Anxiety among Democrats over Speaker Pelosi

The year 2009 is regarded as the biggest legislative opportunity for Democrats since 1993, the last time they controlled the White House and both chambers of Congress.

But not all Democrats are celebrating.

Liberals are worried about Pelosi’s vow to govern “from the middle” and centrists are concerned that the make-up of the House leadership team has shifted noticeably to the left.

“Everybody I talk to, everybody’s worried about something,” said a Democratic staffer.

Pelosi (pictured) has a simple method of keeping and extending her power so that few members clash publicly with Pelosi.

Reps. John Dingell (D-Mich.) and Jane Harman (D-Calif.), who were at odds with Pelosi over the last few years, were stripped of their top committee posts.

Most Democratic freshman members of the House were elected on their centrist political beliefs. They have no committee posts to protect and may have less anxiety about not backing the Speaker’s left-wing agenda for fear they would be vulnerable in the 2010 elections and lose out to the Republicans they replaced during the Obama tidal wave of 2008.

Link