The biggest Democratic loser: Steny Hoyer

[FBaggins]

It's been, in case you missed it, a pretty rough week for Democrats. But for most of the party's top leaders, it's not that hard to find a silver lining:

•Barack
•Nancy Pelosi
•Harry Reid
•Chuck Schumer
•Dick Durbin

(See article for silver lining for each)

But then there's Steny Hoyer, the current House majority leader. It's tough to find the silver lining for him. A week ago, just before the election, Hoyer was poised to succeed Pelosi as the top Democrat in the House, since it was widely assumed that Pelosi would step down from leadership -- and from her House seat -- if the Democrats lost their majority. Hoyer and Pelosi are longtime rivals (their relationship dates back to the early 1960s, when the native Marylanders both interned in the office of Sen. Daniel Brewster) and Pelosi had long gotten the better of Hoyer, besting him in a critical 2001 leadership contest (which set her on course to eventually claim the Speaker's gavel) and aggressively maneuvering to limit his influence in leadership. When Hoyer's ally, New York Rep. Joe Crowley, was in position to grab the No. 4 Democratic leadership post in 2006, Pelosi pulled the rug out from under him and installed Connecticut's John Larson instead.

Except that's not at all what's played out. Instead, not at all for the first time, Pelosi has stepped in and thwarted Hoyer's ambition. Her Friday announcement that she plans to stay in the House and run for minority leader essentially ruined Hoyer's plan. Pelosi only made the move when it was clear she'd have the votes, so Hoyer had little choice but to acknowledge reality and quickly back out of contention for the top slot. But that wasn't the end of it. As a minority party, Democrats will only have four leadership slots, instead of the five that they now enjoy. Someone will be left without a chair. With Pelosi moving to claim the minority leader's post, the next spot down is minority whip -- a slot that Hoyer is now running for. But the Democrats already have a whip, South Carolina's James Clyburn. And instead of moving down a notch himself, Clyburn is now running for minority whip, too.

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/?story=/politics/war_room/2010/11/08/nancy_pelosi_mess

[Hawkowl]

1. Yay!!!

Hoyer is a conservadem who was constantly using the Bluedogs to undercut Pelosi. So it is only fitting that he be booted out of leadership since the Bluedogs were decimated in the election.

[Nite Owl]

2. Well that's a bit of

good news. Hoyer is really not on our side at all, he constantly gives in to the corporations.

[budkin]

3. Good... I hated that pick ever since 2006 when we took back the House