It turns out the Democrats do, indeed, have a plan for the first 100 seconds of the next session of Congress should they take control of the House.
As Democrats enter the final days of their push to take back control of the House in next week's election, two divisive backroom leadership fights are brewing within the party, raising fears that Democratic unity could be fraying even before the first votes are cast.
For some Democrats, the battle between Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (Md.), the minority whip, who had been expected to ascend to majority leader without opposition, and Rep. John P. Murtha (Pa.) threatens the party's efforts to appear ready to govern.
In what could be another high-profile showdown, Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), the ambitious former White House aide who runs the Democratic campaign arm of the House, may seek the third-ranking post of majority whip, pitting him against Democratic Caucus Chairman James E. Clyburn (S.C.), the only African American in a leadership position.
This could exacerbate racial strains in the House, since both the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have complained that Emanuel is insensitive to minority concerns. Members of the black caucus accused him of using strong-arm tactics to collect dues for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and the Hispanic caucus withheld its dues last year until Emanuel hired a Hispanic staffer at the DCCC.
On one point there is no disagreement: If the Democrats win, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) will be elected speaker. While she has not taken a public position in the Hoyer-Murtha battle, she is politically and personally much closer to Murtha and has a long-standing rivalry with Hoyer.
But members, aides and outside consultants who are closely watching the contest said Murtha has an uphill battle because Hoyer has worked for a decade to rebuild the majority, raising millions of dollars for his colleagues and recruiting Democrats to run.
And Pelosi may be irked that Murtha publicly picked this fight, according to some Democrats.
So we have endless hours of entertainment in our future if the Dems gain control. Who says these are not serious people about the governance of this country? Who says they…..hey! Isn't that Barack Obama?
