How Pelosi Kept Her Head Down And Used Her Political Savvy To Quell A Rebellion

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 07:  U.S. House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) leaves after a weekly news conference June 7, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Pelosi held her weekly news conference to answer questions from members of the media.  (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 07: U.S. House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) leaves after a weekly news conference June 7, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Pelosi held her weekly news conference to answer qu... WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 07: U.S. House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) leaves after a weekly news conference June 7, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Pelosi held her weekly news conference to answer questions from members of the media. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has quietly taken the legs out from under the brewing insurrection in the House, looking more than likely now than ever to get the gavel.

According to a Thursday Washington Post report, Pelosi dealt with the rebellion in her usual way: dismissing breathless reports of her inevitable demise, and approaching the disgruntled members one by one to hear them out and strike a compromise.

“She’s doesn’t raise her voice; she doesn’t threaten anybody — that’s not her style,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) told the Washington Post. “She wins by winning the moral argument, by winning the public-relations argument, by winning the argument with groups and activists. She’s going to be speaker.”

In rapid succession, Pelosi has deftly maneuvered challengers and opponents onto her side.

First, Pelosi got Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH), a possible challenger, to drop the idea by slotting her in the chairmanship of a subcomittee on voting rights. Then, she convinced Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY), a member who signed the letter calling for a new speaker, to retract his statement and throw her his support after listening to his desire to see Medicare expanded.

Pelosi’s not quite out of the woods yet, but the tide has clearly turned with most of the Congressional Black Caucus rallying to her side, along with former President Barack Obama and progressive influencer Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

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