Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is highly controversial, criticized by left wing progressives in her party, but even more vilified by the Republican opposition in the House and Republican Senators, and totally attacked by the right wing propaganda machine and President Donald Trump.
But it seems to this blogger and author that Nancy Pelosi will stand out in history as one of the most outstanding Speakers in American history.
She has guts, courage, stamina, and is not intimidated by powerful men, and that fact drives Donald Trump and his minions to the point of insanity!
Trump is clearly intimidated by Pelosi’s tough exterior and great bargaining powers.
Pelosi has been the leader of the Democratic Party in Congress for nearly a generation, being Minority Leader from 2003-2007, and again from 2011-2019, along with being Speaker of the House twice, from 2007-2011, and again from 2019 to the present. She has been a member of Congress from San Francisco since 1987.
Pelosi is now 80, and has agreed to leave the Speakership by the end of 2022, when she will be past 82 and a half in age.
There is a feeling of a need for new younger leadership, as the top three positions are held by three octogenarians–Pelosi; House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland, who is presently 81, and has been in Congress since 1981, nearing 40 years; and James Clyburn of South Carolina, House Majority Whip , who is presently 80, and has been in Congress since 1993, nearly 28 years.
This team of Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn have been very successful, but it now seems likely that all three will run for their last term this fall, and leave by the end of 2022, hopefully while Joe Biden is President.
Who might replace them is not totally clear, but if one looks at lower ranking leadership right now in the House majority, it would seem as if such members of the House as the following might rise to the top leadership:
Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Democratic Caucus Chair
Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, Democratic Caucus Vice Chair
David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Policy and Communications Committee Chair
Cheri Bustos of Illinois, Democratic Congressional Committee Chair
Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, Assistant Majority Whip
These five are much younger than the three top leaders, and all of them have come to Congress since 2011 or 2013.
This group includes two African American males, a gay male, and two women, and come from the Atlantic Coast area, the Midwest and the South. The two African Americans (Jeffries and Richmond) are in their late 40s, while the other three are in their late 50s.
There could be others rising that could challenge these five, but they would seem to have an upper hand right now, to succeed to higher positions in the House leadership!