Pelosi – dubbed "negative Nancy" by the GOP – has been highly critical of the economic success of the Trump administration. She famously referred to the Republican tax cut as "crumbs," and last week, she pooh-poohed the record low unemployment rate.

Democrats are expressing increasing unhappiness with Rep. Nancy Pelosi as their leader in the House. Yesterday, during her weekly press conference, Pelosi only added fuel to the fire.

This week, as consumer confidence hit an 18-year high, Pelosi beclowned herself.

Washington Times:

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters Thursday that consumer confidence, which is at an 18-year high, is a sign that the economy under President Trump is dragging. Mrs. Pelosi's remarks came during her weekly press conference after a reporter mentioned the nation's 3.8 percent unemployment rate, prompting her to use skyrocketing consumer confidence as a kind of political litmus test. "Well, as I said, unemployment rate is one indication," the California Democrat said. "The fact is, and this has happened before, that people say, 'Oh my goodness, that people are saying the unemployment rate is down, why isn't my purchasing power increasing? ... So, this isn't just about the unemployment rate, it's about wages rising in our country, so that consumer confidence is restored." Her comment sent the Republican Party scrambling to put up another installment in its series of "War Room" videos, framing the Democrat as "Negative Nancy." Ben Shapiro's conservative website then likened the press conference to a boxing match in which a boxer somehow knocks herself out while throwing a punch at an opponent. MarketWatch predicted "steady U.S. growth" in the months ahead on May 29 when the consumer confidence index rose to 128 versus April's 125.6.

You have to wonder why Democrats keep the ancient harridan around.

Fox News:

But while Pelosi rails against Trump and company, she is facing increasing criticism both from the right and left of the Democratic Party. On the left, Pelosi is viewed as too moderate at a time when the party is embracing the socialist politics of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and openly campaigning for some form of socialized medicine and greater government regulation of the economy. She drew fire after confirming the party will abide by the fiscally conservative pay-as-you-go budget rule if the party regains the majority after November elections. The budget-neutral rule requires tax cuts or increases in spending to be covered by tax increases or cuts in spending. U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., criticized Pelosi and other Democrats for conceding and promising to adopt the rule. "The pay-go thing is an absurd idea now given the times and given what's already been done to curry favor with corporate America," Grijalva said, according to the Hill. "It's a stupid rule. It is entirely counter-productive to progressive policy goals," wrote Esquire's Charles Pierce. "In case nobody in the Democratic leadership has noticed, the rising energy in the party is not coming out of the budget-hawk cryptkeepers." "Right now, the country is giving serious consideration to things like Medicare-for-all and some sort of free college. This isn't the time to go all Al From again. It also guarantees a serious intraparty skirmish that's already underway," he added.

Well, Bernie Sanders and the Democrats are giving "serious consideration" to those cockamamie ideas, not a majority of the country.

But those who wonder why Pelosi is still the leader of the Democrats after all her gaffes need only look at the power she wields. Few members dare stand against her when she has the ability to adjust committee assignments or cut a member off from vital PAC money needed for re-election. She can even reassign office space if she chooses. In ways both large and small, Pelosi can make or break the careers of most Democratic congressmen.

So despite her embarrassing the party on a regular basis, Democrats are stuck with her – for the time being, anyway. A win in November will probably embolden the radicals to name one of their own as speaker. A loss would almost certainly be pinned on her. The odds are pretty good that come next January, Nancy Pelosi will be put out to pasture, and a group of leaders even more radical than Pelosi will take the reins of the Democratic party on the Hill.