Nancy Pelosi faces challengers – Names mentioned as Replacement: Richard Neal (D-MA2)

Richard Neal Next Minority Whip? Progressives add to List of Pelosi Replacements: image Kerry.senate.gov

Not without a little interest as the Congressman Richard Neal represents the MA2 district, a bleep on a bog: www.leftinalabama.com speaks to the question all Progressives are asking: “Dose Nancy Pelosi Deserve to be the Dem Leader?” (Title of the post on leftinalabama) The question asked is met with a variety of no’s, most often with reference to sports and what happens to the head coach when any given team suffers massive losses.

Then the roll call of who might be acceptable to Progressives, since Ms. Pelosi is clearly not (in Alabama and one would suspect elsewhere outside of the main media): John Larson, Ed Pastor, Richard Neal, Ed Markey, Norm Dicks, Bob Brady, David Price, and Anthony Weiner.

Richard Neal, who the Progressives may champion, (as they did with the recent get-out-the-vote to reelect Neal to yet another term in Congress), does not necessarily project the personality nor the power to become the whip. Although objectively, one has to look at Neal, who is a team player in the Obama administration, managed to survive the first challenge he faced in decades to win reelection, and managed that to the tee.

When one questions what does the minority whip do? They count votes and bully their peers into seeing things their way. Hardly sounds like Neal’s style, however, that may be the reason why his name came up at all – the fact that (old adage again) one can catch more flies with honey than vinegar, coupled with a threat of some sort, that would surely never make the press. Neal is the epitome of discretion.

One knows this especially when one is a constituent simply because the Congressman is barely heard of or from during the period between elections. More to the point, even during elections, there is little to find out about Richard Neal, other than very positive stories run in the local press, followed by glowing endorsements from the same. Neal won the election, some might say, handily, however, when looking at the reality of the race, he had to fight harder than usual, as one Tom Wesley, of Hopedale, a veteran and businessman, managed to get 40% of the vote, but did that distraction of a war for his seat of “power”, prevent any negotiations elsewhere? Most likely not. Neal is no idiot, knowing his political fortunes were about to be seriously diminished, it would make sense, for him to turn from visions of Chairing the House Ways and Means Committee (no longer an option) to Minatory Whip. He’s progressive, he has Obama’s back, and yet, he appears non-threatening.

Although one must understand that this is from one comment on one progressive blog, early in the conversation, one must factor that it has at least some traction. Suggestion: Set Google Alerts to Richard Neal, Minority Whip.