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Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Democratic hubris? That was how we framed the second top narrative on Monday’s Morning Frame. By Tuesday, it had evolved into predictable Democratic infighting as members of Congress jockeyed for new leadership positions after the historic midterm blowout victory. Today’s lead narrative is not just Dems in disarray, but a public and embarrassingly bumbling failure to pass a House vote that would continue Thomas Massie’s effort to impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. It’s a terrible look for Hakeem Jeffries, the presumptive favorite to become Speaker, but also for Democrats who seem so high on their own self-congratulatory supply that they’ve failed to notice voters didn’t vote FOR them; they voted against inept Republicans. Voters are desperate for competence and discipline, and not having enough caucus members present to vote for such a high-profile vote is neither.
01. Democrats Gonna Democrats As They Embarrassingly Blow Their First Test of Power
[Gaining Traction]. Hakeem Jeffries promised “incredibly strong support.” Eleven of his members missed the vote, and most were minutes away. Oops.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Sunday on ABC that he was a “hard yes” on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and predicted “incredibly strong support.” The House voted 211 to 204 to send the articles to a committee Tuesday night, likely shelving them until the new Congress takes the oath on January 3rd.
Eleven Democrats didn’t vote. Had they, Democrats would have outvoted the Republicans who showed up. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi had flown home to San Francisco for Veterans Day events, according to her spokesperson. Representative Melanie Stansbury said a traffic incident kept her out of the Capitol, and Axios reported that some of the missing members were coming back from an Elect Democratic Women event a mile and a half away. House records show seven of the 11 voted on the floor within about 20 minutes.
Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove told MeidasTouch her colleagues “should have gotten their raggedy selves up these steps to vote.” Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed said on CNN, “You should show up and do your job.” CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reported that the White House had been “bracing for the worst.” David Urban nailed it on CNN when he said, “When you strike at the king, you better take him down. I think Pete Hegseth is stronger today.” No lie detected.
TAKEAWAY: “You do it to yourself, you do. That’s what really hurts.” That’s the refrain from Radiohead’s Just, the second time I’ve referenced it in this newsletter about predictable Democratic bumbling. If I were a prediction market, I’d make odds of Democrats squandering this golden opportunity for leadership by January 31, 2027, at 90 cents. (I am not a prediction market.)