Pelosi's minority leadership starts with mass, historic Dem defections

[(R)IGHTeous 1]

I so say keep her!

Boehner elected speaker of the House; Pelosi's support divided

Rep. John A. Boehner of Ohio was elected speaker of the House Wednesday in an historic vote that saw a significant portion of the Democratic caucus vote for someone other than outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Mr. Boehner received 241 votes, all Republicans, to capture the gavel and become third in the line of presidential succession, following only the vice president.

Mrs. Pelosi, meanwhile, received 173 votes, but watched as 19 Democrats from her caucus either opted for another candidate or merely voted "present."

It was the most defections from a party caucus's candidate in at least the last two decades, and underscored the simmering tensions among House Democrats who suffered staggering losses in last year's midterm elections.

Republicans gained more than five dozen seats, and will control the House 242-193 in the 112th Congress. In a show of just how much Republicans' numbers have grown, they spilled across the aisle into the traditional Democratic seats on the chamber's East side.

Boehner elected speaker of the House; Pelosi's support divided - Washington Times

 

[(R)IGHTeous 1]

By JOHN BRESNAHAN & JONATHAN ALLEN | 1/5/11 10:12 AM EST Updated: 1/5/11 3:27 PM EST

Nearly 20 Democrats abandoned their party’s pick for speaker of the House, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a sign of their concerns about supporting the unpopular former speaker and of the difficulty she will have in marshaling her forces in legislative battles to come in the next two years.

Pelosi brushed off the 18 votes for other lawmakers on Wednesday afternoon — 11 of them for North Carolina’s Heath Shuler — in a brief exchange with POLITICO.

“We’re excited about the votes I got,” said the California Democrat, who handed over the speaker’s gavel to John Boehner of Ohio at a ceremony following the roll call vote.

Still, the anti-Pelosi tally dwarfed the number of protest votes cast against leaders of both parties in the recent past, which never break into double digits.

19 Democrats vote against Nancy Pelosi - John Bresnahan and Jonathan Allen - POLITICO.com