Really, Atrios?

"These people are really the biggest bunch of whining losers on the planet."

These people?

Pelosi was set to sit down individually with Hoyer, while a similar meeting with Rep. John Tanner (Tenn.), long a leading figure among conservative Blue Dog Democrats, was being rescheduled because of Wednesday evening’s ethics vote. She also had asked for a meeting with Rep. Ron Kind (Wis.), a leader of the centrist New Democrat Coalition.

***

Sources at last week’s meeting said Pelosi didn’t help repair the rift, and perhaps even inflamed it, when they said she accused moderates of selling out to special interests on the bill and betraying the party by urging the GOP leadership to bring the measure to a vote. Several of those sources said Pelosi has an obligation not only to bring Members together, but also to apologize to the moderates.

That calls for this?

Call the offices of Steny Hoyer (202) 225-4131, John Tanner (202) 225-4714, and Ron Kind at (202) 225-5506, and tell them to apologize to Pelosi for being babies and apologize to America for voting for and vocally supporting that bankruptcy bill…

Since Tanner and Kind apparently haven't even had their 'come to Nancy' meetings yet, it's hard to imagine what they're being babies about. As for Steny Hoyer, there's no indication that he's the unnamed source for the Roll Call story that got Dr. Atrios all fired up, so I don't know where or what he's supposed to be whining about. Roll Call may be higher on the food chain that Drudge, but unsourced rumor is still unsourced rumor in my book.

And what's with this?

Hoyer is minority whip. He's obviously unsuited for the job, as he seems uninterested in doing it. Ask him to resign.

Hoyer was unanimously elected to his job, and when 51% of his colleagues think he's 'unsuited' or 'uninterested' he'll lose his job, but everything I've seen seems to indicate he's done a pretty good job. He's part of a team that has gotten credit for unprecedented unity in the traditionally fractious Democratic caucus. Though his economic voting record appears to have conservative tilt for a Democrat, supporting the US Chamber of Commerce 38% of the time and the NAM 23% of the time, it can't be that bad because he also scores 100% with the AFL-CIO and Americans for Democratic Action.

Other 100% ratings come from places like NARAL, Planned Parenthood, AAUW and the NEA. The League of Conservation Voters peg him at 90%. This sounds like a pretty damn good Democrat to me.

He was impure on the almighty bankruptcy bill, though, so over the side with Steny!

Nonsense. While I agree with practically all the arguments I've heard against the bankruptcy bill, and I wish it had never been introduced, let alone passed, over a third of the Democratic caucus voted for it. You just can't whip that kind of thing. A minority party leader just doesn't have the tools. There was clearly not the kind of consensus required to make the issue a party line vote, and I'm not surprised.

In fact, despite the focus the issue received in the blogosphere, it never resonated with the people. Talk to most folks about bankruptcy and two things will likely be true - they can't imagine it happening to them (and it never does happen to most folks) and they know a story about someone (they may even claim to know someone) who used bankruptcy to escape a bunch of bills they think should have been paid. I don't believe there's a single Congressional seat in America to be won or lost on the basis of the bankruptcy bill, on either side of the issue.

I don't know if Nancy Pelosi crossed a line in her conversation with Steny Hoyer. I don't know if he responded gracefully or petulantly. I don't know who's talking aloud about a private leadership meeting.

Neither does Atrios.

I do know that adding fuel to this fire, and calling for the Minority Whip's resignation, won't help us win a single vote in Congress or a single election in '06. Surely we can find a bigger 'bunch of whining losers' to pick on, somewhere right across the aisle.

Eyes on the prize, folks, eyes on the prize...