House Democrats are in full blame mode, pointing fingers at Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for their disastrous showing in the recent elections. The complaints are rolling in, with frustrated lawmakers insisting this “would never have happened” if Nancy Pelosi were still in charge.
Pelosi, who seemingly can’t retire from politics quietly, is now being praised by some of her party’s progressive members, who suggest she did more to nudge Biden out of the race than Jeffries ever did. “It’s sad that Pelosi still has to do this work,” one anonymous House progressive said, adding fuel to the intra-party firestorm.
Jeffries, who took over the top spot from Pelosi, is now facing a storm of criticism for not taking a stronger stance with Biden’s campaign. There’s widespread frustration that he didn’t do more to convince Biden to step aside early, leaving the party to face backlash from voters disillusioned with the aging president’s performance.
It’s a rare scene of Democrats openly questioning the judgment of their leadership in such clear terms—and it’s safe to say Jeffries is feeling the heat. In a private meeting with House Democrats, he even took ownership of the loss, telling his caucus, “The buck stops with me.”
Hakeem Jeffries’ babysitter, Nancy Pelosi, is still playing cleanup for the Minority Leaders’ failures.
“I have a feeling people would say this would never have happened under” Pelosi, the House progressive who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Axios.”… pic.twitter.com/Opm0yS6DFx
— Will Reinert (@willreinert) November 13, 2024
But Jeffries isn’t the only target. Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal is ready to take him to task, insisting that he needs to listen to the left wing of the party more and consider drastic changes to address their policy goals. According to Jayapal, Jeffries has to “engage with a real process with all wings of the party,” otherwise they’ll keep spiraling. Translation: It’s time to get on board with the progressive agenda or face the consequences.
Meanwhile, the party’s internal struggles don’t stop there. Minority Whip Katherine Clark is catching her fair share of blame, with some moderates fed up with her support for far-left positions on issues like transgender policies. Clark reportedly whipped the caucus against Republican-backed efforts to restrict biological males from competing in women’s sports—an issue that’s proving to be a lightning rod with voters in moderate and swing districts. One centrist Democrat didn’t hold back, saying, “A left-winger from Massachusetts shouldn’t be whip,” a not-so-subtle jab at Clark’s progressive agenda that isn’t playing well in battleground areas.
All this finger-pointing is revealing the cracks in the Democratic Party’s strategy and messaging. There’s the Pelosi faction, insisting that the former Speaker knew how to control the narrative and reel in the party’s more extreme elements. Then there’s the progressive wing, championed by Jayapal, which is tired of centrist moves and wants more radical change. And, caught in the middle, are leaders like Jeffries and Clark, who are now the ones answering for what could be the Democrats’ biggest political miscalculation in years.
#9 – Dem strategist James Carville BLOWS UP on his party’s “arrogance” and “stupidity” in glorious rant.
“What you’ve done ain’t worth a sh*t. Get your head around that. And all of the Washington-based Democrats farting around, going to wine and cheese parties, and talking about… pic.twitter.com/BbBGpiztuf
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) November 13, 2024
So, as Democrats grapple with a Republican-controlled White House, Senate, and likely a firm GOP majority in the House, they’re left to ask whether the “big tent” approach is backfiring. Jeffries is pledging to regroup, but with Pelosi still looming large in the party’s ranks, it’s anyone’s guess whether Democrats can unite around a vision that’s any less divided than it was before. The battle lines are drawn, and it’s clear that their internal struggles aren’t going away anytime soon.
