In the last week, something atypical was happening: the Congressional Progressive Caucus won a unambiguous, but temporary victory over some of the conservatives in the House Democratic Caucus.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) accepted pressure of members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) on September. 30 after she held off on a vote for the infrastructure bipartisan legislation favored of conservative Democrats.
The House's 96-member progressive bloc was previously dismissed as being too big and ideologically indecisive to be a real force was able to demonstrate that it was able to sink this bill on infrastructure, in anticipation of more concrete assurances about the passing of the more viable Build back Better reconciliation plan.
Typically conservative Democrats generally more inclined than progressives to allow legislation go unanswered, are most skilled at employing hardball tactics to control the agenda of their party.
However, a singular confluence of events, along with many years of organizing helped prepare the CPC to be a powerful faction that could compete with any other group in the party.
"It's truly been an impressive display of force from the collective," CPC Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the creator of progressives' power play spoke to HuffPost. "I believe that people are experiencing how powerful it is to work together and recognizing the pride that comes from placing this Build back Better legislation put back on the table, where otherwise it would be dead."
If not for the major reforms that were adopted this year without significant reforms, the CPC might not have been able to pull off the feat of the latest legislative coup.
Jayapal The Congressman who was initially elected to Congress during the year 2016, swiftly became a CPC leader as co-chair along with Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) after the midterm elections in 2018.
As co-chairman, Jayapal found that while the group had grown to a record size and was comprised of hardcore leftists , such as the group known as"the "Squad" along with more subdued liberals, a few of whom were also members of businesses-friendly New Democrat Coalition.
Sometimes at times, the CPC was able to come up with enough consensus to spread it's weight about. In December the caucus's threat to rescind support for H.R. 3 Democrats proposed a bill for price negotiations on prescriptions led Pelosi to increase the quantity of drugs which are subject to price negotiations from 25 to.
However, more often than not than not, the caucus was lacking the unity to wield its power as strongly as of the extreme right-wing House Freedom Caucus had under GOP rule, or the conservative Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer's bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus had.
"When I joined Congress I felt I was in there was a feeling that the CPC seemed more like a social organization - even when former Rep.Keith Ellison, [former Rep. Keith Ellison and [Rep.Keith Ellison and [Rep. Raul [Grijalva] as well as Mark were all trying to alter the CPC," Jayapal recalled.
"There was a whole many pieces missing if you're trying to develop an organized strategy from an inside level," she added. "It's sufficient to gather a few individuals and decide, 'OK, let's go.' going to be able to keep our positions.'"
"When I was at Congress I felt it was a bit like Congress was less of an institution. CPC seemed to be more of a club for socializing than a political gathering."
- Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.)
Based on her prior experience as a political organizer as well as creator of the rights to immigrants organization OneAmerica, Jayapal determined that in addition to a greater degree of discipline in the legislative process and a more disciplined political system, the CPC will require more staff and more coordination with outside agencies.
She also concluded, along with Pocan she also concluded that the co-chair structure was heavy.
"We was the one caucus with two chairs, so that we could play off one another or slowed down" Jayapal said.
Jayapal presented a list of reforms, which included an increase in power into an individual's hands, namely a single chair and an increase in dues to encourage the hiring process, and a brand new rule that requires CPC members to participate in the caucus at a minimum times.
With the new system that the CPC's members ratified in a two-thirds majority vote in November, each CPC member has to cast their vote conformity with the positions that a majority of the caucus is in agreement to accept. (CPC members are able to vote in opposition to the caucus's position one-third of the time it is not going to affect their participation within the caucus.)
Despite some nagging from members, in private as well as on the Beltway press, the CPC's vote to adopt the stricter rules has resulted in just one deviation, which quelled the fears that more cohesion could be at the expense of the size of the caucus.
Jayapal's fundraising strategy was also a success. The CPC has one employee on staff in 2019, has the capacity to employ five full-time employees. read more..
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