Feel free to check my math:

Dems warn leaders to resume regular order

A group of more than 50 House Democrats has penned a letter to Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) imploring him to “restore this institution” and see that the House returns to a “regular order” process of legislating.

The letter, signed by a large number of the conservative Blue Dog Coalition and the centrist New Democratic Coalition, has not yet been sent. Members are still gathering signatures in an effort to send the strongest signal possible to all top House Democrats that the caucus is up in arms over the top-down method of legislating employed by Democrats since late last year.

Hoyer, and not Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), was chosen as the recipient not because he is viewed as the prime enemy, but “because this group has no better friend in this fight” than the majority leader — who is widely respected across the ideological spectrum for his adherence to rules and procedures — an aide said.

There is, of course, one questionable aspect of the above equation: it assumes that the Republican caucus can manage to Hold The Line on critical votes. In fact, for this to work, you’d need to see evidence that they were prepared to do something like, I don’t know: make a unanimous decision to buck a popular President on an endlessly-touted fiscal bill that, no matter how flawed, was pretty much guaranteed passage anyway. And, of course, such a display of political fortitude and rock-solid determination has not been seen in the House GOP since the days of last week.

Moe Lane

PS: So, Rep Hoyer, just to make sure: you’re happy with your current position? No lingering wishes to see yourself advance further in the Democratic (note that, please) Party? Completely certain that conditions wouldn’t improve with your hand on the wheel?

No?

OK, just checking.

Crossposted at Moe Lane.