaster of John Boehner's making. Boehner worked out his deal without getting the input of the Republican Party or the greater conservative movement. We warned Boehner the Super Committee idea was a disaster and it would never work.".......

[UglyAmerican]

@PoliticalSpice don't you have a broom double parked somewhere!

[FollowTheMoney]

Congress is broken beyond repair. It needs to be tossed out and replaced in it's entirety. It doesn't matter which operatives have clout over the others. All are spent, no good is left in any of them.

[kathyparsell]

I agree that congress is broken yes..beyond repair with no good left in them that's harsh. Why don't we just send any rep that has been there for more than one term back to their corner and then put a limit on how many terms they can serve in a lifetime. Not only would it inhibit back room deals it would save millions by not letting them get years of govt retirement benefits.

[harold_lloyd]

The lobbyist's playbook
https://www.youtube.com/watch...

[FollowTheMoney]

@kathyparsell Sure, I'm all for it. The problem is the current bunch won't let the term limits happen as long as their in office. They are career politicians, that's what they do. Passing term limits themselves would be like firing them selves. We must first elect politicians willing to serve two terms or less.

[kathyparsell]

@FollowTheMoney That's why we need a crusader. Not that I am a big Newt Gingrich fan, but he succeeded to some degree once before. You up for the job?

[mudzangandoro]

More power to the people! Congress is indeed broken it needs a complete makeover. The more we talk about this the more likely a revolution will ignite!!

[Politicskid]

Pelosi, Reid, and Obama are all leftist hypocritical dingbats who know that not budging on a deal will help them gain politically.

[mudzangandoro]

Goes both ways!!!

[Politicskid]

"We have to pass the bill to know what's in it."
-Nancy Pelosi

[mimi57]

...she was drinking...lol

[SavageMazx]

@mimi57 some of that fine Napa wine and probably some Humboldt County green to help with her glaucoma.....

[mimi57]

@SavageMazx Yep...that's why her eyes are so googly ( is that a word?) LOL

[stepped_in_it]

@mimi57 Googly??? My spell check liked it, so it's alright with me....LOL

[texas_cutie75]

Amazing huh?

[Vance1]

Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid along with the Obama and his fellow Leftist Socialists are the problem, Not the solution!!!

[Antiecm]

Nancy is a complete and total fool. Not only that, from her appearance in pictures of late, I am curious as to whether she may be a cross-dresser, a male dressed as a female for whatever reason. In my opinion, before we listen to anything she says, we got to first determine if she is a man or a woman, just so we know who we are talking to. Then she will need a formal education. Then and only then can she have any input into anything.

[DARSB]

I believe the judges at the Misogyny Olympics would score this statement 9.5. 9.8. 9.5. 10!

[Jim49418]

Does Nancy still have all those illgal's picking grapes on her vineyard?

[mimi57]

Yep, looks like they'll be picking for four more years...LOL

[Ramsey]

This piece of liberal journalistic drivel is an example Democrat propaganda designed to convince weak-minded Americans that Democrats want to solve the issues while ignoring the fact that it was Obama and the Democrats that created the cliff by their over spending. It was President Obama our "commander-in-chief" who decided to cut back our military to almost nothing but keep all his entitlements, governmental pay raises, and expensive financial packages for his socialist friends.

[AceLuby]

Wrong. The cliff was created by Boehner because they couldn't come to a deal before. And if you want to actually dissect the 'spending bills' Obama has only been able to pass about $2 trillion in new spending. Compare that to over $5 trillion of new spending by the Bush administration and $4 trillion in lost revenue due to tax cuts and the recession and you get to where we are today.

[Ashstop]

I guess if you can lead people down the wrong path you have good leadership abilities but to me a good leader would be one that lead people to success, not destruction.. Was Jim Jones a great leader? If he was then so is Ms.Pelosi

[jessejaymes]

There is no way I could have picked one over the other. Both are politics as usual, special interests to the max, "Boss Hogg" type politicians. Both should be tarred and feathered and run out of D.C. on a rail.

[bsking]

This reminds me of the WWF.

[Denizen_Kate]

Bwaahahahaha! Thanks, I needed a laugh.:)

[stephen]

no; she is the edith bunker of washington

[RedFloppyShoes]

They both suck.

She spends her time like most Lefists, name calling and lying.

He sounds like a spineless, whining baby.

She is a Communist and he is a RINO. Basically, lose/lose.

[PoliticalSpice]

I love how you criticize her for name calling, then call Bohner a spineless whining baby RINO and her a lying communist...

[RedFloppyShoes]

@PoliticalSpice playing their games with their rules. Not here to change their game or rules.

[RedFloppyShoes]

@PoliticalSpice I also never said that I was above any of their tactics. I have a whole list of names that could add to both if you like.

[ConserveUSA]

LOL!!!!

[Romney_Rube]

Steny Hoyer has been a highly loyal and dedicated eunuch at Nancy's side throughout her phony reign of dominance within the Democratic party. Of course, HOYER will be happy with his longlastingly submissive role in congress as he should be.

[VeryLameduck]

One of the worst we have.

[PattyD]

I cant stomach Nancy or Reid. Please for the love of Christ! Make Nancy and Harry and Odummy go live on a desserted Island far far away from civilization. Maybe Gilligans Island? LOL

[Denizen_Kate]

Now you know how the other half felt enduring 8 years of GW Bush.

[PattyD]

@Denizen_Kate I never voted Bush lol

[vws]

Once again many are willing to follow a stupid cow over the cliff.