Rep. Tim Ryan's (D-Ohio) long-shot challenge to House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) has shone a rare public spotlight on rank-and-file frustrations that have simmered, largely in whispers, for more than half a decade.
Those restive voices agree that the Democrats need a hefty shakeup to get back on a winning track. But there's lingering dissent about the roots of the party's problems, what changes would best address them and whether Pelosi and the current leadership team are best suited for righting the listing ship.
The debate –– and Pelosi’s reluctant decision to delay leadership elections until Nov. 30 to accommodate longer discussion –– have highlighted the inner turmoil among Democrats seeking a new strategy to correct problems many say transcend one disastrous election cycle.
“It's not just about messaging,” said Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.). It's about “who the hell we are [and] where we're going.”
In the view of Ryan and some other newer lawmakers, regional diversity is key, and the only way to reverse the party’s misfortunes is through a changing of the guard at the very top.
Ryan says Pelosi, a liberal icon from San Francisco who's radioactive in the eyes of conservatives, simply doesn't speak to the Rust-Belt workers like those in his district, where voters split the ballot in favor of him and
Donald Trump, the Republican president-elect.
