There was a lot of talk when Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was elected minority leader after the November shellacking about how unpopular she must have been to have gotten "only" 150 votes (43 voted for her sole opponent, Rep. Heath Schuler of North Carolina.)
That seemed kind of dumb — 150-43 is a healthy enough margin. Much of the remaining Democratic caucus is liberal, and loyal to her. And Pelosi built her powerbase by making sure members and candidates — including the least known and loved among them — got what it took to win. That’s how she won back the House in 2006, and how she expanded her base in 2008. Pelosi’s reelection as caucus leader was a foregone conclusion as soon as it was announced.
That said, there are members in marginal districts — who won by the thinnest of margins — who have made it clear they plan to keep their distance from her (and from what I’ve heard, she’s all right with that.)
So in her symbolic bid for Speaker today (Rep. John Boehner of Ohio was always going to win), it was interesting to see that the 43 who opposed her have thinned to 19 (and thanks to Talking Points Memo for rounding them up.)
Only one Jewish Dem is among them: Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who cast a vote for civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.).
Giffords barely won her Tucson area seat, even after steering right of the party on immigration issue, which makes this vote a natch for her. Interesting, though, that she chose Lewis — a liberal stalwart — instead of conserva-Dem Schuler to register her anti-Pelosi protest.
UPDATE: Giffords’ spokesman, CJ Karamargin, emails me with this statement:
Congresswoman Giffords today cast a ceremonial vote in the process of confirming Rep. John Boehner as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The congresswoman’s vote for Rep. John Lewis signaled her desire for courageous leadership and high moral standards at a critical time in our nation’s history. He is one of our nation’s most prominent civil rights leaders and a hero to all Americans.
John Lewis spent a lifetime standing up for the enduring values that sets our nation apart from all others. He is widely admired by his colleagues on both sides of the aisle and in both houses of Congress. Sen. John McCain, put it well in his 2004 book, “Why Courage Matters: the Way to a Braver Life.” Sen. McCain wrote that “John Lewis was as courageous as anyone could ever hope to be.”
In words and deeds, John Lewis should be a clear and bright guiding light for every member of Congress and every American. His integrity and civility is an example for us all.
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