How do you rate Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi’s performance since Obama became president?
About The Author
BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
I’d say Pelosi is toward the upper end of average and Reid is definitely below average.
Reid sucks-way low end of the scale. Pelosi at least keeps her folks together and gets stuff passed, aleit she does have a larger majority. I rate her at the mid level.
Pelosi is doing fine. Read can’t be judged until the healthcare bill passes (as of now I can’t really discern anything serious he fucked up).
Pelosi’s job is easier than Reid’s at the moment, but she’s doing fine from what I’ve seen. Not perfect, but a reasonable job.
Reid – I just don’t know. Sometimes it seems like he’s playing the long game and other times it seems like he’s just ineffective. Ask again when a health care bill is either sitting on Obama’s desk or has been torpedoed – I might have a better feel of whether he’s an underdog playing the long game or just completely out of his league.
But I do always have to take a step back with Reid and remember that his job is a million times harder than Pelosi’s is – with all the places the minority can block the majority in the Senate, his own caucus being fairly un-unified in ideology, the ability for even one of his caucus members to tank something by siding with the Republicans, the united bloc of Republicans who just can’t be swayed – Reid’s job is really damn hard. I just wish I knew if his general floundering in it was because it’s just that damn hard or because he’s just not that good.
His job may be harder but that’s no reason to look like an idiot 2 days out of a 5 day workweek. Image counts.
Pelosi’s performance is okay.
Reid has not gotten any more starch in his spine from having a Democratic president or majority of Senators. He still appears to be an appeaser and capitulator over all issues, large and small.
I wish there was someone in the Senate who would slap some Dems up the side of the head every day and remind them they work for us, the voters, and not their corporate crony/contributors.
It would also be nice to have some fired-up Senator who isn’t afraid to go on a daily rant about just how insane the Repubs have gotten… <heavy sigh>
These roles don’t have to be played by the same person… And those persons don’t have to be in the official “leadership”… But, it sure would be nice to see more passion and genuine — as opposed to faux — outrage more often.
pelosi has done OK, barely.
Harry Reid is just a worthless pile of shit. The kind of shit that’s too toxic to use for compost heaps, and too runny to fashion into bricks to make an outhouse.
Nice.
..and true!
Pelosi is doing fine.
Reid on the other hand…
I don’t know how hard it is to control the Ben Nelson’s and Evan Bayh’s of the world, but it sure seems like Reid caves to them and kisses their butts all the time, while at the same time not doing enought to tarnish or overcome the Republicans’ obstructionism.
Perhaps I’m feeling cranky this morning, but I’m still inclined to view both as the same complicit Villagers they’ve always been. Now, if you substituted the names “Russ Feingold” and “Barbara Boxer”, say, I’d be inclined to be more charitable.
1-to-10 scale:
Pelosi: 7
Reid: 3
Reid’s religion may play into his politics more than he lets on. The LDS leadership are politically connected and active, and having the right people at the right place and time seem to do well in deflecting Reid’s course.
If it were possible to propose a vote of no confidence, Now might be a good time…..all in all, he’s been a disappointment from day one
Pelosi and Reid are as weak as ever.
Pelosi appears to be part of the coverup attempt, i.e. the fact several democratic senators approved the Military Commissions Act, whicb gave explicit approval for the enhanced interrogation techniques. the notion high ranking democrats “didn’t know about the torture” is nonsense.
Pelosi has zero credibility given the fact she took impeachment off the table back in 2006. looks like some serious QUID PRO QUO going on between the bush administration and high ranking democrats.
Feinstein as chair of the Intel Committee “investigating” torture is also a farce.
When I first saw this thread I didn’t have anything to say because I was withholding judgment until the big and clear issues come into play in Congress. Now that Reid has made a senseless, craven obeisance to Specter, there’s nothing more to wait for.
Dump the fool now. That should be a top priority for the liberal/left side of the party.
Nancy Pelosi – below average
Harry Reid – EPIC FAIL
Both weak. Reid reminds me of Anthony Quinn in the re-make of “Requiem For A Heavyweight.”
It’s like he keeps going down to the phony-filibuster so somebody else can get the payoff.
As far as Pelosi is concerned, we need Kucinich in that job.
Pelosi: Well. (Already significantly better than she did in the 110th Congress, still room for improvement but moving in the right direction.)
Reid: Badly.
Pelosi has done a bad job of handling the torture issue. Instead of leading the charge for investigations, as she should, being speaker of the House, she’s been cowering behind her office lackeys who won’t talk to you if you don’t live in her district.
I think both of them are there because lobbyists want them there. I think they should both be replaced, and the sooner, the better.