The Zong

Nancy Pelosi probably hasn’t farted more than five or ten times into her chair as the House Speaker yet, and already we’re hearing some bellyaching from both sides of the aisle that she’s not running things the way they should be run. Several media sources, including the Washington Post, all seem to be running stories about how our new She-Speaker is running things in a bi-coastal fashion, shunning Republicans and moderates from the Confederacy and the Heartland.

Some rank-and-file members see bias toward “bicoastal liberals” in Pelosi’s inner circle — particularly Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) — and short shrift given to the views of Midwesterners and more conservative Southern Democrats.

As a typical bi-coastal elitist, I don’t have a huge problem with that, although it’s probably a bad idea in certain conservative districts to brush off newly elected Democrats trying to represent their constituents. Of course, after the last few congressional sessions run by the GOP, it’s rather hilarious to hear stuff like this.

Republicans complained the bills were hammered through after Democrats reneged on a campaign promise to let the opposition offer amendments and help shape legislation.

This, from the party who hijacked congress during a war to try and subvert the judicial branch for the sake of one brain-dead woman’s heartbeat during the Terri Schiavo fiasco, and who spent years suppressing any dissent from the minority party and threatening to change congressional rules to prevent them from blocking the appointment of ultra-conservative judges.

Still, being an autocratic leader out of spite or just for the hell of it only widens the partisan divide that Pelosi has pledged to bridge, and makes more partisan rancor to fuel Joe Lieberman’s ultimate adversary. I think Barney Frank put it best when he said this:

“I think we suffered the last time the Democrats were in power from too much chairman autonomy,” said Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), a Pelosi ally and the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. “Accusing the speaker of trying to manage public policy is like accusing the fire department of trying to fight fire.”

The nation is learning how we do things in San Francisco: Shout about progressive causes without listening to any responses until the Republicans leave the room in disgust, and then laugh at how cute their statements in the voter guide sound every year. Problem is, I feel like Pelosi is being a bleeding heart on the wrong goddamn issues. Where’s her progressive San Franciscan roots when it comes to the war?

On the war front, two Democratic camps have developed. Liberals and antiwar stalwarts such as Murtha, one of Pelosi’s closest allies, want to aggressively use the power of the purse to affect policy, possibly by denying funds for increased troop strength in Iraq. But some senior Democrats and members of the leadership, such as Emanuel and House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), counsel a go-slow approach, in which Democrats start with a nonbinding resolution against the president’s policies, use hearings to build up public support for more dramatic action, and gauge voter feelings before legislative action to stop a military buildup in Iraq.

That’s great. Let’s gauge voter feelings right now!

Mr. Bush’s overall approval rating has fallen to just 28 percent, a new low, while more than twice as many (64 percent) disapprove of the way he’s handling his job.

Two-thirds of Americans remain opposed to the president’s plan for sending more than 20,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq — roughly the same number as after Mr. Bush announced the plan. And 72 percent believe he should seek congressional approval for the troop increase.

Here in San Francisco, there are a lot of opinions on stuff, and we mostly disagree on everything, even progressive issues. The one thing that we, and the majority of the country, agree on, is that Bush isn’t getting it done in Iraq, and this new congress needs to do something about it. Watch Madame Speaker tonight as she sits behind the President while he tells us that “the State of the Union is strong”. Then send her an email asking her to do something so that the presidents that hold office after him aren’t lying to us when they say that.

- M.G.