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THE GAME'S STILL THE SAME ... IT JUST GOT MO' FIERCE. I received the same stunning Hill article in my inbox last night that Josh Marshall writes about here. Excerpt:But the thing is, the link to the article no longer seems to work and it's not listed on The Hill's website. Was it pulled? [UPDATE: link works again] And, as Marshall notes, Moran is a hothead. It gives me pause, as the piece's account of Pelosi's intentions and the lay of the race contrasts pretty sharply with the one presented by Zack Roth here and by The Washington Post today here:
House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will ensure that Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) wins his race for majority leader, a key Murtha ally said Monday night.I was all set to emphasize what a remarkable power-play this is, bring up Harold's classic "One Tough Democrat" piece, etc.�She will ensure that they [the Murtha camp] win. This is hard-ball politics,� said Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), a longtime Murtha supporter. �We are entering an era where when the Speaker instructs you what to do, you do it.�...
If Moran�s claims are true, Pelosi is taking an enormous gamble only a week after the election propelled her into the Speakership. If she prevails, she will likely banish her onetime rival Hoyer to the back benches and send a clear signal to her colleagues that she intends to rule with an iron hand. If Hoyer wins, she loses substantial political capital and alerts the caucus that they can successfully oppose her.
Hoyer supporters continue to say he has more than enough votes to prevail, regardless of Pelosi's wishes. Rep. David E. Price (D-N.C.) said Pelosi timed her endorsement to come out after the votes were solidified, giving a nod to Murtha for the sake of loyalty but doing little to sway the election.We shall see."This race is already a done deal," agreed Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah).
--Sam Rosenfeld
