The Democrats Got Healthy
– By Ed Kociela –
The Democratic Party got healthy last week.
Although they took a few lumps in the midterms, the resultant impact can, really, only be looked upon as beneficial, especially the news from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi that she will not seek a House minority leadership position.
Don’t get me wrong. I am a longtime Pelosi fan and hold her I the highest regard for becoming the first woman to become Speaker. The thing is that instead of supporting or opposing the issues, she became the issue. Her name was, and remains, a detriment to serious debate and discussion. It became “about” Nancy Pelosi, not “about” the issue at hand, and that is not good.
So, it is time for some changes, especially if Democrats hope to hold onto the younger generation. It seems to be attracting an agenda that integrates a more progressive agenda. This changing of the guard can be an overall cleansing moment for Democrats, as a matter of fact, infusing it with youthful energy and idealism necessary to a political party.
Let’s be honest. Most Democrats did not vote for Joe Biden last time out as much as they voted against Donald Trump and, in the process, ran the table in Congress, hoping for a return to normalcy. At the time, Biden talked about being a transitional president whose job was to cut a path back to normalcy after four years of chaos that ranged from a neophyte politician to a worldwide pandemic that shut down national economies and brought us all to our knees. During the first two years of his term, he was the target of obstructionism from the right and criticism from the left because he lacked dynamism and a truly new New Deal. In its disappointment, the Democratic Party still can be proud of doing the right thing in electing Biden. Now, it is time to do the best thing, and Pelosi signaled that she gets it by sensibly being willing to relinquish the reins of party leadership before having them wrested from her in some nasty back alley knife fight. Quite frankly, I do not expect her to seek another term when she comes up for reelection again. In fact, insiders say she is grooming her daughter, Christine Pelosi, a party activist, to be her successor.
It is, perhaps, unfair and possibly hypocritical to be an ageist, but at 82, Pelosi represents the status quo in Washington, D.C., despite her liberal politics.
At 82, she has lived a fruitful professional life. Of course, she has made enemies along the way. It is only natural and not just a fact of political life. The longer you stay on the job, the more opportunity there is for an opposing wave to try to crush you or at the very least, make your life difficult, and God knows Nancy Pelosi has her enemies.
But, she also has admirers from both sides of the aisle, something to be expected from somebody who has served in party leadership for ten terms in the House.
But, it is time to yield. I mean, at 82, I doubt she is willing to hang out until the bartender cries, “Last call!”
The Democratic Party has, historically, been the party of the young – progressive or moderate in scope. It gave us our youngest president John Kennedy. It has now given us our oldest elected president, Biden. Quite a shift.
This isn’t to say that our AARP-aged representatives are without value. In fact, there are many good reasons why they should stay close to the seat of power. There are important points of context, history, experiential moments that would be of great value to a younger generation of politicos. And having the old lions around for perspective and educational purposes would be a good thing even though we have less and less in common with the 30 and 40-somethings. We shouldn’t run their lives but instead offer advice and direction. After all, old age, what the Talmud calls “the season of the harvest,” supposedly brings wisdom. Still, it takes a certain amount of energy and forward thinking to supply the carry-through, something even the spriest 70- or 80-year-old cannot muster. I mean, we hit a certain age, and it just feels good to not be at the starting gate, pawing the earth and waiting for the bell. I know I prefer sleeping in, and if I go too long without a nap, I get grumpy. I certainly don’t want to answer the alarm clock every morning or be awake to tackle the latest world crisis. But, the years have given a certain perspective that can be of some value. I mean, just because we get older doesn’t mean we become irrelevant. We may not look as sharp in our jeans anymore, but we still like to wear them. And we may be unable to dance with the E Street Band for three or four hours every night. However, we still hope Bruce Springsteen pushes “Rosalita” over the edge of sense and sensibility and into that delicious cacophony of screaming guitars and simian energy. We can’t run the streets of Pamplona any longer, either, but that doesn’t mean we cannot watch.
It would not surprise me if Biden follows Pelosi’s lead and either refuses to run again or opts out entirely, resigning sometime in the next year. He would have, by then, filled his mission to transition the nation back to normalcy. And, there are plenty of potential successors waiting on the bench – from Vice President Kamala Harris to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, both of whom have youthful energy and purpose to their credit. A Biden resignation would allow a contender plenty of time to get a campaign in order and prepare for a run.
For far too long, the United States has been under the thumb of old, rich white men. Even some of the stalwart women in the office have become part of the Good Ol’ Boys network.
I am not about to suggest that we warehouse these folks, only that we use them in a different capacity, as elders of the political school, perhaps.
We can all use a rabbi, you know.
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