The 2020 rejection of the Pelosi regime

 Washington Examiner Editorial:

Joe Biden won, but it was a lonely victory. House Democrats lost about a dozen seats, clinging to their majority by the skin of their teeth. If it hadn’t been for some friendly court-ordered redistricting, they'd have done even worse.

In January, Democrats will have about 223 seats, a majority of 11, meaning their agenda will be unable to survive even six defections from the party line.

This outcome remains something of a marvel, given the margin of Biden's win in the popular vote. But the reasons are everywhere to be seen. The Democratic Party’s increasing radicalism frightened normal people, including centrist Democratic members of Congress seeking reelection. The party of “defund the police,” “zero deportations,” and urban mobs in Portland, Minneapolis, and elsewhere proved a tough sell to voters. The louder "the Squad” of socialists squawked, even attacking Pelosi at one point as racist and sexist, the more attractive the Republican candidates became in swing districts.

But radicalism is not the only issue. The record of the Democratic House during this past Congress has been appalling in several ways. Voters had as many reasons to punish Pelosi as they could think of.

 She and her troops blocked a deal on coronavirus aid, perhaps sensing that new payments could put Trump over the top. Pelosi’s refusal looked pettier and probably did substantive electoral damage as well.

Recall also that before COVID-19, the House had accomplished little aside from slaking its thirst for impeachment in proceedings that were as undignified as they were shallow and got nowhere.

Democrats decried what they said was an abuse of power by Trump. They said Republicans would be judged harshly by voters for not holding Trump accountable. But by Election Day, Democrats were united in embarrassed silence about impeachment, and it was they whom voters held accountable. Even as Trump lost the national vote by 6.1 million, not a single Republican House incumbent who voted against his impeachment was defeated in 2020. Indeed, when the count is complete, it may turn out that not a single Republican House incumbent was defeated at all, full stop.

Voters’ priorities just weren’t what Democrats thought. They didn’t find an agenda of immigration amnesty, the Green New Deal, and pointless coronavirus lockdowns attractive. They probably also wanted to place a check on Biden, whose ambition to blow up the Senate filibuster and pack the Supreme Court would require cooperation from both Houses.

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Whether Biden won is still hotly disputed and even if he does finally get sworn in it is without a mandate.  Pelosi may be in her final term as speaker.  She blew it by being more invested in Trump-hatred than in doing what needed to be done for the people.  Too many of her top lieutenants were just awful and especially those who were more interested in pushing the Russian collusion hoax than working with the administration for the people.