Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Who's The Next Pelosi?



low-tech cyclist said...

Steny Hoyer will turn 72 this summer, so he's a short-term replacement at best, whenever Pelosi (who just turned 71) decides it's time to step down as House Democratic leader.

Nicholas Beaudrot said...

Speakers don't last for very often anyway...

I have no clue how effective or ineffective Jim Clyburn would be. He's 3rd.

John Larson is pretty high in the leadership. He's a pretty good guy. After that is Xavier Beccerra.

I assume Debbie Wasserman Schultz, if she doesn't run for Senate, will eventually vault into the leadership. I'm not particularly a booster of DWS but she's pretty good.

Those are the only names we can come up with.

corvus said...

Wasserman Schultz was the first person that came to mind. Clyburn and Hoyer are unlikely to still be around by the time Nancy isn't, so I assume it is newer, up and coming members who will take that position. Whoever is the next Dem leader will likely have some prestige, and if DWS isn't leaving the House to run the DNC, that position should give her the heft to vault pass any members in more junior levels of leadership. Plus, I expect whoever is the next speaker will be, like Pelosi, fairly liberal.

Nicholas Beaudrot said...

FWIW voteview rates DWS them from most to least liberal

Pelosi (skewed b/c she's speaker, but she was always liberal)

But all in the liberal third of the Dem caucus.