There has never been a Speaker as partisan as this one. Never. She ought to be booted out on her ass faster than you can say be gone. Much faster.
UPDATE: Can I get an amen?
Yesterday was a time for statesmanship and gravitas, qualities that are critical in the individual who is only a few degrees away from the presidency, and who is vested with representing the entire body of the House of Representatives. In our two party system, there is no way to leave partisan politics out of the Speaker's role, but Pelosi acts more like a House majority or minority leader, or a whip - or even like the DNC Chair - than she does like the great Speakers of yore, like Sam Rayburn and Tip O'Neill.
Certainly those guys acted as members of their own parties, But Democrat O'Neill and Republican Ronald Reagan, for example, had an underlying respect for one another, and were cordial "after 5pm," as Reagan once said. This meant that when necessary, the two parties could reach compromise in the House with respect for the work they needed to get done. I sort of doubt that there is a Republican on the planet who would enjoy sharing a beer with Nancy Pelosi. Heck, there probably aren't even many Democrats who would consider that much of a good time.
It demeans the role of Speaker for Pelosi to use her position to take every possible opportunity to aggressively bash the GOP, no matter how inappropriate the setting or context. And I say this as a voter who likely agrees with Pelosi on specific policy issues 95% of the time.
If Americans really want change in Washington, and improvement in the mean-spirited and debilitating partisan malaise that seems to have settled over our Congress, then we need to start with working to get rid of Nancy Pelosi as Speaker. Our House of Representatives - and we - deserve better.
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