Copying my comment from the other thread:

It was going to have to come eventually and now seems as good a time as any. I think it is good that she's sticking around for another term. Jeffries is going to be much worse at the job but her still being around to guide him is probably for the best.

Wishing for a Feinstein thread (in the sense of Feinstein finally retiring).

I congratulate her on a long career in Congressional leadership and wish the best to her and her family.

Given that it was going to come around anyway, like Teo says, I don't necessarily think it's bad that there are visible repercussions and pain being publicly shown from the attack on Paul Pelosi.

I'm going to say this ineloquently, but: it looks more like terrorism (which it is!) when the consequences are visible. Otherwise it's just so easy to forget it ever happened.

It's a shame congressional leaders get routinely forgotten by history, compared to presidents. I think her leadership saving the ACA from cowardly abandonment in the home stretch is worth immortalization:

In public, her strategy was to keep stating that reform was moving forward. "We will go through the gate," she said at a January 28 press conference. "If the gate is closed, we will go over the fence. If the fence is too high, we will pole vault in. If that doesn't work, we will parachute in. But we are going to get health reform passed." She also made clear to the White House, through the press and in private meetings, that she wanted no part of what she described as Rahm's "eensy weensy spider, teeny-tiny" bill that would help children only.

With her caucus, Pelosi made a point of listening but not wavering. At a meeting after the Massachusetts elections, junior and vulnerable members lined up at the microphones, decrying reform as a "suicide mission." Pelosi, with Hoyer at her side, heard out every one--and then made a speech of her own, declaring her determination to go forward because they had come so far.

Chris Murphy, who in 2010 was finishing his second term representing a suburban House district outside Hartford, CT, said later, "I just felt like the momentum was heading in the direction of surrender. Pelosi just did not allow it to happen. By sheer will, she turned that room around. People like me, I still wanted to do it but I don't know that I had the confidence to stand up to this tidal wave. She breathed confidence into everybody in that room who wanted to stay the course."

Nebraska schools celebrate George Norris Day.

She was very good at the job. It's a difficult job and poorly understood, in part because most of it isn't public-facing.

She didn't get every call right (who does?), but just a tremendous legacy.

about time that Boomers had a chance at leading the House!

Impressive that the likeliest successor, Jeffries, is just 52 years old.

2: 100%.

Interestingly, if you take the Pew definition of "boomer", born 1946-1964, McCarthy is 26 days past the boomer cutoff, and Jeffries 6 years.

5: Nowadays. Before the Civil War Congressional leaders were famous, e.g. Daniel Webster.

9: Pelosi is silent, yeah? Is Clarke a Boomer? She's not up for Speaker but majority leader, maybe. Is Speaker of the House more powerful than Senate Majority leader?

12: I thought the Boomers were going to hold out so long that it would pass to a Millenial. Glad to see some representation from Gen X.

Have you seen how Gen X is voting?

It doesn't get any GenXier than me.

Gen X was the most Republican generation in the 2020 exit polls, but in 2022 they were even with Boomers. I hypothesize Trump's COVID response hurt him with occasional-voter Boomers but habitual voters stayed constant.

18: The numbers that I saw showing Gen X as Republican were heavily included younger boomers. 44-65. GenX is 42- 57.

17: Republicans don't count.

Generation X never seems to exist when you go looking for it. Just a bunch of individuals.

I think I'm technically too young to be a Millennial (to the extent that you can be technical about made up categories) but there's never been anything that's given me a sense that I'd fit a Gen X generalization.

Gen X was the most Republican generation in the 2020 exit polls, but in 2022 they were even with Boomers.

Really?!

I think I'm technically too young to be a Millennial (to the extent that you can be technical about made up categories) but there's never been anything that's given me a sense that I'd fit a Gen X generalization.

Is that supposed to say "too old to be a Millennial"? Or am I even more confused than I thought?

23: you're right. I was thinking in terms of being born too early and then wrote like my age was the too low number, not the birth year.

I should be mortified by the mistake, but as a member of the MTV generation all I can say is: meh.

24: no shame required! I probably should be ashamed that I didn't just figure out what you meant and not mention it.

But back to the topic -- Pelosi was great at what she did, but I think it's time that the Dems got some younger leadership. So, it's extra nice that the other octogenarians in leadership are also stepping down.

Agreed. I was worried the Democrats would not do any transition to younger leadership until after some catastrophic loss where they were completely out of power.

So, the Pennsylvania Democrats took the state House.

Steny Hoyer leaving at the same time also seems meaningful.

Car pooling?

Gen X was the most Republican generation in the 2020 exit polls,

We have learned nothing from Joe Strummer.

29: sharing an Uber. Their kids won't let them drive.

I think I was even reading Unfogged at the time she answered the questions of when Democrats were going to offer their own version of how to privatize Social Security, as Bush the Lesser wanted:

"Never. Is never good enough for you?"

A Tiktok account dug up a 1987 TV broadcast showing her running for US House for the first time.

27: Sort of? One of them is dead.

And one was elected to the U.S. House and won't be able to do the PA House.