Pelosi Officially Named Speaker / Hoyer Chosen As Majority Leader

The most important decision in the history of America has finally been made!!! After selecting Nancy Pelosi to be the Speaker of the House for the 110th Congress, Democrats have selected Steny Hoyer of Maryland as the new Majority Leader, as was expected.

Much was made of Pelosi's decision to back dark-horse pick Jack Murtha for the spot. The media, egged on by conservative pundits desperate in the past week to have something to pick on Dems about, have been acting as if this customary contest would determine the success or failure of Pelosi's leadership... instead of, you know, waiting for Congress to actually convene before judging her (and let's not forget what we went through to get here). They were going to rip the decision a new one no matter how it went; the 'Dems divided' storyline is too easy a crutch. This seems silly because, in general, Democrats are more united than they have been in years. If endorsing Murtha ends up being the worst thing Pelosi does, this country will be in very, very good shape in the next few years.

The understandable media focus on the new majority also ignores the deep(er) divisions which continue to tear apart the GOP after the electoral loss. Conservatives are in disarray over their party's leadership choices, including Sen. 'Schiavo Memo' Martinez for RNC Chairman and Sen. Trent Lott (yes, that Trent Lott) as... wait for it... 'minority whip'. The House minority leadership was also decided, but the media overanalysis is absent there. While the GOP is still trying to figure out why they lost (I'd be happy to explain it to them), the Democrats are looking forward.

Most Americans, unaware of these maneuverings, see Speaker-elect Pelosi as I do... a strong leader with a bold vision for her country and party's future. She has also reached out to the President and he (uncomfortably, momentarily) reached back out. Where people, and I, will judge Pelosi is on how much of her proposed domestic agenda she will be able to accomplish. Most of it, fortunately, is common-sense progressive stuff that most Republicans will have a hard time arguing against. This is what people are focused on... the actual issues that affect their lives.

The latest polls have a wakeup to media outlets obsessing on the inside-the-beltway stories: "The situation in Iraq continues to be the top issue mentioned by Americans when asked to name the most important problem facing the country right now. More than a third of Americans name Iraq as the top problem, and is now, by one point, at the highest level seen on this measure since the focus on Iraq began four years ago. Other problems facing the nation as mentioned by Americans include the general state of the economy, healthcare, government dissatisfaction and corruption, immigration, and terrorism."

Focus, people, focus. There's a war going on and it's about to get a lot worse.