Status quo Dem not right choice

Changing tide bringing in new faces

Nancy Pelosi is hoping to become speaker again — a position she first occupied from 200711. She needs 218 votes, and it looks like she has them, but Washington, D.C., has become more hostile to women and to status quo politicians, and Pelosi fits both categories.

The U.S. House of Representatives currently has 83 female members, and when the new Congress convenes in January, the number will climb to 100; a record for women.

This insurgency, driven in part by the perception of an administration hostile to women, could be the beginning of a major shift away from centuries of maledominated rule in America. Or, considering how well the Republicans did in their Senate races, it could be the beginning of a stinging backlash.

One would think the increase in female members bodes well for Pelosi. But her gender, however, won’t be enough to amass the votes and the loyalty needed to be an effective leader for an evermore diverse Congress.

When Pelosi first rose to the majority leadership position in 2007, there were only 78 women in the House. It was an historic moment when she broke the congressional glass ceiling to become the first female speaker.

She earned the respect of her colleagues and endured more than her fair share of criticism, more often for her looks, age or hair, than for her policies. People on both sides of the aisle describe her as a talented negotiator and strong fundraiser.

With a much larger contingent of congresswomen this time around, and no novelty associated with having a female speaker, Pelosi’s leadership may not have the appeal it once did.

Rabble-rousers like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley won races that a few years ago would have been impossible to win.

Neither woman talked much about Nancy Pelosi. Young progressive politicians aren’t interested in old-school politics. Their campaigns were all about change, and it’s hard to see how Nancy Pelosi fits that vision.

Parts of this country indicated a strong dislike for the status quo by electing our first Native American woman and first Muslim American women to Congress. In some cases, people with little or no political experience prevailed over career politicians.

Nancy Pelosi isn’t a reformer, she’s an establishment Democrat. If there’s a new agenda in town, it won’t be the old team carrying it out.

Still others won’t support Pelosi simply because she’s a woman. In the aftermath of the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, it’s hard to imagine that Pelosi won’t be a lightning rod for some of the leftover anti-woman vitriol in Washington.

Maybe this time Nancy Pelosi isn’t the right choice.