Pelosi Did Her Job

Post election, Republicans are flabbergasted that Nancy Pelosi would still hold leadership in her party's House caucus. Why wouldn't she?

Pelosi passed some of the most progressive pieces of legislation in a generation. That's what she was there to do. She passed through her chamber legislation repelling Don't Ask, Don't Tell. She passed through her chamber, twice, legislation that expanded health care to children. She passed through her chamber, equal pay for women, a deadline that would have ended the war in Iraq with one signature from President Bush, credit card reform, PayGo, Wall St. reform, and genuine health care reform that included a public option.

These are huge accomplishments for the progressive community and the Democratic Party itself.  Every single one of those accomplishments individually poll as very popular issues.  She did exactly what she was elected Speaker to do: legislate her party's agenda.

Instead she's treated as if she held the House hostage and forced everything with stiff-arm methods.  She did exactly everything she said she was going to do.  It was an agenda vastly approved by the American people.  If she wants to continue having leadership in her party, she deserves it.

Here's what goes unsaid or deleted from history.  Democrats took back the House in 2006 by running their campaigns to bring an end to the war in Iraq, on providing oversight to a very unpopular president, on expanding health care to children, on the Lilly Ledbetter Act that granted fair pay for women, on credit card reform and on repealing DADT.  They were overwhelmingly elected on those topics and Pelosi did just that.  She did her job.

Now it's time for Republicans to attempt their agenda.  They won by saying they will repeal Obama's health care reform, by saying they will get rid of earmarks, by saying they will rein in the deficit and shrink government, by saying they will privatize Social Security and cut taxes.  Do it.