House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has taken quite a bit of heat lately, some of it justified, most of it not. But assuming the media can tear itself away from reporting on the future Speaker’s wardrobe, it’s worth noting that Pelosi has the House well prepared to hit the ground running in January (via Kevin Drum).
House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi made clear Tuesday she’s not willing to cede the public spotlight to President Bush in the weeks before his State of the Union speech.
Pelosi plans to start the 110th Congress with a bang on Jan. 4 — when the House holds its ceremonial swearing in and elects her as speaker — by immediately setting off on a sprint of several weeks to enact the Democrats’ ambitious 100-hour agenda.
Lawmakers usually return home between the swearing-in ceremony and the president’s speech, but analysts say the hurried schedule gives Democrats a chance to show instant results. It could also put Bush on the defensive, forcing him to sign or veto a host of popular initiatives.
“Given the well-earned do-nothing reputation of the 109th Congress and its record-setting minimal number of days in session, Pelosi is right to get a quick and sustained start to the 110th Congress,” said Thomas Mann, a congressional scholar at the Brookings Institution. “Forget the vacation time — better to move quickly to set an expectation of more time and serious work in Washington.”
Quite right. Pelosi and House Dems have been chomping at the bit, waiting to do the governing that Republicans have failed to do. They’re not looking to ease their way into the process, slowly unveiling an agenda; they’re looking to take advantage of post-election momentum, roll up their sleeves, and get to work.
Indeed, the key to this strategy is taking the initiative away from the White House. Ordinarily, Congress waits for the State of the Union before legislating. Pelosi is done waiting for Bush.
Pelosi, in a statement, said the rapid start is needed to tackle a lengthy to-do list that includes everything from passing new ethics rules to raising the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour.
“It is imperative that we waste no time in addressing the pressing needs facing our nation,” the San Francisco Democrat said.
Tactically, the move has several advantages: January is usually a slow news month that the president dominates by leaking tidbits from his State of the Union speech and his proposed budget a few days later. Instead of waiting for Bush’s agenda, Democrats could have a half-dozen bills waiting for his signature or veto by the time he makes his primetime speech.
Good. I probably would have preferred if Pelosi hadn’t taken sides in the House Majority Leader’s race, but that let’s not overlook what she’s done since — she wisely broke up the ethics reform package into a series of key votes; she shut down talk of a draft; she’s closed ranks after the leadership challenges; and she’s sent a shot across the president’s bow.
I think reports of Pelosi’s political death have been greatly exaggerated.