Democratic congressional leaders tried to project confidence after two election losses this week, but bubbling anger from the party's rank-and-file on Capitol Hill yesterday spurred demands for new leadership - including some calls for Minority Leaders Nancy Pelosi's ouster - as the party pushes toward next year's midterm elections.
President Donald Trump's much-prophesied destruction of the Republican Party has yet to come to pass and, for now at least, appears to be mainly wishful thinking on the part of progressives and their many pals in the national media.
Right now, there's a growing chorus of Democrats pointing the finger at House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
Some of the Democrats' suggesting Pelosi should move on have recently argued that the Republican attack ads linking Democratic candidates to her are an effective campaign tool, and could hurt the party's chances to flip control of the House in the 2018 midterms. As the Left licks their wounds after Democrat Jon Ossoff lacked the competitive zeal to win in Georgia's sixth congressional district, the party is left wondering what they're going to do.
Still, some Democrats are concerned that Pelosi - the first woman speaker of the House who led her party to victory on Obamacare, financial services reform, and other initiatives - carries more baggage than others, given her high name recognition.
When asked about the President's comments, Pelosi said "I think they wrote that for him, it's a classic Republican line". I don't think people are going towards the Democrats in enough numbers at this point.
"I'm not saying it's fair but the perception in the world is that democrats are liberals, elitists from the coast who do not connect to working class people", said Ryan.
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Just hours before the news conference, moderate Democratic Rep. Kathleen Rice of NY reiterated her call that it was time for Pelosi to step aside.
But Pelosi continues to command great loyalty from many in the House, and she insisted her position was not in jeopardy.
Pelosi said she respected critical opinions, but, "my decision to stay is not up to them".
Said the 77-year-old California lawmaker: "I feel very confident of the support that I have in my caucus".
"We can do it because it's Donald Trump, but I mean, you think, what if it was John Kasich?"
Rep. Tim Ryan of OH, who has been a vocal critic of his party's overarching political strategy, said Democrats needed to recognize that they were "toxic" in huge parts of the country. "We don't agonize. We organize". And, with that, we'd also get knee-jerk reactions from some folks looking for an easy-to-grasp narrative.
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