Storm clouds gathering

LARRY ANDERSON
Larry Anderson

There is a rumbling in the east, but the noise isn’t nature signaling a cloudburst. The reverberation is a hint of discontent within liberal ranks.

Failure has conjoined unhappiness; lack of traction has suggested status quo in election 2018.

If there is anything the left can’t stand, it is not being in control of everything. Therefore, the suggestion of change in leadership has raised its pretty head, but its inevitability is not guaranteed. There are no guarantees in politics.

Ask Hillary Clinton.

There was a minor revolt within Democratic ranks a few months ago when Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio challenged Nancy Pelosi’s leadership as House Minority Leader, but there was little momentum, and the chattering Pelosi, 77, put out that fire with a garden hose.

But it’s different now. How so?

Well, since Ryan failed in his little rebellion, there have been four special elections for Congress in Georgia, South Carolina, Kansas and Montana, and Republicans won them all. Had there been even one loss within these Trump states, it would have given the left something to glom onto. They could argue Trump’s shirttail was dragging, his mystique had faded, and everyone was now ready to return chastened to the liberal fold.

As it was, the left had to take the limp position that some votes were closer than they thought. Whatever. The fact is the party spent more money in the Georgia race than any congressional contest in history and still lost by five points.

If $50 million blown on ads and such can’t get a liberal elected, then it is possible nothing will in key districts where victory is critical for them. That is a sobering thought for the old liberal guard already in the minority and looking at a new campaign in a year. Also, new faces spewing the same old yap about American failures might be ignored for a message more positive and measurable.

Now a louder voice against Pelosi as one of the leaders of the left has developed. Questioning her abilities and positions are more justified in light of additional losses. Someone else, a moderate perhaps, might be able to rock the boat off the sandy shore before it begins to resemble a shipwreck.

Again, nothing is certain in politics. Pelosi, like her aging political sisters Maxine Waters and Senator Diane Feinstein, Californians one and all, hails from a safe district. She can literally say or do anything and get away with it. I’m not sure she even campaigns any more.

Pelosi has seniority and a solid liberal rep. She also knows how to consolidate power around her via carrot and stick. Therefore, it is unlikely she will face an uprising of any magnitude before the next election. However, if seats are not gained then, or worse for Democrats, more seats are lost, then betting on Pelosi continuing in her current role would not be advised.

The fact that Pelosi is wildly unpopular outside her district matters not a whit. She, like most leftist ideologues, is undisturbed by broader public opinion.

The Democrats are in review, but the wheels of change turn slowly. The old guard, of which Pelosi is a member, must be discredited and replaced by election and appointed position. The new guard must show off something fresh and appealing while distancing themselves from political mentors and failed policies. That is tough political business within a party presently so philosophically rigid it has become brittle.

Replacing Pelosi immediately isn’t the most important point. What is significant is dissenting voices are finally starting to assert themselves within the Democratic party. That suggests less fear within and, hopefully, less lock-step voting on important issues such as tax and health care reform now starting to roll.

New leadership and a new outlook is critical for the Democratic party locked sadly in the past, but it is clear the party hasn’t reached that realization fully or Pelosi would not be comfortable still on her diminished throne.

Perhaps one more election will do it.

America thrives on a healthy two-party system. When one party is as you see it, everyone pays the price. Therefore, I will reiterate my position that the future of the Democratic party lies in moderation.

It is everyone’s duty to help them get there.

Larry W. Anderson is a retired educator, author and Bearcat.