By Robert Laurie ——Bio and Archives--June 29, 2017
American Politics, News | CFP Comments | Reader Friendly | Subscribe | Email Us
If you enjoy watching Democrats lose, congratulations are in order. You've just gotten some very good news in the form of a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll. Democrats, it seems, have not learned their lesson yet. Nancy Pelosi may not be terribly popular, but the findings show that most Democrats want her to stay in her leadership position - and they don't blame her for Jon Ossoff's disastrous defeat in Virginia.
Overall, 43 percent of voters think Pelosi should be replaced as Democratic leader, compared with only 26 percent who think she should remain in the post. Three in 10 voters say they don’t know or don’t have an opinion. But among Democratic voters, just over a quarter, 27 percent, want Pelosi booted as the party’s leader in the chamber. That’s fewer than the 41 percent who want Pelosi to stay, and the 31 percent who don’t have an opinion.
The same split is evident in Pelosi's favorability ratings. Overall, 31 percent of voters view Pelosi favorably, compared with 46 percent who view her unfavorably. Her unfavorable rating is second-worst among political leaders tested in the poll; 48 percent of voters view President Donald Trump unfavorably. The partisan division is revealing: Pelosi has a 2-to-1 favorable-to-unfavorable rating among Democrats, 49 percent to 25 percent. But her ratings among Republicans (21 percent to 63 percent) and independents (20 percent to 52 percent) are far worse.Remember, in this case, it probably doesn't matter what voters think overall. This is an internal party squabble, so it appears Pelosi is safe. The data lines up with something that CNN's Chris Cilizza wrote a couple of days ago. Nancy Pelosi simply can't be beaten, because the Democrats' spittle-deep bench hasn't produced anyone who could take her down.
"...anyone who thinks Pelosi can be knocked out of leadership just doesn't know much about how House Democrats work -- and how strong Pelosi, still, is.
First, there is the fact that Pelosi has zero plans to leave. "I'm a master legislator, I'm experienced in terms of knowing institutional memory of the Congress," she said Monday on CBS' morning show. "If Hillary Clinton had won, I might have gone home. But with Donald Trump in the White House, with a Republican majority in both houses, no way. Then there is this: You don't beat something with nothing. For all the chatter about the need for Democrats to rethink their top leadership following the Ossoff loss, there's no one in their ranks who could come anywhere near winning a majority of Democratic caucus votes against Pelosi."So, rest easy Republicans. Nancy isn't going anywhere. Democrats are going to keep her right where she is for the forseeable future. You can keep winning, and winning, and winning...
Support Canada Free Press
View Comments
Robert Laurie’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain.com
Be sure to “like” Robert Laurie over on Facebook and follow him on Twitter. You’ll be glad you did.