A meeting of House Democrats flared up on Tuesday over the increasingly thorny issue of whether a pregnant member should be allowed to vote from afar in the party's leadership elections this week. 
 
 Democratic leaders, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), have denied a request from Rep. Tammy Duckworth Ladda (Tammy) Tammy DuckworthDems lambaste Trump’s ‘outrageous’ EPA chemical safety pick Fight erupts over training hours for pilots Senate to vote on Rand Paul's war proposal MORE (Ill.), who lost both of her legs in the Iraq War, to waive the Democratic rule barring proxy votes. Duckworth, 46, is in the last stages of a pregnancy and her doctor won't allow her to travel back to Washington to vote in person. 
 
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 The denial has angered a number of Democrats, who aired their discontent during Tuesday's caucus meeting in the Capitol, after members reelected Pelosi and her top lieutenants as leaders in the next Congress. 
 
 “A lot of people felt that Tammy's patriotism and sacrifice to this country warrants special consideration. And I'm one of those people who think it's hard to make an argument that it does not require special consideration,” Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said afterward. “She's given parts of her body for her country, and if it came to a vote, I would vote to give her a proxy.” 
 
 Thompson said the debate was fueled by “strong feelings on both sides.” 
 
 “When Democrats take a position, we're passionate about it,” he said. “This is one of those issues where there's a lot of passion on both sides.” 
 
 Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a civil rights icon who holds tremendous sway over the caucus on such issues, gave an impassioned speech in favor of allowing Duckworth a proxy vote, arguing it's a matter of simple justice, according to a number of lawmakers in the room. 
 
 Democratic leaders, however, view the issue differently. On Monday, Pelosi argued that allowing Duckworth to vote by proxy could open the floodgates to other members requesting similar exceptions in the future. 
 
 “The fact is that we don't know what's going on in the lives of many people,” Pelosi told reporters on Monday. “You're going to establish a situation where we're going to determine who has a note from the doctor that's valid or not. It's really a place we shouldn't go.” 
 
 Behind closed doors, many Democrats suspect Pelosi's denial could be related to her support for Rep. Anna Eshoo (D), a close friend and fellow Californian, in her race against Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) for the ranking member position on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee. 
 
 That race is expected to be tight — both sides claim to have the numbers to win — and Duckworth had sided with Pallone. 
 
 “That's the root of all of this,” Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) said as he left Tuesday's meeting. 
 
 Then there's the broader issue of the Democrats' messaging strategy. Party leaders, particularly Pelosi, have spent years trying to highlight the distinctions between the Democrats and Republicans when it comes to issues of women's empowerment. With that in mind, some fear Pelosi's move to deny a proxy vote for a pregnant member undercuts the message that Democrats are the party of working women, a charge Pelosi rejects. 
 
 “It's not to be confused with not having family and medical leave,” Pelosi said Monday. 
 
 A number of rank-and-file members say the Democrats would be wise to heed Pelosi's warning of a slippery slope. 
 
 Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) said that, during Tuesday's debate, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) had a funeral and “wanted that to be considered.” 
 
 “And then someone else came up with surgery, and it became easier, I thought, for them to keep the rule rather than select which person deserved a waiver, if any,” Rangel said. “The other circumstances appear to be exceptional to them. A funeral's a funeral.” 
 
 The Democratic Steering and Policy Committee meets Tuesday afternoon to vote on the Pallone-Eshoo race, with a deciding vote of the full caucus expected Wednesday. 
 
 With time running short, many expect the issue — so radioactive this week — will simply fizzle out. 
 
 “It's either this, or I don't think we'll deal with the proxy thing again,” Thompson said. ||||| WASHINGTON (AP) — A day after re-electing Rep. Nancy Pelosi to lead them in the next Congress, House Democrats rebuffed her effort Wednesday to elect a close ally to an important committee post. 
 
 House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif., followed by House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Md., arrives for a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014, to introduce the... (Associated Press) 
 
 These various file photos shows Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., left, and Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif. A day after re-electing Rep. Nancy Pelosi to lead them in the next Congress, House Democrats have rebuffed... (Associated Press) 
 
 In a closed-door meeting, Democrats voted 100-90 to make New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The loser was California Rep. Anna Eshoo, a Pelosi friend whose Silicon Valley district is near San Francisco, which Pelosi represents. 
 
 The vote attracted interest because it came amid grousing over this month's elections, which saw House Democrats lose at least a dozen seats, and the job the party had done in reaching out to middle-class voters. 
 
 Though Pelosi retained her post as House minority leader without opposition, Eshoo's defeat raised questions about whether rank-and-file Democrats were in a mood to award a plum assignment to one of Pelosi's close allies. 
 
 Pallone was supported by Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 House Democratic leader and a long-time Pelosi rival. 
 
 Pelosi had taken the unusual step for a leader of sending a letter to Democrats supporting Eshoo. 
 
 "One can make the argument that she overdid it," Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., said of Pelosi's effort. He said Pallone's victory would be "very healthy for leadership" because it underscored the need for leaders to listen to lawmakers' concerns. 
 
 The Energy and Commerce panel is coveted because of its jurisdiction over high-profile issues like health, environment and communications. 
 
 The vote was conducted by secret ballot. Internal congressional contests can be buffeted by numerous factors, including regional loyalty, gender and race, personal relationships and the degree to which seniority is valued. 
 
 Many leading members of the Congressional Black Caucus voiced support for Pallone. As the seniority of black lawmakers has grown, many have increasingly viewed seniority as a crucial factor in choosing top committee jobs. 
 
 Pallone was elected to the House in 1988, Eshoo in 1992. 
 
 After the vote, Pallone and Eshoo each downplayed the impact that Democrats' attitudes about Pelosi had on their race. Pelosi issued a statement congratulating Pallone for "a hard-fought campaign" and Eshoo for her work on technology issues. ||||| Democrats Fume in Caucus as Duckworth Denied Vote 
 
 By Emma Dumain 
 
 House Democrats are continuing to criticize Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s refusal to allow Rep. Tammy Duckworth — a double amputee Iraq War veteran whose pregnancy has made her unable to travel — to vote by proxy in leadership elections this week. 
 
 Pelosi and her allies have been saying since Nov. 13, when the issue first came up, that House Democratic Caucus rules prohibit proxy votes, and that allowing exceptions for the Illinois Democrat would create a slippery-slope scenario. 
 
 Members and aides are privately seething over what they see as Pelosi’s latest attempt to stack the deck against Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., who is running for ranking member on the Energy and Commerce Committee against Pelosi’s closest friend and fellow Californian, Rep. Anna G. Eshoo. 
 
 And many members are concerned about the optics of not allowing Duckworth a proxy vote when Democrats are supposed to be the party that fights for women. Democrats have tried to make electoral gains by touting the “When Women Succeed, America Succeeds” economic agenda. 
 
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 “Our party should be the party that stands up for women,” Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida said in a caucus meeting Tuesday morning, according to a source in the room. 
 
 A source also said that civil-rights icon and longtime Georgia Democratic Rep. John Lewis was fighting Pelosi’s refusal: “We will pay a price for not doing this,” he reportedly said. 
 
 The Steering and Policy Committee will meet on Tuesday evening to make a recommendation for the position, with the full caucus expected to vote on the issue Wednesday morning. The Energy and Commerce race is expected to be incredibly close, where every vote will matter — and Duckworth was a public supporter of Pallone. 
 
 Pelosi reiterated her decision at a news conference Monday, telling reporters: “The rules of the caucus are the same as the rules of the House. No proxy voting. … The fact is is that it’s really important to be here, to be in caucus. It’s more important to vote on the floor. If I were to make a fight, I’d vote to have a proxy vote on the floor than in whatever’s going on in the caucus.” 
 
 Duckworth herself has not weighed in on the controversy, releasing an even-keeled statement on Thursday night, shortly after her request was denied. 
 
 “I submitted a request to the Caucus to allow for a proxy vote due to my pregnancy. The Caucus chose not to allow me to vote via proxy. I respect the process and very much appreciated my colleagues who made sure my request was considered,” she said. 
 
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 Roll Call Results Map: Results and District Profiles for Every Seat ||||| Just last Friday night, Bill O’Reilly of Fox News introduced interviewee Jon Stewart of “The Daily Show” as a “big-time liberal commentator.” Fair enough. 
 
 Do not, however, call Stewart a “partisan commentator,” at least not after last night’s edition of Stewart’s Comedy Central program. That’s because he blew a new gasket in the reputation of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. In two separate segments. 
 
 In a bit about Jonathan Gruber, the MIT economist whose recently surfaced remarks about the passage of Obamacare have created a fresh crisis for the Obama administration, he cited Pelosi’s apparent selective amnesia. “I don’t know who he is,” Pelosi responded when asked recently about Gruber’s comments — even though Pelosi had cited Gruber as an authority on health-care economics. “Can you ever not disappoint us?” asked Stewart. 
 
 [posttv url="http://www.washingtonpost.com/posttv/politics/nancy-pelosi-on-jonathan-gruber-in-2009-and-now/2014/11/13/2642df8c-6b6b-11e4-bafd-6598192a448d_video.html" ] 
 
 That jab was a caress compared with the treatment accorded to Pelosi in a separate segment, this time on her decision to deny a request from Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) to vote by proxy in House leadership elections because she is pregnant. The minority leader defended the decision by saying, “You’re going to establish a situation where you’re going to determine who has a note from the doctor that’s valid … It’s really a place we shouldn’t go down.” 
 
 Here, Stewart’s “big-time liberal” leanings put him at odds with the House’s leading Democrat, and he feasted. His takedown of Pelosi’s denial of a pregnant woman’s vote in House Democratic elections proceeds in merciless fashion. Availing himself of Pelosi’s trail of accomplishments over the years, he documented how she has established herself on key issues that bear on the Duckworth situation. For instance: The National Partnership for Women and Families, noted Stewart, celebrated Pelosi’s advocacy for “working women.” Also highlighted by Stewart: Pelosi said at an event for the Voting Rights Act, “The right to vote must be the cornerstone of our democracy.” 
 
 Stewart: “You’re a recognized champion of working women and voting rights.” 
 
 From there, the rip was easy: “You rejected, you’re suppressing the vote of a minority pregnant woman who is a wounded war veteran. She is everything you supposedly stand for stuffed into one individual. She is a Democratic demographic tur-Duckworth,” said the host. 
 
 To explain why Pelosi would stiff Duckworth on this front, Stewart showed footage of pundits — including Washington Post reporter Ed O’Keefe — explaining the political backdrop: Duckworth and Pelosi are at odds over who should get the top Democratic seat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Which prompted Stewart to say, “And that’s how the precedent was set, that a woman leader can be every bit as politically craven as her male counterparts.”
– Democrats may have re-elected Nancy Pelosi as their House leader this week, but she's taking lots of criticism from within her own party and beyond over one controversial move, reports Roll Call. Pelosi refused to let Rep. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois vote by proxy in the party's leadership elections. It's not some humdrum procedural issue, however: Duckworth lost both legs in Iraq and now can't travel to DC because she's pregnant. Pelosi took a rules-are-rules position, which isn't sitting well. “A lot of people felt that Tammy's patriotism and sacrifice to this country warrants special consideration," says Rep. Bennie Thompson. But the bigger issue is that some critics see blatant politics at play. As the Hill explains, Pelosi had been pushing for her friend, Rep. Anna Eshoo, to take over as ranking Democrat on the mighty Energy and Commerce Committee. But with the vote tight, and with Duckworth in favor of Rep. Frank Pallone for the spot, critics think Pelosi refused to give Duckworth a break in order to help Eshoo. "You’re suppressing the vote of a minority pregnant woman who is a wounded war veteran," says Jon Stewart, accusing Pelosi of "craven" politics, reports the Washington Post. "She is everything you supposedly stand for." As it turns out, all that bad publicity was for naught anyway: Pallone won the committee post today in a closed-door vote of 100-90, reports AP.