What Is Seth Moulton Doing?

[DonViejo]

November 26, 2018 at 7:25 am EST By Taegan Goddard

Lowell Sun: “Sixteen representatives and representatives-elect, led in their opposition by U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, signed a letter Monday pledging not to support House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for another term as speaker of the House.”

“Since then, the landscape has changed. One of the letter’s signers publicly changed his mind two days later. U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge, who seemed for a time the most likely Democrat to challenge for the gavel, announced she would vote for Pelosi, leaving those calling for new leadership with no figurehead. And on Monday, Moulton faced sharp criticism from pro-Pelosi protesters in his own district.”

“As a result, experts and commentators are wondering: where, exactly, is Moulton going with this?”

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https://politicalwire.com/2018/11/26/what-is-seth-moulton-doing/

[MagickMuffin]

1. The 20 Million dollar question: where, exactly, is Moulton going with this?"

He seems lost in the wilderness!

[empedocles]

2. Lost, with only his ego as his Moulton compass to direct him

[Hortensis]

3. My guess: Building national name recognition.

Pretty sure Moulton intends to carry forward the resentful white men's banner Jim Webb prematurely dropped in 2016. But also to avoid Webb's failure to appeal to anyone else, of course. And that of others who came before.

2020, for all the talk, is a long way off. Any negative sharp points will have worn down long before then, while faint dogwhistle memories will reassure the Never Nancy types to smirk at the more widely acceptable, seemingly high minded rhetoric he spouts for Democrats in general.

This subject reminds me of Pat Buchanan.



Young people won't remember the way Buchanan was able to draw a large, and for a while for many like me a mostly undiscussed following of racists and misogynists while posturing as a mannered pseudointellectual on "respectable" talk shows watched by many Democrats. He never badmouthed women, just spoke up kindly and gently for the traditional values offered for mainstream consumption. His cover would be blown before he got going today, of course. Back then it was just who voted enthusiastically for him in the primaries that did it.

[OnDoutside]

4. He's certainly going to get National Name Recognition ! Perhaps not in the way he intended....

[Hortensis]

6. :) I like it too. But remember, he's safely post election

now and electorates are notoriously fickle and short-attentioned.

[OnDoutside]

7. That's certainly true, and in his case he'll sneak back into obscurity after this, hoping that he

doesn't suffer long term damage over this.

There were a couple of interesting posts on the Politicalwire comments

Re Moulton

This is true, and worth remembering. If Moulton had not stepped up to challenge Tierney (who was facing a tax scandal because of his wife’s crooked brothers) in 2014, the seat would probably have gone to the moderate Republican challenger Richard Tisei — who would have become the first Republican to win a House seat from MA in almost two decades. Tierney had a target on his back, and others with more standing and local cred than Moulton passed on the opportunity.

Re the Problem Solvers

Nine Democratic members of the Problem Solvers Caucus are urging prospective Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to back three rules changes as she aims to drum up enough support to lead the House.

The band of Democrats have been threatening to withhold their votes unless Pelosi agrees to overhaul House rules according to their proposals, throwing a wrench into Pelosi's bid for the gavel.
. . .
The band of Democratic representatives include Reps. Josh Gottheimer (N.J.), Jim Costa (Calif.), Tom O'Halleran (Ariz.), Kurt Schrader (Ore.), Tom Suozzi (N.Y.), Daniel Lipinski (Ill.), Stephanie Murphy (Fla.), Vicente González (Texas) and Darren Soto (Fla.).
Problem Solvers Dems urge Pelosi to publicly back three rules changes

Lipinski is a dyed-in-the-wool KY redneck sexist who inherited his father's seat in IL. The remnants of the old Democratic machine recently gerrymandered his district to save him from being ousted. He's a RW rethug in all but name.

[Hortensis]

8. Yes. Not my favorites by a long shot.

This could backfire a lot bigger on them than just the current, quickly forgotten backlash if Nancy becomes better known to, and admired by, Democrats in general.

These men are trying to use the Republicans' mostly successful demonization of Nancy for their own benefit. Studies show that was actually more successful among Democrats than Republicans, I'm guessing mostly because of the cowards-among-us factor. You know, the ones who rush to obligingly discard whoever and whatever the Republicans target in hopes that'll "save" us?

In any case, Nancy survives all, and now the Republican-generated approval rating Moulton may be betting his presidential future on almost literally has nowhere to go but up.

New Republic: The Republicans’ Desperate Obsession With Nancy Pelosi: She's the star of GOP attack ads because the party has no other choice. ... “Nancy Pelosi has long been a favorite target of GOP attack ads,” USA Today reported recently. “But Republicans seem to be taking it to another level in this election cycle.” 34 percent of Republican ads in House races this year mentioned Pelosi, up from 13 percent from the 2014 midterm cycle. In some races, this is the dominant message.

Followed by historic wins for a house caucus with Nancy Pelosi at the head.

[OnDoutside]

5. "Pro-Pelosi protesters in his own district" .... more of this, please.