There are many reasons being floated to justify the calls for Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to step down from leading the House Democratic caucus. As she has displayed no desire to go down gently, it's likely that we are about to see much more in the coming weeks and months. Perhaps some of those will have something to do with things she has or has not done, but so far, it seems more focused on one thing that some people don't like about her.
Do you want some background or should we just call this what it is? Background first? Got it.
Word on the street
So far, the reasons have followed a general theme, many of which we've seen before. This time it's because Democrats lost four special elections in four red districts, which somehow means Leader Pelosi isn't being leadershipy enough. The main race that was a focus for Democrats, Georgia's 6th congressional district, has been slotted as the best evidence yet that Pelosi needs to go. Republicans there did their best to attach Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff to Pelosi, so Ossoff's defeat was immediately traced back to Pelosi.
And for some reason, that means she should step down. Because Republicans don't like her.
It's easy to see that Pelosi has been fuel for Republican fundraising, though it should be far more concerning that Democrats appear to be seeing this as a reason to cut her down.
Any successful political leader should be fundraising fuel for the opposition party. If they aren't, I have to wonder exactly what they're even doing in the position.
But why do Republicans despise her so much? Perhaps it's because she was an effective House Speaker during her time in that role, masterfully coordinating the passage of monumental pieces of legislation.
Perhaps it's because House Democrats haven't imploded under her leadership as House Minority Leader the way they so often have under Republican leaders. Or perhaps it's because they know there are some places they can win just by painting her as an evil radical witch, the kind of power-hungry feminist that conservative talk show hosts have been warning their listeners about for decades.
Yeah, that last one looks about right.
If you think that one is any part or all of the reason, then it's important to consider what that means regarding her removal. Democrats are truly considering removing a leader because the opposition uses her gender to paint her as unworthy of leadership. Those Republican talking points have made her a target, and while many in the House have come to her defense regarding her ability to lead, those who have sought the power position in the past appear willing to exploit this constant misogynistic assault coming from the right for their own gain.
Change for the sake of change
While I understand when Americans want to see a change, it's important to remember that change is not always better.
President Trump should be a clear example of that. The comments surrounding Pelosi is that she's "part of the status quo" and that she's "corporatist" and "not a true progressive." It's far past time for the progressive purity tests to go, as no leader will ever perfectly exemplify the views of each voter.
Perhaps it would be convenient for Democrats to just push Leader Pelosi out so Republicans can no longer use her role as a powerful woman to scare their base into voting. Sadly, this would ignore all the times Pelosi has stood up when it was inconvenient for her. It was not convenient for her to stand up against the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, nor was it convenient for her to oppose the Gulf War in 1991 and the invasion of Iraq in 2002.
Her career has included many instances where she took an inconvenient political stand because it was the right thing to do.
If you're looking to change things, then work to change them. But don't take the lazy way of just complaining about everyone currently in power and demanding they step down so we can start all over with new leaders that will bring with them the same challenges to overcome. Change for the sake of progress is honorable; change for the sake of change is foolish.
