Nancy Pelosi has regained the House speakership, demonstrating once again Democrats
don’t learn. Pelosi has palatable center-left
politics, she isn’t dangerous or revolutionary
— she can’t be, she’s an enshrined politician.
In a word, she’s a safe bet, and that’s exactly
why she is wrong for the job. Democrats need
to catch up to the entertainment era, they need
someone to catch people’s attention, someone
with flash. The Republicans certainly have
— for all his disgusting and appalling politics,
Trump is a good entertainer. And though he
divides people, you either hate him or love
him, he gets people to vote. No one is rushing to vote for Pelosi, no one is screaming
her name in contempt, or cheering it loudly.
Pelosi’s name is far more likely to drop off
the tongue like a heavy stone. She’ll keep the
House controlled, keeps it functioning, keeps it
bog-standard Democratic, but so will she keep
it unchanged. And if the Democrats need one
thing above all right now, it’s change.
The Democrats won the house on a wave of
change. There were multiple upsets, turnovers
and unexpected outcomes, and certainly some
of that is due to the “Blue Wave” of anti-Trump
sentiment, but it is also due to galvanizing,
exciting figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Whatever one thinks about her politics, Cortez
gets people excited and voting. She does that
by talking about change, and certainly not the
slow methodical realistic kind characteristic of
Pelosi. Cortez is a socialist, she is revolutionary. She’s a young, vitalizing female Bernie
Sanders. People will vote for that.
Yes, it’s appearance. We can bemoan all we
want how politics has become all about appearance, but politics has always been about
appearance. Voters like people who have a
character, who promise something big and important. Politics does not play out like political
dramas, but the voter would love to imagine
their politicians have as much witty personality as those on TV. Pelosi exudes a boring
sturdiness, and though she can get things done,
perhaps that’s not who needs to be heading the
Democratic party. With voter turnout an increasing problem, the Democratic Party needs
someone exciting, someone who captures the
minds of the voting population. Trump captured the heart of the working class people.
The Democrats need to find someone who can
capture the heart of the middle-class, and fast,
or the the Democrats bid for the 2020 presidential seat may end up looking a lot like the 2016
bid — a sturdy politician up against a rambling
maniac, and all of us walking away disappointed, convinced democracy is falling apart.
In a word, Democrats need to remember how
to make politics sexy.