House Democrats are having a rough week.
On Tuesday, 192 of them voted against condemning socialism, a gift-wrapped attack ad for Republicans just months before the midterms. But that wasn't even the most embarrassing part of their day.
The real story is what happened behind the scenes, where two centrist Democrats blew up their own party's carefully laid plans to stop the vote entirely and exposed just how little control House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) actually has over his caucus.
And if that weren't bad enough, none other than House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) showed up to twist the knife.
What happened was that the House passed a procedural "rule" Tuesday by a razor-thin 210-208 vote. Rules like this normally pass along party lines without drama. This one didn't, because two Democrats, Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), broke ranks and helped Republicans push it through.
Golden isn't exactly known for playing nice with leadership. "I think it's well established that I don't really do whip calls," he said.
As previously reported, the rule condemned “socialism in all its forms,” a measure most House Democrats opposed because it also advanced the SAVE America Act. Golden said he’d “probably” support the anti-socialism language, but his real reason was the Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act, which he co-leads and calls a “top priority.”
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“They couldn’t possibly think that I would vote against my own bill, right?” Golden said, adding that he “had other ‘yes’ votes lined up” that ultimately weren’t needed. Gluesenkamp Perez likewise backed the rule because Golden’s lobsterman bill was included.
The thing is, House Minority Leader Jeffries didn't see any of it coming, and that’s why Pelosi spoke out.
The former speaker, who, as we all know, ran her caucus with an iron grip, said she was stunned a rule was even allowed to fail. "Voting for the rule is something that I, as Speaker, we never — we didn't even consider that anybody would do that," she said. "We never had that problem. So I'm disappointed that they did that."
Translation: this never would have happened on my watch.
And considering Pelosi personally handpicked Jeffries as her successor, that's about as public a vote of no confidence she could deliver without ever saying his name.
If she was trying to be subtle, she failed.
In fairness, she’s not wrong, and the fallout is actually quite significant. The backlash inside the caucus has been fierce, with some members venting at leadership staff and leadership itself.
According to Axios, the vote created “tension between some of the leadership,” with most of the anger directed at Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) said, “Everyone knows that you don't vote against a procedural vote without notifying leadership. Everyone. We're as strong as our weakest link.” One senior Democrat said members were especially angry at Gluesenkamp Perez because Golden at least had his own bill at stake.
Now, pressure is mounting on Jeffries to punish both lawmakers. The senior Democrat said, “People want it,” while Jeffries called the defections a “significant breach of trust” and said repercussions are “under discussion right now.”
Whether Jeffries actually follows through is another question entirely. Right now, he can't control his own caucus, let alone discipline the two members who embarrassed him and undermined his leadership abilities.
And Nancy Pelosi made sure everyone noticed.
Editor’s Note: Help us make sure Hakeem Jeffries never becomes House Speaker!
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