Pelosi Elected Minority Leader
Via CNN: Pelosi wins Democratic leadership fight:
Pelosi turned back a challenge from North Carolina Rep. Heath Shuler, a member of the party’s diminished centrist "Blue Dog" faction, in a 150 to 43 vote.
The rest of the caucus’ leadership is as follows:
Democrats avoided a contentious fight for the No. 2 slot between the more moderate Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer — the current House majority leader — and the more liberal South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, now the majority whip.
Under a deal brokered by Pelosi, Hoyer will likely become the minority whip in the next Congress — the second Democrat slot — while Clyburn will serve as assistant leader — a newly-created third Democratic position.
Connecticut Rep. John Larson remains Democratic caucus chairman, with California Rep. Xavier Beccera rounding out the leadership as caucus vice chair.
And the Republicans just elected Boehner.
Aside from the Dems re-electing those who’d led them to disaster — which the Republicans did in 2006 and 2008, too — it strikes me as simply bizarre to hold these votes during the lame duck session. Shouldn’t the new guys get a say, rather than those who were so terrible that they managed not to survive an 87 percent incumbent re-election rate?
I’m sure Rep. James Clyburn is so happy that he has been downgraded to a fake title that holds no weight. He has now become the Dwight Schrute of the Democratic caucus.