Sheehan Qualifies To Challenge Pelosi

SAN FRANCISCO — Cindy Sheehan, an icon of the anti-war movement, has qualified to challenge House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her seat in Congress.

Sheehan, 51, says Pelosi failed to persuade her party to end funding for the Iraq war after Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2006 midterm elections. She also accused the speaker of failing to hold the administration accountable for the administration's warrantless wiretapping program.

Sheehan, who lost her son in the war, is best known for beginning a vigil outside President Bush's Texas ranch in August 2005.

"I feel like Nancy Pelosi, as the Democratic leader, has failed our country miserably, funding for more war," Sheehan said Monday. "The speaker's failed to hold George Bush and Dick Cheney accountable."

San Francisco election officials on Monday said Sheehan turned in 214 more valid signatures than the 10,198 she needed to qualify for the November ballot as an independent candidate for the 8th Congressional District seat.

The speaker welcomes the challenge, said Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill.

"The speaker has the highest respect for Cindy Sheehan. Ms. Sheehan lost her son in the Iraq war and has the right _ as every American has _ to run for office," Hammill said in a statement.

Pelosi, 67 and in her 11th term, has said she is disappointed that Democrats have not been able to stop the war in Iraq. Last year, the House passed legislation giving Bush $70 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with no deadlines for troop withdrawal.

Pelosi won her 2006 campaign with 80 percent of the vote. Sheehan also will be at a distinct financial disadvantage as she takes on one of the most powerful politicians in the country.

She said her campaign has collected more than $300,000, compared with nearly $2.4 million collected by Pelosi through the end of June.

The other candidate on the ballot for the 8th district seat is Republican Dana Walsh.

Comments

[ssb752]

If nothing else about Cindy, at least she got the shirt right: "Arrest Cheney First"

[beboy]

...and George and Nancy next.

[PADDYWHACK]

Cindy,you have conviction,Pelosi is a political animal.Why rock the boat when the prize will fall into your lap by default.Sheehan's beliefs are at odds with this cynicism.

[Krikkit]

Both idealism and cynicism are at odds with operational reality. Sheehan has no magic wand.

[ChiGuy]

Sheehans's over-extended sense of self-importance is becoming tiresome.

She knows damned well that without 16 of the party-before-country Republicans switching sides on key legislative votes giving Dems a veto-proof majority, B_ush's destructive pen awaited any challenge of his authority, thus sending still more Democratic efforts to the scrap heap.

A simple majority means nothing. NOTHING!
And her assertions of anything to the contrary are blatantly deceitful.

[MBryant]

Sam Rayburn never considered the congress powerless because of a simple majority. The speaker can control bills and has the power of oversight over the administration. The President's popularity is dismal - but the congress' is even lower!

The people tried to empower the congress in 2006 and since they have just rolled around on the floor while the President kicks them. The refuse to defend themselves against excesses of Presidential power: lying (about the war, about global warming, about torture, about lying), ignoring supbeonas, subverting legislation with signing statements, firings and pardons.

Sheehan is not running for Speaker of the House - she doesn't have to represent everyone. There is some chance she would represent her district as well or better. And - her candidacy is an appropriate rebuke.

[Rjmartinelli]

I somehow doubt that Truman and Eisenhower were as hostile Presidents as George W Bush has been.

[JackND]

Spot on.

[ntf1]

Actually, a simple majority in the House means all the difference. You control agenda, you control committee assignments, you control the rules committee establishing how a bill will come to a floor on what type of vote etc., and unlike the Senate where the simple majority has no where near the power if any at all, there is no filibuster. The only real power the minority has in the House is parlimentary strategies by filling a bill with killer amendments, painting the opposition as something they are not as in the case with what we see in offshore drilling, and/or other means of temporarily stalling a vote through the different levels of casting a vote on a measure.
As my professor on legislative process once said (she worked in the House), the House is where the real action/work occurs, the Senate is full of Show Horses who do nothing but talk all day.

[JackND]

Yes, that's correct. Which is why when the public is asked about their approval of Congress, it's misleading. It's pretty much the Senate that is tanking Congress' approval rating, and P'elosi has no power over that.

[reggie1298]

Here's my recipe for depression:

Live in SF, watch the mayor "marrying" a gay couple with one hand, and handing out my tax dollars to protect an illegal-immigrant/criminal from ICE. Walk through the annual Folsom Street embarrassment on my way to the polls to find Pelosi and Sheehan on the ballot.

Send in the clowns!

[ChiGuy]

It beats your obvious preferred alternative: Corrupt, warmongering, b.i.g.o.t.e.d, Republican.

[littlepuffycloud]

You think that's depressing...How about my neighbors' 20 year old son who went to Iraq a high school football hero with his young 'fiancee' waiting at home for him. But he returned with all 4 limbs blown off and half of his face gone. The dreams of so many people are gone. No happy hero's homecoming for this young man; his friends are too young and shocked to know what to say, so they don't come and visit, even though he still has all his mental capacity. No marriage, kids, super bowl parties, no children or grandchildren for my sweet neighbors. The depths of this family's sadness can be felt simply walking down our street. That is depression.

I know it's nothing compared to your horror story of gay people actually marrying or an immigrant being protected from another of our country's great law enforcement agency.
Why don't you grow up and take a real look at the world...your fake yellow ribbon shouting from your bumper that you 'support the troops' doesn't really cut it anymore.

[Krikkit]

Your recipe for depression is another person's recipe for heaven. If you don't like SF, perhaps you should move to the south, where the closet is packed and the immigrants "know their place."

[ProudLiberalDan]

That sounds like my recipe for elation!

I'm sure Alabama or Utah has communities more suitable for you.

[Nonamnesiac]

Pelosi deserves to lose for enabling high crimes and misdemeanors, including torture, illegal war, murder and criminal deprivation of Constitutional rights of Americans by this Administration. Her cynical political reaction to this bunch of thugs running the country removed the only institution created by our Founders to protect the American people from such Executive criminality out of the picture -- justifying executive criminality for the foreseeable future.

Cynical Democratic Party sycophants simply ignore the fact that the environment encouraged by Pelosi's refusal to aggressively move impeachment, especially given the fact that we have had for years clear proof of high crimes and misdemeanors committed by Bush and Cheney, expanded their criminal activity and led to the deaths and maimings of tens of thousands of young Americans, including Cindy's son, and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.

If the people of Cindy's district really love the United States, they will vote Pelosi out and Cindy Sheehan in.

[Krikkit]

Your worldview conveniently leaves out the fact that the Senate doesn't have enough Democrats to actually convict if impeachment charges are brought, meaning Bush would be guaranteed to get off scott free, especially as an exoneration in the Senate would preclude civil prosecutions later. Prime example of a Pyrric victory to bring successful impeachment in the House now only to lose the war. Of course, you've always got a scapegoat to blame it on though, I'm sure. The short-sighted revenge driven always do.

[JackND]

Well said. And if the voters look like they're about to reject P'elosi as Election Day nears, I'll reject O'bama.

[Nonamnesiac]

Untrue. More than 70% of the people think we are moving on the wrong track. Once the American people hear a well-presented, uninterrupted case for impeachment, which would be required if the House moved impeachment, the vast bulk of the 22 Republican Senators up for re-election in November would have a choice of voting to remove Bush and Cheney or being removed by the voters of their states. The Democratic Senators coupled with those Republican Senators who wanted to retain their seats would provide more than enough votes to remove Bush and Cheney.

As for

[SACVET]

Nancy Pelosi has not distinguished herself in any area except to show she's a political animal who thinks she can detect which way the political winds are blowing ahead of everyone else. Cindy Sheehan is a bit naive to think she has a chance in defeating her, but, damn it, last time I heard this
is a democracy, no thanks to Pelosi uphoding that concept. So, I say go for it Cindy. As far as I'm concerned what you have to say, which Pelosi refuses to acknowledge, should be part of a broader debate. But, of course the corporate media will, as Pelosi well knows, try to minimize the thrust of
Cindy's campaign.

[ImpalaSuperSport]

Sheehan and Maxine Waters can hang out with each other, compare notes etc.

[Joeblue]

Works for me!

[EspressoAtNoon]

Pelosi has been complicit in the Bush Administration's law breaking. She's thrown her congressional responsibility of oversight and accountability out the window. Took impeachment off the table and seems to believe that law breaking politicians are immune from legal recourse.

It's about time someone came in and made her defend her complicit behavior. I'm sick of spineless and complicit Democrats. I now realize that it is THEY who are America's problem. The neo-cons couldn't even exist if Pelosi did her job and held them accountable.

[Rjmartinelli]

Ms. Sheehan seems to be well out of her depth with this.

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

We really need someone with courage and guts.....like Cindy; nancy is the opposite of that.

[sigmademocrat]

Look, I understand that you all want Bush and cheney impeached, but as usual we are not looking at the big picture, to pursue impeachment would have set democrats back for years. It would have helped the GOP gain traction as they complained about how the democrats were out on a witch hunt. did he deserve to be impeached...hell yes, but let's be honest, doing so would have only hurt democrats in the long run because Bush was fighting a war, Clinton was doing personal business. There is difference in the mind of independents and independents would not have been happy. We need those votes. Stop pedeling this idea that we somehow could have impeached him, because without republican help, we could not! pelosi is smart and she is what we need to continue the fight to get a democratic majoirty which would be more effective than impeaching Bush.

[commonsensor]

I think Cindy Sheehan's point is being completely overlooked here Mr. Sig. The Democrats have HAD the majority and they squandered it right and left which seems to be a party standard.

Like Ms. Sheehan, I have as much (if not more) contempt for the Democrats as I do the GOP for constantly rolling over the Bush Administration from day one. In fact, they are still doing it...despite the fact that this creepy administration has the lowest approval rating in history. What a worthless bunch of spineless wimps.

Also, I disagree with those of you who think impeachment is "petty". The thought of Cheney and Bush making millions of dollars off an illegal war, walking away scott free AND THEN BEING SUPPORTED FOR LIFE on a pension paid for by the taxpayers is more than I am willing to tolerate. As far as I'm concerned the Democratic Party needs a serious enema.

I say to Sheehan - YOU GO GIRL! TAKE 'EM OUT AT THE KNEES - if nothing else, throw a wrench into her campaign and give her seat to a Republican (since there is no difference)

Today Pelosi...tomorrow Feinstein.

[Higbyguy]

Apparently, Sigma, you haven't been listening to the constitutional scholars who say that NOT impeaching Bush and Cheney for high crimes (let alone misdemeanors) sets a dangerous precedent that dilutes the other two branches of govt's check on the executive. Forget the fact that Bush won't be convicted. The point is that history has to see that the legislature has the right to assert their authority as far as it takes them over a criminal executive branch.

And do any of you honestly think that impeaching a universally despised president with a 20 percent approval rating would have redounded badly against Dems in November? The Republican brand is already sullied for years to come. (Or do you actually buy the empty talking point that there is no difference between the two parties?)

Sheehan's got guts, by the way, and more power to all those like her who speak truth to power.

[EricHayes]

Thank you for making essentially the same statement I made several months ago. People have forgotten that impeachment is a two part process: indictment and conviction. It needs to be on the historical record that Bush and Cheney were indicted of committing the crimes, even if they're not convicted (if a republican controlled Senate couldn't convict Clinton, a politically split Senate won't convict Bush and Cheney, no matter how guilty they are).

[scorpioleidy]

Ms. Sheehan, we are all sorry for your loss ... but go sit down somewhere, please!

[meanguy]

just when i thought i'd seen EVERYTHING...now, pelosi's not liberal enough?????

[rollingdivision]

Sheehan's usefulness to the Democrats is over. She's been discarded by those who used her.

[meanguy]

under the bus with you, cindy

[lovetheworld]

God bless Cindy. I think she is courageous. In fact, I would love to meet her.

But if I lived in the district of Nancy Peolsi, then for sure, Pelosi would get my vote. It is hard to not be frustrated with the pace of things in Washington, especially on issues of importance to the Netroots. But I truly believe that as SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE, Pelosi has done a good job. In fact, Pelosi has had to maneuver the Democratic Majority while also trying to understand the various cliques within the group - a tall order indeed.

Bill after bill after bill has passed the house on Pelosi's watch. But that's not what the tiny, tiny minority of ideological purists are mad about. They are mad about the fact that Pelosi took impeachment off the table. Do I believe Bush should be "impeached"? Yes. But the question is: would impeachment proceedings subsequently create a political environment where the GOP holds up legislation and hyper-partisanship is rule of the day - you know, even worse than it is right now? Yes.

So Pelosi made a smart move, because impeaching the president (which would be great) would still posion any potential bi-partanship to get things done en mass.

Cindy Sheehan must not be a "single-issue" voter on this. And her supporters like blogger Linda Milazzo need to think beyond their own single-issue vision to see that Pelosi is necessary.

[dooleynoted]

"bill after bill has passed the house on Pelosi's watch"
"So Pelosi made a smart move, because impeaching the president (which would be great) would still posion any potential bi-partanship to get things done en mass."

Just which bipartisan bills are you talking about? The ones for more war funding? For warrantless wire-tapping? empty impeachment "hearings?" Good grief! What difference does it make if the Dems are in in control if they just rubber stamp Bush or cave to big money interests as Pelosi has doen her whole career? she has been terrible, providing no moral or political leadership whatsoever. Bi-partisanship is great if you actually get things done for people or reverse a disastrous course. Pelosi has been nothing but an enabler for the wrong-doers. Any person in her district who truly wants things to change should support Sheehan if nothing else to send a signal to the fellow-travelers like Pelosi.