Pendragon_6
06-16-2006, 09:16 AM
Tests Pelosi as leader
Marc Sandalow, Washington Bureau Chief
Friday, June 16, 2006
Washington -- House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi's ability to hold her caucus together is being tested as internal party disputes over war, ethics and its own leadership erupt into public view.
In an extraordinary show of toughness against one of their own members, Democrats voted 99-58 Thursday evening to strip Rep. William Jefferson, a Democrat from New Orleans accused of accepting bribes, of his seat on the Ways and Means Committee. The vote allows Democrats to maintain that they do not tolerate impropriety, yet the sanction already has placed a strain on the caucus.
Pelosi has presided over a period of remarkable unity among members of a party not traditionally known for its harmony. Though critics warned when she became leader three years ago that a San Francisco liberal would encounter troubles leading a national party, the fault lines have not ruptured along traditional liberal-conservative lines, a friction to which Pelosi has paid careful attention.
Several factors have brought attention to party differences: members flexing their muscles during this week's debate over Iraq, black members complaining about efforts to oust Jefferson and a surprise bid for the No. 2 House leadership slot by a Pelosi ally.
Pelosi has personally involved herself in each of the disputes, and outside of Capitol Hill has so far kept them relatively low-profile affairs.
Whether the episodes reflect a growing confidence among Democrats that they will be the majority party after next year's election, or the news media's obsession with exposing conflict, the attention has become a distraction for Democrats intent on presenting a unified front in the coming campaign. It also has provided an opening for Republicans to assert that their opponents are stumbling.
In Full
SF Gate (http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/06/16/MNGREJFCS91.DTL)
Marc Sandalow, Washington Bureau Chief
Friday, June 16, 2006
Washington -- House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi's ability to hold her caucus together is being tested as internal party disputes over war, ethics and its own leadership erupt into public view.
In an extraordinary show of toughness against one of their own members, Democrats voted 99-58 Thursday evening to strip Rep. William Jefferson, a Democrat from New Orleans accused of accepting bribes, of his seat on the Ways and Means Committee. The vote allows Democrats to maintain that they do not tolerate impropriety, yet the sanction already has placed a strain on the caucus.
Pelosi has presided over a period of remarkable unity among members of a party not traditionally known for its harmony. Though critics warned when she became leader three years ago that a San Francisco liberal would encounter troubles leading a national party, the fault lines have not ruptured along traditional liberal-conservative lines, a friction to which Pelosi has paid careful attention.
Several factors have brought attention to party differences: members flexing their muscles during this week's debate over Iraq, black members complaining about efforts to oust Jefferson and a surprise bid for the No. 2 House leadership slot by a Pelosi ally.
Pelosi has personally involved herself in each of the disputes, and outside of Capitol Hill has so far kept them relatively low-profile affairs.
Whether the episodes reflect a growing confidence among Democrats that they will be the majority party after next year's election, or the news media's obsession with exposing conflict, the attention has become a distraction for Democrats intent on presenting a unified front in the coming campaign. It also has provided an opening for Republicans to assert that their opponents are stumbling.
In Full
SF Gate (http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/06/16/MNGREJFCS91.DTL)