Moderate Democrats seek a voice in a liberal Congress.

From the Politico

In a private meeting last week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi laid down a challenge to her moderate members who were complaining about a provision in the housing bill. Stand up and air your grievances, she said.

A handful of those moderate members did just that, taking to the microphone to gripe that the provision, which would allow bankruptcy judges to rework loans for homeowners, needed to be more restrictive.

Then a surprising thing happened. Pelosi, who disagreed with this critique, huddled at the side of the room with her top deputies — and then buckled. She suspended consideration of the housing bill so more thought could be put into the bankruptcy item.

This hardly amounts to a breakthrough win for party moderates — or a major concession by the speaker. But it was a consequential moment in the minds of moderate leaders who often find themselves marginalized in a caucus dominated by liberals.

Pelosi has been running Congress with an iron fist since the Democrats regained power but she has had trouble keeping all her party members in the fold on some issues and this may be a bone to the blue dogs to get them on board in the future.

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