The time is perfect. If the Ds had actually held onto the lead it would have been very hard to change - Pelosi was masterful getting this last caucus, with a tiny majority, to deliver as much as they did. I can’t see how a leadership change under even tougher circumstance would have succeeded.
Now the new leadership gets a cycle playing opposition to a Republican caucus that already seems on the brink of implosion. Does McCarthy have the political skill to get the wacky right and the more moderates to play nice? So far all he’s demonstrated is the knowledge of who to suck up too.
The present situation is going to have some other challenges for the next Democrats’ house leader in that the Republicans only having 1 branch are likely have a standoff with the Democrats over something like the debt ceiling, Ukraine funding, domestic funding etc., and the Dem caucus may need to get GOP defectors to keep the lights on.
It also might be easier for the House GOP to stay united against new leadership than against Pelosi who has about as much of a pedigree as anyone it Washington (although they are currently doing a pretty terrible job at uniting even internally).
But this had to happen at some point and there’s never an easy time. Probably the easiest time is when the party is completely shut out of power and the new leaders aren’t under immediate pressure with their party in the White House. Whatever happens I don’t think there’s going to be a major difference in approach - the divisions in the GOP are something Pelosi has been exploiting for a while and whoever takes the reins will likely be using a similar strategy in situations like this.
She said she enjoyed working with three presidents and thanked Bush, Obama, and Biden.
Left out the fourth president she worked, well, during.
if you can’t say anything nice, better to say nothing at all.
In the on-deck circle - I wish him well: