What Hoyer (149)-Murtha (86) Means for Pelosi
What was surprising was how much political capital Pelosi, the incoming Speaker, had invested on Murtha's behalf in the last two days, considering the almost obvious futility of his effort from the outset.
The question now is whether there will be repercussions for Pelosi.
Had she simply announced her preference for Murtha and stood on the sidelines, Hoyer's win would mean nothing. But by turning up the heat on her fellow Democrats only to lose lopsidedly, Pelosi may have empowered Hoyer, her longtime foe. Should some similar impasse occur in the future - whether over a leadership position or an actual policy item - Hoyer may have considerably more standing in convincing members that it's okay to stick with him against the Speaker.
Pelosi has spent the last three years very effectively marginalizing Hoyer's clout. But before Pelosi entered the fray this week, it did not appear that Hoyer would be a particularly strong Majority Leader. That's probably no longer the case.
-- Steve Kornacki
While this does damage Pelosi politically it does two things for the party in general. First, it shows that they are serious when it comes to suspect corrupt activities and "pork" spending. Second, it portrays them as independent thinkers not beholden to the leadership.