This week, the House voted 232-196 to formalize procedures for impeaching Donald Trump.
On the morning of the vote, Kellyanne Conway went on TV saying that Democrats didn't have the votes to pass the resolution. I liked DC political journalist Dave Weigel's comment: "You don't have to be a 'yaaas kween' Pelosi fan to know that 'I bet Pelosi won't have counted the votes' is a prelude to being embarrassed".
Despite being a "yaaas kween" Pelosi fan of 14 years, I didn't expect such a large margin of victory. But I can tell you a little about what made it happen. It requires a lot of trust between Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Congresscritters* from Republican-leaning districts. There are 36 of them, 34 of whom voted for the impeachment resolution.
Congress has long operated with an economy of favor-trading. Sometimes the favors are tangible things, like voting to fund a highway your district wants. Sometimes they're intangible things, like having the Speaker make it clear that you're not committed to something that Fox News might otherwise blast you for in the next election.
Earlier this year, vulnerable Democratic Congresscritters wanted that sort of clarity about not being committed to impeachment. I expect that they still want it on things like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal. Pelosi gave them the clear uncommitted positioning they wanted by looking negative on impeachment. She maintained that up until September, when the Ukraine scandal emerged and she saw the opportunity.
What does Pelosi ask in return? That they vote her way if the time comes to do so. The time came, and they held up their end of the deal.
Back in 2010 when Pelosi was trying to pass Obamacare through the House and betting markets had it at a 1 in 3 chance of passage, she was beaming at cameras and talking about what a historic event it would be. She knew she had the votes. The moderates owed her. The media didn't know how many votes she had. But she did.
*A gender-neutral and species-neutral term favored by mid-2000s lefty bloggers.
On the morning of the vote, Kellyanne Conway went on TV saying that Democrats didn't have the votes to pass the resolution. I liked DC political journalist Dave Weigel's comment: "You don't have to be a 'yaaas kween' Pelosi fan to know that 'I bet Pelosi won't have counted the votes' is a prelude to being embarrassed".
Despite being a "yaaas kween" Pelosi fan of 14 years, I didn't expect such a large margin of victory. But I can tell you a little about what made it happen. It requires a lot of trust between Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Congresscritters* from Republican-leaning districts. There are 36 of them, 34 of whom voted for the impeachment resolution.
Congress has long operated with an economy of favor-trading. Sometimes the favors are tangible things, like voting to fund a highway your district wants. Sometimes they're intangible things, like having the Speaker make it clear that you're not committed to something that Fox News might otherwise blast you for in the next election.
Earlier this year, vulnerable Democratic Congresscritters wanted that sort of clarity about not being committed to impeachment. I expect that they still want it on things like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal. Pelosi gave them the clear uncommitted positioning they wanted by looking negative on impeachment. She maintained that up until September, when the Ukraine scandal emerged and she saw the opportunity.
What does Pelosi ask in return? That they vote her way if the time comes to do so. The time came, and they held up their end of the deal.
Back in 2010 when Pelosi was trying to pass Obamacare through the House and betting markets had it at a 1 in 3 chance of passage, she was beaming at cameras and talking about what a historic event it would be. She knew she had the votes. The moderates owed her. The media didn't know how many votes she had. But she did.
*A gender-neutral and species-neutral term favored by mid-2000s lefty bloggers.
