Democrats are without an effective national leader, which is a dangerous situation right now. President Obama is still their leader in some respects, but he is not in office. Chuck Shumer will remain the minority leader in the Senate, where he has been dismally ineffective. Nancy Pelosi has been and will be the most effective leader the Democrats have. It is imperative that she be made Speaker of the House.
While mostly conservative Democrats are attempting to deny her the office, they simultaneously have no credible substitute, at least one that is electable. In her four years as Speaker, Pelosi proved to be politically and operationally an effective leader, who knew the job and did the job with distinction.
It was only with her steady hand, her ability to listen and broker agreements but also her ability to exert discipline, that made the Affordable Care Act the law of the land. Millions of people owe their health care to her efforts, as well as to President Obama. Pelosi got other major legislation shaped and through, that got us out of the Great Recession and jumpstarted clean energy, for example. Pelosi can count votes, and can be counted on.
It is especially crucial that the Democrats in the House hit the ground running in January, and only Nancy Pelosi has the experience, the knowledge of the House and the various committee chairs, to orchestrate a dynamic and unified start.
Even as a majority, the Democrats had weak leadership in the Senate. At this crucial moment the House needs focus as much as it needs the diversity of new voices. Pelosi has signaled her willingness to be a "transitional" leader, as the House trains up new leaders from the ranks of younger members. But it is essential that in January 2019, Nancy Pelosi is the Speaker of the House.
Rep. Donna Edwards adds more specific reasons why this is necessary in her Washington Post oped.
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