I GUESS YOU'D CALL THIS THE VICTIMS' IMPACT STATEMENT – AT 9:10 P.M. ET:  Nancy Pelosi's bull-headed attempt to remain leader of the Democrats in the House has brought a particularly cold reply from those Democrats who won't be returning to said body, in part because of the agenda of...Nancy Pelosi.  From National Review Online:

Fox News has a draft copy of a letter from defeated House Democrats reportedly being circulated around Capitol Hill. The letter urges Speaker Nancy Pelosi to step aside as her party’s leader, else potential Democratic candidates for 2012 be frightened away. “Republicans have taken away your ability to lead” it says, adding that “Recovery of our majority in the House necessitates new leadership at the top of our party.”

Part of the letter reads:

"Many of us want the chance to run again and reclaim the seats that we lost on Tuesday. With you as the leader of House Democrats, the hangover of 2010 stands no chance of subsiding. Many of us have run our last race but remain committed to our party; we want to help recruit successful candidates to run in our stead. Unfortunately, we fear that Republicans will further demonize you, and in so doing they will scare potential candidates out. The prospect of having to run against their own party leadership in addition to their Republican opponent is simply too daunting."

There's some traditional boot-licking here.  That's to be expected.  But the letter is extraordinary in making clear the writers' belief that Nancy Pelosi is a God-awful image for the Democratic Party.  To paraphrase a famous line from "Casablanca," the writers seem to be saying to Nan, "Of all the parliaments in all the countries of the world, you had to walk into this one."

And yet, there is no sign that Pelosi is budging.  Far from being contrite, she's bragging about her record and is completely deaf to the complaints of the American people.  We wonder whether, when the new Congress is sworn, anyone will actually stand up and oppose Pelosi for the post of minority leader. 

Several pundits have pointed out that, with Harry Reid returning as majoriy leader in the Senate, and Nancy a good bet to be minority leader in the House, the Dems will have elected to their congressional leadership exactly the same team that sank them in the first place.  The designers of the Titanic would have loved it. 

November 8, 2010