Ex-football pro Heath Shuler hopes to sack Nancy Pelosi
(Read article summary)Rep. Heath Shuler of North Carolina is sounding out a challenge to Nancy Pelosi as Democratic leader in the House. It's a long-shot effort, but reflects some party members' unease with Pelosi.
It looks like soon-to-be-ex-Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a challenger to her position as head of beleaguered Democrats in the House of Representatives.
It’s Rep. Heath Shuler, a relatively conservative lawmaker from North Carolina who avoided the Election Day ouster suffered by many “Blue Dog” Democrats trying to hang onto their seats in red districts where tea party-inspired Republicans were victorious.
“It will be very tough,” Shuler acknowledged to the Clay County Progress newspaper in his home state. “It is probably a race we can’t win. But we need a moderate voice in the Democratic Party.”
He’ll no doubt elaborate when he appears on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday and then on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Monday. But he’s right about his chances of ousting Pelosi.
The first woman to hold the most senior position in the House, Pelosi is acknowledged to be one of the most effective Speakers in congressional history – both in terms of organizing her party’s troops and in getting her agenda passed.
