Spinning For King Pyrrhus

David Sirota delivers the funniest, most creative spin yet on the Pelosi-Murtha debacle:

Hoyer vs. Murtha: A Pelosi Win-Win

...this was, in fact, a win-win situation for Pelosi, no matter what the outcome. If Murtha had won, she would have had a close ally as her number 2. With Hoyer winning under these circumstances, she has also won because she has let him know that his disloyalty to the Democratic Caucus in the past on major issues has created a strong block of opponents to him - and that the only way for him to mollify those opponents is to stay in line in the future, rather than continue publicly undermining the Democratic Caucus as he has many times before...

...She has also won today because she has sent a message to the entire Democratic Caucus by letting every Member know that there will be unpleasant consequences to Hoyer-esque Democratic disloyalty. Though Hoyer won the election, you can bet he didn’t enjoy having a spirited opponent. Every single member of the Democratic Caucus now knows that when they behave the way Hoyer behaved in the past, they may face similar pain.

This is the same dynamic that happened with the Lamont-Lieberman primary. Some Washington insiders say the whole contest was a waste because Lamont lost the general. But what they don’t say - and probably don’t understand - is that the spirited challenge was a victory unto itself, because it sent a message to every other lawmaker in the country that they are not able to ignore the public without facing consequences.

Uh huh.  Hoyer and Lieberman are really suffering now.  For a more conventional take, try Howard Fineman, Carl Hulse of the NY Times, the LA Times, the NY Times editors, the WaPo, or Howard Kurtz.  The WaPo editors had checked in earlier with their disapproval of Murtha.

Other than Mr. Sirota, Nancy Pelosi swept the board.

Meanwhile, I eagerly await the panel presentation by Messrs. Murtha and Lamont tentatively titled "It's All About Iraq".  And as the LA Times noted, the next Pelosi Pile-up will be on the Hastings-Harman scuffle.

Comments

[hit and run]

I thought dissent was patriotic? I thought dems were all about dissent. Unlike those lemming repubs who take orders from Rove and ask no questions.....

From the Corner:

"Time Mag's Karen Tumulty (where do they find these names?) on Hoyer/Murtha" [Michael Ledeen]

It's pretty hard to beat this for sheer demagoguery:
Time.com ^ Karen Tumulty

Nancy Pelosi showed us something important about herself this week. If Tip O'Neill thought that all politics was local, Pelosi's view is that it's personal. But what may have more significance in the long run is what her caucus showed her — that, unlike the Republicans they are replacing, they will not march lockstep at every dictate from their leaders.

Riiight, Karen. The insurrections against Harriet Meiers and the Bush immigration scheme never happened. Lord knows McCaine never ever challenged Frist or the White House. Snowe and Collins always did what they were told. And Specter was always in lockstep with his colleagues. It was stormtroopers marching in lockstep, all the time.

[bubba]

Does Sirota make the kool-aid or just drink it?

[lurker]

If Nancy lobbies for Alcee and loses, her role as the Speaker of the House will be limited to speakingroles. Who will trust and respect her after this?

Oh, dang, forgot!

She is two steps away from the Oval Office...

Can USA survive her incompetence, corruption, and unethical values if she ever reaches the Oval Office?

[windansea]

women drivers!

[clarice]

He's been cribbing from scrappleface again.

[BumperStickerist]

single member of the Democratic Caucus now knows that when they behave the way Hoyer behaved in the past, they may face similar pain.

Unlike the pain Murtha might face, if he ever has to talk with Chris Matthews again.

Also, I'd point out to David Sirota that the definition of 'sacrifice' means you had to give up something. Hoyer gave up some temporary comfort to gain a position of power.

What makes you think the Democratic Caucus is so weak-kneed that other Democrats would see any pain they endure at the hands of Pelosi as fleeting?

[TexasToast]

Democrats must be crazy not to accept Republican advice on who their leaders should be, right? Do I want a chairman of the Intelligence Committee who supports warrentless wiretapping? Um..... no.

I'm glad to see you guys selected Trent Lott in a landslide. The happy days of the Old South must be here again! ;)

[BumperStickerist]

Mutual Simultaneous Schadenfreude.

It's a Brave New Era in political punditry.

-

[Don]

The impotent always blame the woman.

[lurker]

Actually, we want someone that supports warrantless terrorist surveillance and does not support domestic surveillance to lead the intelligence committee. We also want that person to protect our classified intelligence data.

[Sue]

Democrats must be crazy not to accept Republican advice

I'm with you on that. Democrats need to tell republicans to STFU. If they want to put an impeached judge who was impeached for accepting bribes in charge of our intelligence, why the hell not? We republicans had the gall to re-elect a man whose only crime was a botched joke and plastic hair.

Uh...oh...

[PeterUK]

This face for two years

[anonymous]

This guys right, clearly a win - win for Plerosi.

Just like if the Democrats defeat Bolton, its a win - win for Bush!! It will keep Bolton in line with the Bush agenda.

[Paul]

Sure it's a win for Pelosi. Just like a defeat in Iraq is a win for the Democrats. The party mascot ain't a jackass for nothin'.

[TexasToast]

Sue

STFU? Naw! By all means, keep talking! :) I'm sure you have the best interest of the democratic party at heart!

If I were in congress, warrentless wiretapping and habeas corpus would be dealbreakers for me.

PS Botched joke? We have just been reminded what a terrible crime that is.

[topsecretk9]

Uh huh. Hoyer and Lieberman are really suffering now.

HEH.

[eric]

It's funny how powerful the magnifying glass gets when the shoe's on the other foot.

[Sue]

I'm sure you have the best interest of the democratic party at heart!

No. I don't. I could care less about the democratic party. What I care about is putting a man in charge of our intelligence that can be bribed. You should care too, instead of throwing political darts.

If I were in congress, warrentless wiretapping and habeas corpus would be dealbreakers for me.

If frogs had wings...

...lots of stuff are deal breakers for you. Stop for a minute and think...Harman has seen what Bush is doing and she hasn't been all that upset about it. Is she a toad for Bush too?

PS Botched joke? We have just been reminded what a terrible crime that is.

I'm glad you understand your own hypocrisy.

[hit and run]

Sue:
If frogs had wings...

Or Dan Rather's version

"We used to say if a frog had side pockets, he'd carry a handgun."

[jerry]

Any news yet on that US soldier who was kidnapped before the election and abandoned... where the Army surrounded Sadr City to rescue him and then got called off by Maliki... where the White House and press dropped the story to obsess over Kerry's silly comments???

[Pofarmer]

Ya know, you might say that Hoyer would be kept in line if he won by a squeaker. But he didn't, It was pretty much a landslide. A much bigger margin, I must add, than the races which gave the Dim's the Senate. You could almost say the man has a Mandate. I wouldn't look for Hoyer to toe the Pelosi party line too much any too soon.

[Pofarmer]

Like the White House and the Press are gonna find him? Moron.

[windansea]

Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse University professor Arthur C. Brooks is about to become the darling of the religious right in America -- and it's making him nervous.

The child of academics, raised in a liberal household and educated in the liberal arts, Brooks has written a book that concludes religious conservatives donate far more money than secular liberals to all sorts of charitable activities, irrespective of income.

The book's basic findings are that conservatives who practice religion, live in traditional nuclear families and reject the notion that the government should engage in income redistribution are the most generous Americans, by any measure.

Conversely, secular liberals who believe fervently in government entitlement programs give far less to charity. They want everyone's tax dollars to support charitable causes and are reluctant to write checks to those causes, even when governments don't provide them with enough money.

link

[Larry]

warrentless wiretapping and habeas corpus would be dealbreakers for me.
Posted by: TexasToast | November 17, 2006 at 09:09 AM

I'm sure you mean warrAntless wiretapping would warrEnt breaking the deal. Respectfully submitted by the Schpellink Geschtapo (SG).

[Terrye]

At least Trent Lott is not a blithering idiot TT.

[lurker]

Ok, if these two items are dealbreakers for TexasToast, then the country will be toasted for the wrong reasons.

[Daddy]

Do you think that when Pelosi told this Sirota guy it was a "Win Win" situation, she told it to him "Eyeball to Eyeball?"

[Terrye]

Personally I think that some right wing bloggers need to stop bitching about Martinez and Lott and maybe stop and think about the fact that they were not always right themselves. The election results make that plain enough.

In fact their little pork busters campaign and immigration hard liners were a real bust with the voters.

On the other hand the Democrats who did win the last election in races where the outcome was actually in question did not by and large run on granting more civil liberties to terrorists and surrendering to terrorists where ever they find them.

It seems it was a win for the center and it could be that is what Pelosi discovered when she tried to put Mad Murtha in a job he obviously is not up to.

So will she go with Harman {who does support the NSA terrorist surveillence program} or will she try to put some crony in there who will do his best to make it possible for another Atta to carry out another terrorist attack?

[Pofarmer]

Personally, I'm pretty happy with Lott. The guy was railroaded. I'd be happy to have Daschle back, too. I'd give up Hulshoff for Daschle in a second. Oh, well, at least Hulshoff beat and anti-war moonbat type soundly.

[hit and run]

Oh man, this is good. From Best of the Web...

Not That There's Anything Wrong With That!

"He's a Republican, I'm a Democrat, we work together on issues that are important to the state of Nevada. And I wish other people had the same nonaggression pact we have. It's not a 'Brokeback Mountain' situation." --Sen. Harry Reid, describing his relationship with Sen. John Ensign, quoted by the Associated Press, Nov. 15

[richard mcenroe]

"Can USA survive her incompetence, corruption, and unethical values if she ever reaches the Oval Office?"

the Secret Service have their orders...

[lurker]

ROFL!!

Taking the fight to Radical Islam

The plucking of a young girl's eyes was shown in the beginning of Glenn Beck's show earlier this week.

Glenn Beck had Netanayuh on for one full hour last night.