Progressive Minds

The Democrats in the House of Representatives made a brilliant move today!  It was awesome. 

What did they do that was so special, you might ask?  They did something that many of their GOP counterparts have seemed afraid to do: show their independence.

Speaker-Elect Nancy Pelosi (boy, does that sound great after 12 years of Republican rule) lobbyed for her longtime ally Rep. Jack Murtha to be elected the Number 2 Democrat when the Democrats take control next January.

But in a secret-ballot session today, Democrats instead chose Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland.

In going against their incoming speaker's wishes, the House Democrats have shown that they are independent thinkers, and won't be afraid to buck Speaker Pelosi should she need reigning in.

Contrast this with how the GOP has run the House of Representatives since 1994.  GOP leaders in the House have frequently used strong-arming tactics such as holding 5 minute votes open for 40 minutes, so they could do some arm twisting and threatening until they got the number of votes they needed from members of their party.

The Democrats today demonstrated that when they assume control next year, they won't allow themselves to be strong-armed.  They will vote their conscience, no matter what their leadership may be telling or asking them to do.