Fox News: House Democrats averted a messy leadership struggle, clearing the way for Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer to become second in command of their new minority without a challenge from South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn.
Under an arrangement worked out in private, officials said late Friday that Clyburn would instead receive a new position, title unknown and duties undescribed, explicitly labeled the third-ranking post in leadership.
The maneuvering was described by Democratic officials after Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., issued a vaguely worded statement saying she intends to nominate Clyburn to a new No. 3 post. The statement made no mention of Hoyer, and officials who filled in the details did so on condition of anonymity, saying they were not permitted to speak publicly about the matter.
Who said Democrats cannot create jobs? They most certainly can, especially when it comes to jobs for themselves. Ed Morrissey at Hot Air explains it perfectly:
Ed Morrissey: When a private sector organization loses resources and has to downsize, it has to make painful decisions on reshuffling their management to account for fewer positions, usually requiring a few demotions or outright exits. Not so in the House Democratic caucus. When faced with the conundrum of fitting four existing leadership members into three positions, Nancy Pelosi struggled hard for a solution — until she remembered her Democratic agenda of public-sector management and decided to just expand leadership to accommodate the odd man out.
Something else I want to point out from the article.
A race between Hoyer, D-Md., and Clyburn, D-S.C., for the post of party whip took shape in the days following the election and quickly took on racial overtones. Clyburn is the most powerful African-American in Congress, and he drew a formal endorsement from the Congressional Black Caucus. But he failed to generate enough additional support to overcome Hoyer's strength among liberals and conservatives alike, and it appeared his only options were to run against Hoyer and lose or else concede the obvious and step aside.
After reading this part, I have to say creating that job for Clyburn looks rather patronizing. It is almost like an Affirmative Action set aside, just to keep the CBC happy and avoid the fact that Hoyer would have won with only white Democrat support.
Via: Memeorandum
Via: Fox News
Via: Hot Air