Bad Power Plays

Nancy Pelosi has long been feared for her power and her ability to use it, but as Speaker of the House, she's on the verge of a power failure. This past week, she had a brownout. 

Pelosi expressed hostility toward U.S. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, the left-wing Democratic minority women who have been raising hell over, well, you name it since the 116th Congress opened when the four women refused to vote for a border security bill that helped migrant children.  The quartet voted against the bill because it funded Trump's immigration policies and did not trust him to spend the money appropriated judiciously.  (To be fair, Pelosi was rightfully irked by an Ocasio-Cortez staffer sending out a tweet comparing moderate Democrats to Southern segregationists; that tweet has since been deleted.)  Pelosi still thought half a loaf was better than none and criticized the group for their stance, dismissing the lack of strength in numbers, as there are four of them, while overlooking the numerical strengths of their supporters . . . and by all accounts, she's not handing it very well.

Whichever side anyone is on regarding the immigration bill is irrelevant.  What matters is Pelosi's clumsiness in handling dissent in her ranks and how intolerant she is of it.  This looks worse than her freeze-out of Tim Ryan, who's now running for President (relax, I'll get to him), because the congresswomen involved here are all freshman women of color, not seasoned white males out for her job.  Both her attitudes toward these four women and toward guys like Ryan are indicative of how she want to hold on to power, yet she doesn't seem to be doing anything productive with it.

Pelosi wants to continue being feared because of her power, but she's undermined herself not just in the instance with these four congresswomen but in her lackadaisical attitude toward an impeachment inquiry of Trump, as she prefers to wait for Trump to self-destruct.  This approach is not unlike when General Motors, faced with the increase of Toyota sales in the American auto market, dismissed its rival as the beneficiary of a passing trend.

And with someone of Pelosi's power and position, that's far more than merely annoying. 

We have a Speaker who won't use her power for what she should be using it for.  Use it or lose it, Nancy.