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Politics : Right Wing Extremist Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: PROLIFE who wrote (29907)	11/8/2002 4:01:05 PM
From: Glenn Petersen	Respond to of 59480

Not a completely done deal, but Frost's departure makes it almost a certainty. Works for me. Frost drops out of House leadership race Predicts Pelosi will win cnn.allpolitics.printthis.clickability.com WASHINGTON (CNN) --Acknowledging that he lacked enough votes to win, Rep. Martin Frost, D-Texas, dropped out of the race for House minority leader Friday and predicted that a liberal colleague from California would win the post. "It is clear to me that Nancy Pelosi has the votes of a majority of the caucus," Frost, 60, said in a letter to Democratic colleagues. "In light of this fact, today I am releasing all of my commitments." Earlier Friday, Rep. Harold Ford, 33, of Tennessee threw his hat in the ring. At an afternoon news conference, he said he would not withdraw from the race, saying Pelosi was part of the old guard and he represented "the only true change."(Bios of key players) "Give my candidacy a chance," Ford said. But Frost made it clear that he thought Pelosi had the race wrapped up. If she does indeed win, Pelosi would become the highest-ranking female leader in congressional history. "Nancy Pelosi is a talented and capable party leader," Frost said in his letter. "I intend to support her for Democratic leader in next week's election, and I will work with her to do everything I can to return Democrats to control of the House of Representatives." And Pelosi, at a news conference in California, predicted she would win, citing an "overwhelming majority of commitments" from her Democratic colleagues. The vote is scheduled for Thursday. Before Frost's announcement, Ford had said that he best represented the kind of change Democrats need to embrace. "My primary motivating reason for running for this seat is I think we need a change and the change I don't believe will come through Martin or Nancy Pelosi," Ford said Friday. "Change will come only if we make a clean break from that leadership group." Democrats have been engaged in soul-searching since their drubbing at the polls Tuesday when Republicans built on their majority in the House and took control of the Senate. Some Democrats believe their party lost touch with its base and failed to convincingly challenge the administration on several issues, such as Iraq and tax cuts. Others believe the party has to do a better job of reaching out to moderate voters and articulating more centrist positions. Pelosi, an outspoken liberal from San Francisco, has positioned herself as someone willing to take on the administration and the GOP. "We must draw clear distinctions between our vision of the future and the extreme policies put forward by the Republicans," Pelosi, 62, said in a Thursday statement. "We cannot allow Republicans to pretend they share our values and then legislate against those values without consequence." Ford said he is a new voice for a new generation of Democrats. Ford had been among the most vocal of lawmakers in calling for Gephardt to step aside after the elections. Gephardt announced his decision in a letter released Thursday, saying Democrats need someone to put "our party back in the majority." Gephardt, 61, whose decision also allows him to clear the way for a possible 2004 presidential bid, has led Democrats in the House of Representatives for the past eight years. Under his leadership, Democrats have been unable to make up the losses they sustained in the 1994 midterm elections when Republican took control of the chamber. In a letter to his Democratic colleagues, Gephardt said he will keep the House seat from Missouri he has held since 1977. Gephardt has sought the White House before, losing the 1988 Democratic nomination to Michael Dukakis. He is one of several congressional Democrats said to be considering presidential bids in two years from now. Associates have told key supporters Gephardt is still more than inclined to run, but needs some time to reflect on the decision. One Gephardt adviser told CNN he would expect Gephardt to make a decision about running for the presidency by the end of the year. -- CNN Correspondents Candy Crowley, Kate Snow, John King and Producer Ted Barrett contributed to this report.