Thread by @CitizenCohn

Nancy Pelosi’s bid for Speaker goes before the Democratic caucus today and it will succeed, easily, though the real test is the full House vote in January. huffingtonpost.com/entry/pelosi-s…

Smart money says she’ll win there too, although it's unclear if she has the numbers just yet. (1)

Opposition comes mainly from more conservative Dems who think she is too liberal, though there are also liberals who think she is too conservative or too willing to compromise.

And then there are Dems who simply think the party needs a new public face. (2)

Reasonable people can disagree about the validity or sincerity of these criticisms, and how much they matter.

What is still getting lost IMHO is how well Pelosi manages a caucus and whether would-be successors would do it better. (3)

Today at @HuffPost -- via @jeffyoung and me -- you can read about Pelosi’s role in the ACA, the signature accomplishment of her previous stint as Speaker. huffingtonpost.com/entry/nancy-pe…

Key players, friend and foe, all agree: It wouldn’t have passed without her. (4)

It was fun hearing from those veterans, most of whom have retired or moved onto other pursuits. Max Baucus, Cecile Richards, Bart Stupak, Henry Waxman, etc. Plus others who talked on background.

They had a lot to say and we couldn’t get all of it into the article. (5)

One thing we kept asking, relevant to the upcoming leadership votes: What makes Pelosi so effective? When people say she’s one of the best vote counters they’ve ever seen, what do they mean?

Turns out there's no magic formula. It's really basic stuff. (6)

In particular, they say, Pelosi knows her members, individually, better than anybody. She understands how to read them -- how to tell the difference between a yes vote that can turn to no, and a yes that will stick.

@CecileRichards put it this way: (7)

Pelosi emphasizes communication w/members, so she's not surprised and they aren't either.

She understands policy, more than you might expect, so that she can manage complex negotiations and, if need be, conduct them herself.

Barney Frank says it showed in the ACA. (8)

Pelosi doesn't seek public credit & she fights for her values -- giving her the credibility, when necessary, to tell allies that it's time to cut a deal.

This happened w/the public option, per Henry Waxman.

huffingtonpost.com/entry/nancy-pe… (9)

That approach also gives her credibility with ideological foes, who know that she's open to negotiation -- but that she also has core values and allies who will stand behind her.

Here's Max Baucus

huffingtonpost.com/entry/nancy-pe… (10)

Finally, everybody says, she's one of the hardest working people on Capitol Hill -- there after most members have left in the evening & before most arrive in the morning.

That bit about Ginger Rogers, dancing backwards and on heels? Throw in no sleep, and you get Pelosi. (11)

I know, I know -- this is all so straightforward. Wouldn't any leader do the same? Apparently not.

Obviously the other critiques of her may be valid, and more important. But these basic qualifications for speaker probably matter too. (12)