How Not to Lead the Democratic Caucus

Speaker Nancy Pelosi is playing hard ball with her caucus over the emergency supplemental appropriations bill, the funding bill President Bush requested for the prosecution of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan which has ballooned into a pork laden monstrosity. Because she doesn't have the votes to pass the bill when it comes to a floor vote tomorrow, Pelosi is breaking out the big guns.

Faced with the possibility of losing the first really big vote since taking majority control in the November elections, Pelosi is talking tough to wavering lawmakers and isolating those opposed to the bill.

Democrats picked up some undecided lawmakers yesterday as they edged closer to the 218 votes they need to pass the bill when it reaches the House floor tomorrow or Friday. Pelosi is spending 90 percent of her time trying to sway the 10 percent of the caucus that is either undecided or opposed to the bill, according to a senior lawmaker and a leadership aide.

She has been hardest on members of the Appropriations Committee and her fellow Californians who oppose the measure. The Speaker pointedly reminded Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), a leading opponent of the bill, that she had appointed her to the Appropriations Committee, three Democratic lawmakers said.

The message was simple, the lawmakers said: Pelosi could also remove Lee from the panel.

During a meeting last week with appropriators, Pelosi reminded them that serving on the panel was a privilege, admonishing lawmakers from safe districts who feel they have the luxury to vote how they want without consequences — as opposed to Democrats elected in swing districts who do not, a Democratic appropriator said.

The arm twisting is necessary because the Democratic leadership still operates under teh belief that the Democratic victory in November was a mandate on their plans for the Iraq war. But as they have learned, the Democrats don't have a plan nor a mandate nor even agreement within their caucus on how to proceed. If Pelosi can't even get 218 votes to pass the bill, now laden with pork in order to entice wavering members to support the bill, she will never have enough votes to override an anticipated Presidential veto.

But the tough tactics could backfire on Pelosi. An outright revolt by her caucus on the issue of Iraq seems to be brewing. Failing to achieve even a reluctant consensus among her diverse caucus is a symbol not only of failed leaderhip but a failed understanding of the nation's desires. Most people don't like the Iraq war, but the "Noseholders" demographic controls the debate and that group of people don't think that leaving Iraq is a good idea, although they do want a new direction. Pelosi and the Democratic leadership just don't seem to undertand that dynamic and continue to operate in a world partially divorced from reality.

UPDATE: This from Politico.com: A

House Democrat said Tuesday night the Democrats' whip team was still 14 votes short of the 218 votes needed to pass the supplemental spending bill for military operations this year in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The hard count is 204. There's some news for you," the lawmaker said, adding that the number was current "as of an hour ago," 6 p.m. Tuesday night.